Posts Tagged “citrus shipments”
Wintertime any year can pose it own set of problems relating to shipping volume, gaps, and quality for California produce shipments. But this year is becoming even more unpredictable with the California El Niño storm season underway, which can translate into weeks of frequent rain, resulting in harvest delays or damage to strawberries, citrus and vegetables.
Rain is predicted through the end of January, which can affect late March and early April produce shipments after the seasonal transition from the California and Arizona deserts.
The Yuma, AZ shipping area has already been experiencing much lighter shipments of cauliflower, broccoli and celery.
Central California plantings (San Joaquin Valley), including the Huron district, is already a concern to many produce growers who hope to plant on the schedule. Huron often prevents or lessens a shipping gap between the desert and Salinas for items such as lettuce.
Concerning citrus shipments, California packinghouses have been stepping up harvest in anticipation of coming rains. Thus far, shipping gaps have pretty much been avoided.
Citrus is more resistant than vegetables to rain damage, so growers work to increase picking and packing during storm breaks.
Luckily for strawberry shipments in the months ahead, the Watsonville and Salinas districts completed planting before any storms. However, drops in strawberry shipping volume is expected from Ventura and Orange counties.
Over 2016 California strawberry shipments are expected to have decreased volumes.
Above average rainfall is forecast through March in California, Texas and Florida by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Based on NASA satellite imagery, climatologists say the warming trend in the Pacific Ocean equals that of the same months in 1998, when heavy rains and flooding rolled through the regions. It was one of the two strongest El Niño’s on record.
The Salinas Valley had extensive flooding in 1998.
BOTTOM LINE….There’s a pretty good chance lighter than normal western vegetable shipments will be with us for a while.
California and Arizona desert vegetable shipments, grossing about $3800 to Chicago.
While Florida leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to produce trucking in the fall, there are citrus loadings and limited amounts of vegetables.
Navel and fallglo tangerine harvets started the third week of September, with decent loading opportunties coming on in late September. This week, the harvest of navels are underway.
This season, the industry should pack about 12 million cartons of red and white grapefruit, down from the 13 million it produced last season.
Citrus shipments Wrap Up
U.S. citrus shipments fell four percent in 2014-15 season.
About 9.02 million tons of citrus were produced this season. The 2014-15 total is also 49 percent lower than the record 17.8 million tons produced in 1997-98.
Florida accounted for 56 percent of all 2014-15 loadings, California 41 percent, while Texas and Arizona amounted to three percent combined.
With about 97 million boxes, Florida’s orange shipments are eight percent lower than in 2013-14. Florida grapefruit shipments amounted to 13 million boxes, down 18percent.
California’s orange volume fell one percent to 49 million boxes. Grapefruit shipments in the state also fell one percent, but lemon loadings rose nine percent, while tangerine and mandarin volume rose nine percent.
Florida Fall Vegetable Shipments
Light Fall Florida Veggie Shipments will be staring in a few weeks, despite rains occurring nearly on a daily basis. Squash and cucumbers get underway from the Immokalee area the second week of November with bell peppers and eggplants starting only a few days later. One major shipper is Oakes Farms Inc.
Eggplant and other veggies get started in late October from the Loxahatchee area. A primary shipper this is J&J Family of Farms Inc.
.
Citrus shipments have declined 13 percent between 2007 and 2012, mostly from Florida.The USDA’s Census of Agriculture shows that citrus acreage declined to 877,701 acres in 2012 due to primarily citrus greening in Florida. The disease affected nearly all citrus crops except tangerines.
What’s more, at just over 13,000 farms in 2012, the number of U.S. citrus orchards dropped a whopping 17% from 2007. As a percent of total fruit and tree nut acreage, citrus in 2012 accounted for 17 percent of total U.S. orchard acreage, down from 20 percent in 2007 and 24 percent in 2002.
U.S. grapefruit production tumbled from 156,869 acres in 2002 to 88,393 acres in 2012, while orange acreage slid from 987,743 in 2012 to 670,386 acres in 2012.
Headed the other way, U.S. citrus imports have increased over the last decade, rising from 419,053 metric tons in 2002 to 840,103 metric tons in 2014.
An exception in U.S. citrus acreage shows tangerines have experienced remarkable strength. The USDA reports tangerine acreage in the U.S. rose from 31,419 acres in 2002 to 36,965 acres in 2007 and 42,289 acres in 2012. In a 10-year period where total citrus acreage sank by 32 percent, tangerine acreage shot up 34 percent.
Most tangerine acreage increases have come from California, with a fourfold increase in acreage (8,058 acres in 2002 to 33,465 acres in 2012). The state now accounts for 80 percent of all mandarin acreage in the U.S. Slumping like other varieties, Florida’s tangerine acreage dropped 60 percent from 2002 and 2012.
