Posts Tagged “Arkansas tomato shipments”
The state of Arkansas has about 2,000 acres of tomatoes, according to the Arkansas Farm Bureau, making the commodity one of the state’s largest specialty crops.
Gem Tomato & Vegetable Shales of Hamburg, AR is reporting an exceptional crop and is among the nation’s first field-grown vine-ripes to be harvested each year.
A few tomatoes were picked in late may, but there is now a jump in volume occurring.
Gem Tomato offers round, roma, and for the past few years, grape tomatoes and ships primarily to customers in the midwest.
Round tomatoes are the company’s bestseller, but demand for romas has increased each year since they were added to the product line more than 20 years ago.
Harrod & Hensley Tomato Co. of Hermitage, AR in Bradley County, is known nationally as a prime tomato-growing region, shipping round, grape, heirloom and roma tomatoes. The fifth generation family owned company normally has the first tomatoes shipped of Arkansas.
The company also sells tomatoes for four or five other growers.
The state’s tomato loadings continue into the first week of July.
As we approach summer vegetables shipments have started from North Carolina. Meanwhile, Arkansas tomato shipments are coming soon, plus a glimpse at that state’s sweet potatoes.
North Carolina vegetable shipments are starting towards the end of May or early June. Both squash and cucumbers will get underway about a week to 10 days later than usual. Pepper loadings will have a more start, around June 25. Onion movement als should be on time, with a late June or early July start.
Cabbage shipments from the Faison, N.C., are will get underway in late May, with other regions of the state beginning in the first week of June. Cabbage acreage in North Carolina is estimated in the 8,000-9,000 range, which would be down a bit.
Romaine lettuce loadings started in early May and the season is just being completed.
Arkansas Tomato Shipments
Strong volumes with Arkansas tomatoes will occur in early June, originating from the Hermitage, and Hamburg, Ark areas in the Southeastern part of the state. Shipments will continue for about six weeks. Arkansas tomato shipments are expected to be best the state has had in several years. Shipments could be up 15 to 20 percent. While vine ripe tomatoes provide most of the volume, there also are significant amounts of roma and grape tomatoes.
Distribution range for Arkansas tomatoes has increased over time. Loadings are destined for surrounding states, and as far as eastern Pennsylvania and throughout the Midwest.
Arkansas Sweet Potato Shipments
Arkansas may not be known for sweet potato production, but there is at least one large shipper in the Northeastern part of the state, Matthews Ridgeview Farms at Wynne, Ark. Plantings are underway, with the first loadings taking place in September. Shipments cover much of the Midwest and some Canadian markets. Only a small shipping gap is expected between the 2015-16 crop that will be winding down in a couple of months or so, and the new crop kicking off in September.
The leading sweet potato shipping states are North Carolina, California, Mississippi and Louisiana.
Here’s a shipping update from various areas across the country, where there should be some loading opportunities. Here’s also a cautionary note about some splitting of Oregon cherries due to recent rains.
California Tomato Shipments
Vine ripe tomato shipments from the Oceanside, CA area have started, with romas to get underway in August. Both types of tomato shipments will continue through November.
Arkansas Tomato Shipments
A lot of tomato shipping areas around the country claim to ship home grown quality tomatoes, but consumers certainly know the difference. This season, there’s certainly an exception. Haul Produce is referring to vine ripe tomatoes from Arkansas. This beautiful, tasty product is currently being shipped from the Hermitage area and will continue through July.
Peach Shipments
New Jersey peach shipments get underway within the next week or so and should yield 30,000 tons to 35,000 tons of fruit from the state’s 5,500 acres of trees. Peach loadings will remain available through most of September.
Northwest Cherry Shipments
A monthly record of 10.3 million boxes of cherries were shipped from the region in June. The volume was more than double the June 2012 tally of 4.7 million boxes — part of that year’s record crop….Rainfall in the last week of June has resulted in some splitting of Oregon cherries, but damage varied by grower. So use caution and pay attention to what is being loaded on your truck. It could save you a claim or rejected load. The amount of damage to cherries is estimated a about 10 percent of the fruit being lost.