Thanks to a damaging frost to red potatoes in Florida, it has made loading opportunities better nearly 2,000 miles away in the Red River Valley of North Dakota and Minnesota. The two areas normally compete after the New Year with the valley having an older crop and Florida having a new crop of red spuds.
Meanwhile, Idaho continues to have so many russett potatoes remaining to ship due to overproduction, it is still moving as many spuds as it can by truck and rail. Idaho is averaging about 2,000 truckload equivalents a week , while the Red River Valley may be shipping only 10 percent this amount, with volume on the decline entering the latter part of its season.
Florida continues to ship mixed vegetables and tomatoes. Blueberries are moving from the central part of the state.
A word of caution if you’re hauling Vidalia sweet onions out of Southeastern Georgia. A disease known as seed stems, probably caused from excessive rains, are showing up in most areas of the Vidalia onion production fields.
Seed stems results when the core of an onion becomes hollow, resulting in rapid deterioration of the entire onion. While onions with the disease for the most part, are removed during the grading process, some have been known to be missed. Just be a little more observant what you are loading.
Central Wisconsin is loading a moderate amount of russet potatoes each week, averaging about 375 truckloads.
While Michigan has virtually no apples this season, there are a few potatoes being shipped each week.
Washington state is averaging about 875 truckload equivalents of apples shipper per week from the Yakima and Wenachee valleys. Southern Washington is loading potatoes and onions from the Columbia Basin as well as the Umatilla Basin in northern Oregon.
Washington apples – grossing about $4200 to Chicago.
Idaho potatoes – about $5100 to New York City.
Florida mixed vegetables – about $1100 to Atlanta.