Like Florida, will California eventually have to deal with the ravages of HLB? California continues to expand the quarantine for the citrus greening (Huanglongbing or HLB) carrying vector, the Asian Citrus Pysllid (ACP). The California Department of Food and Agriculture says ACP county-wide quarantines are now in place in Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Tulare and Ventura counties, with portions of Fresno, Kern Madera, San Benito, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Clara counties are also under quarantine.
Despite much research money devoted to the quest, there is no cure for citrus greening yet. Thankfully, the CDFA notes that “HLB has been detected just once in California – in 2012 on a single residential property in Hacienda Heights, Los Angeles County.”
Southern California citrus – grossing about $4500 to Dallas.
Here’s an update on California fall produce shipments, plus a glimpse at the outlook for Oregon potato shipments.
Among the leading items for fall produce loadings out of California are grapes, apples and citrus.
Grape Shipments
California ships over 60 percent of its table grapes after September 1st. Total California grape shipments this season are estimated at 113.3 million 19-pound boxes. So far grape quality has generally been good. However, we need to keep an eye on hot, humid and occasional rainy weather that could adversely affect quality.
San Joaquin Valley grapes and other items – grossing about $6700 to New York City.
Apple Shipments
California gala apple shipments got off to a slow start in mid July mainly because of Washington state’s old crop still being shipped. Loadings have now picked up. Fujis and granny smith apples shipments get underway in September, followed by pink lady in mid October. Primavera Marketing Inc., of Stockton, CA is the state’s largest apple shipper, with about 1.1 million boxes. The state’s apple shipments have taken a hit, however, with Bidart Bros. of Bakersfield, CA, pulling out of the apple business following a listeria outbreak at its packing facility. The company, which packed about 400,000 boxes of apples, is now focusing on other crops.
Citrus Shipments
California navel shipments should start in mid-October, although volume will be down this season due to 20,000 to 25,000 acres of trees being dozed because of the drought. For easy-peel fruit, satsumas will starte ahead of navels, in late September or early October.v Clementine loadings start soon after navels. Volumes should be up as younger trees come into production.
Oregon Potato Shipments
Oregon fresh potato shipments are expected to be similar to the 2014-15 season.
However, excessive heat could change spuds as the harvest progresses, especially if vines start dying early.
The table stock harvest started in early August from the Columbia Basin, with harvest in the Klamath Basin following shortly thereafter.
Oregon fresh potato shipments are 17 percent of total state production, with fresh acreage being approximately 7,000 acres.
Oregon potatoes – grossing about $4300 to Chicago.
We’re rapidly approaching the prime shipping season for Florida spring vegetables.
Growing conditions have mostly been favorable and if anything crops tend to be maturing a little earlier than normal. Peak shipments will occur during April and May.
Overall, Florida should have normal volume this spring. Shipments are increasing on items from Southern Florida ranging from bell peppers to cucumbers, squash, sweet corn, beans, cabbage and eggplant. Shipments of red potatoes continue.
Brisk movement entering April will be pushed even more since Easter is early this year – April 5th….Cabbage shipments had been heavy leading up to St. Patrick’s Day (yesterday), but good volumes will continue.
An exception to normal supplies are Florida tomatoes. Cold February weather has reduced supplies and shipments of tomatoes, but are now starting to rebound and will be back to normal by late March.
Citrus shipments continue to be good and volume is steady from week to week from Central and Southern areas.
Florida blueberry shipments are just getting underway from Central Florida, with good volume by early April. South Florida watermelon loads should become available by the end of March.
Strawberry shipments from the Plant City area continue in good volume, but shipments will soon decline with the season ending in early April.
South Florida produce shipments – grossing about $3200 to New York City.
An extended warm weather streak is occurring in the California and Arizona deserts, resulting in fair to good movement of vegetables. The only problem is treacherous winter weather in many northern and northeastern markets is hurting demand.
Desert vegetable shipments are taking place from the Imperial, Coachella and Pal Verde valleys of California, as well as the Yuma area in Arizona. Everything from head lettuce to romaine, as well as broccoli and cauliflower, and greens are being loaded. The primary problem might be if there are some temporary shipping gaps due to weather factors earlier in the season….Mexican asparagus volume is building at the Calexico, CA border crossing.
Carrot shipments from the Bakersfield area are averaging over 300 truck loads per week.
While strawberry loadings out of the Oxnard district are light, there is better volume with celery.
California citrus shipments ranging from oranges to tangerines and mandarins are available from shippers in Central and Southern California.
California avocado shipments have recently got underway and the forecast calls for loadings to total 327 million pounds during the 2014-15 season, about 10 percent greater than this past season. Volumes are expected to build into March with ‘promotable’ volume beginning in April.
Overall, this is perhaps the lightest volume time of the year for California produce shipments, which too often results in multiple pick ups to fill the trailer.
California desert shipments – grossing about $4400 to Chicago, $6500 to New York City.
Here is a glimpse of produce loading opportunities on Mexican produce shipments crossing the border into Texas, as well as domestic citrus shipments from the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
In 2013, about 170,000 truckloads of fruits and vegetables from Mexico came into the United through the ports of entry in South Texas, making it the leading state in the country for imports of fresh produce.
