Record cranberry shipments could occur for the second year in a row, plus here is a review of recently completed seasonal shipments for potatoes and citrus.
There were record shipments of cranberries last year and a similar amount of the fruit is expected to be coming out of Wisconsin, Massachusetts and Washington state bogs this season. Only about 10 percent of the crop is shipped as fresh, while the remainder mostly is processed for juices and sauce.
One estimate has the cranberry crop at around 11.1 and 11.5 million barrels, similar to the 2012 production of 11.2 million barrels. That 2012 crop was a record. Most shipments occur mid-September through mid-November.
Historically, about 80 percent of a season’s crop is consumed in North America, and about 20 percent of the crop is consumed during Thanksgiving week.
Potato Shipments
USA potato shipments increased eight percent in 2012, but citrus production was down 4 percent.
About 463 million cwt. of potatoes was shipped in the U.S. in 2012, according to a USDA report released September 19.
Citrus Shipments
Citrus shipments dropped four percent last season, and totaled 11.2 million tons during 2012-13.
Florida accounted for 63 percent, and California 34 percent of all citrus shipped in the USA. Texas and Arizona made up the balance.
Florida’s orange shipments, at 134 million boxes, fell nine percent from the previous season. Bearing citrus acreage in Florida, at 489,600 acres, was 5,500 acres below the 2011-2012 season.