Gosh! March arrives this Saturday. That means St. Patrick’s Day will be only a couple of weeks off. That also means as we enter March it will be the biggest period for cabbage shipments.
We’ll also take a peek at a few other commodities and areas where loadings should be available.
While cabbage growers in Southern Florida were expected to produce normal, high-quality crops, Northern Florida was hit by freezes. In Texas, most cabbage originates from the Winter Garden District just south of San Antonio. Volume is expected to be down 30 percent this season.
Sweet Potato Shipments
Cabbage isn’t the only item hit by weather. Sweet potato shipments are down this winter. North Carolina acreage is off 10 percent, and there’s less product for hauling out of California as well. Similar situations exist in Mississippi and Louisiana. There also are sweet potato shipments from Arkansas, especially in the Northeast part of the state.
Eastern North Carolina sweet potatoes – grossing about $1800 to New York City.
Potato Shipments
After a slow beginning to the season, exacerbated by truck shortages, red potato growers in the Red River Valley of North Dakota and Minnesota are back on track and see increased movment as we approach St. Patrick’s Day March 17. Trucks were a bit short as well, but the equipment delimmea has eased. There’s about 300 truckloads of primarily red potatoes being shipped weekly.
However, it’s Idaho that really moves the tonnage with it russets. Idaho potato shipments are averaging around 800 truckload equivalents per week.
About this time each year South Florida begins shipping it new crop of red potatoes. Loadings are now under way.
South Florida potatoes – grossing about $3200 to Boston.
Idaho potatoes grossing – about $2900 to Chicago.
Red River Valley potatoes – about $1900 to Chicago.