Approximately 40 to 45 percent of the fresh produce consumed in the United States is imported.
It has been estimated annually an additional 500,000 truckloads of goods (not just produce) will travel through Texas into the United States because of the ease of driving across Mexico through the mountains and into the Lone Star State.
There’s probably more Mexican avocados crossing the border into the Lower Rio Grand Valley of Texas now than any other produce item – averaging about 800 truck loads per week. There is also much lighter volume with various tropical fruits.
In South Texas, shipments of domestic grapefruit is averaging about 200 truck loads weekly, with oranges amounting to about one-half this volume.
There also is light volume with Wintergarden District cabbage, which is located just south of San Antonio.
South Texas domestic citrus and Mexican tropical fruit – grossing about $2900 to Chicago and about $4500 to New York City.
California grape shipments should remain in good volume, providing steady loading opportunities through the end of the year. Meanwhile, the state’s citrus shipments will be picking up soon, while vegetable loadings will be limited as volume gradually shifts to the the desert areas.
Grape shipments at this point in the season are right on the heels of last year’s record loadings of 116 million, 19-pound boxes. If this year’s grape shipments don’t break last year’s volume, at the least it will be the second largest on record. About 70 percent of the total crop has been shipped .
Citrus Shipments
It is estimated California will ship 81 million, 40-pound cartons of navel oranges this season. Of that total, 78 million cartons will be shipped from California’s Central San Joaquin Valley. Shipments are modest, but will be increasing in the weeks ahead.
Mandrian orange shipments are also on the rise, with greater volume than a year ago being forecast.
Vegetable shipments
Salinas vegetables ranging from broccoli to cauliflower, among others, will be shifting from the Salinas Valley to the desert areas. The shift to California’s Imperial Valley and the Yuma District in Arizona will be taking place around the third to fourth week of November. Head lettuce from the Huron District is winding down and also will be shifting the desert areas.
Central San Joaquin Valley grapes and other fruit – grossing about $7100 to New York City.
While California’s overall fruit shipments in the fall may not match those of summertime, there are some exception when looking at individual commodities. Here is a round up on leading California fruit shipments this fall.
Grape Shipments
At least 60 percent of California grape shipments occur after Labor Day and continue into January. Since California is easy the biggest table grape shipping state, we are talking about a lot of fruit. The shipping season actually started last May from the desert and the total season forecast calls for 116.5 million, 19-pound cartons to be shipped. That is less than one million cartons away from last season record setting shipments.
Citrus Shipments
Larger volumes of tangerinees (which includes mandarins) are forecast this fall. Numbers are not yet available, but last season there were 26 million, 40-pound cartons of tangerines shipped….Navel orange loadings should become available sometime in October, with full volume coming in November — and in time for Thanksgiving shipments.
Kiwi Shipments
Kiwifruit loadings are predicted to be about 7 million tray equivalents, similar to last season.
Pomegranate Shipments
Loadings of pomegranates have been increasing 20 percent annually in recent years, and volume once again should be bigger – estimated at 6 million 25-pound box equivalents.
Apple Shipments
California apple shipments pale in comparison to that of Washington state. Shipments have been underway since late July and will last into November.
Strawberry Shipments
Peak shipments from the Watsonville area occurred during July and August. There still good volume, but seasonally lower amounts are still occurring there. In October, strawberry shipments will shift to Oxnard and the Baja California peninsula of Mexico.
Watsonville strawberries, Salinas Valley vegetables – grossing about $5600 to Cleveland.
Central San Joaquin Valley table grapes, stone fruit, vegetables – grossing about $6,600 to Orlando.
Citrus Shipments
The latest Florida citrus shipping update shows there are fewer oranges, tangerines and tangelos. Total orange volume dropped 4 percent from the previous month, but plunged 18 perecent from last year. Florida is expected to ship 110 million equivalent cartons of oranges this season, down from the 133.5 million cartons a year ago. Late-season valencia oranges, the only oranges remaining in production, account for all of the decline and are expected to produce 57 million equivalent boxes, a 7 seven percent decline.
Grapefruit volume is unchanged from the March report while the state’s honey tangerines are estimated to be down 300,000 cartons. Tangelo production declined 20,000 boxes to 880,000 cartons. Growers have finished harvesting over 90 percent of the state’s colored grapefruit, 82 percent of its white grapefruit, 75 percent of tangerines and 18 percent of valencias. While an overwhelming majority of the state’s oranges ship to processed channels, 65 percent of its navels, 63 percent of its tangerines and 40 percent of its grapefruit ship fresh. About 9 percent of the state’s 130 million equivalent cartons of citrus ship fresh. Last season, 156 million cartons were shipped.
While citrus shipments are on the tail end of the season, there should still be ample opportunities for hauling a wide variety of Florida vegetable loads ranging from sweet corn to beans and tomatoes out of South and Central areas of Florida.
Florida vegetables, tomatoes and watermelons – grossing about $4000 to New York City.