Here’s a round up of opportunities for California produce shipments.
Complaints continue to be heard about the lousy westbound freight rates across the country. There also isn’t a lot of excitement over refrigerated loads for fresh fruits and vegetables. Even California seems subdued this summer, the West Coast is still your best bet.
Salinas Valley Produce Shipments
Adequate truck supplies seem to be the norm anymore in California. The reasons given are numerous, but we won’t dwell on that now.
Head lettuce is accounting for around 1,000 truck loads per week in the Salinas Valley, but volume with other types of lettuce (romaine, leaf) are substantially lower. There’s also the usual suspects in the fields ranging from celery to bell peppers, among many others. In the nearby Watsonville district, strawberries are finally in a consistent mode, with both volume and quality. Over 900 truckloads of strawberries are being shipped each week. The Santa Maria district just to the south of Salinas is shipping similar items, but in much less volume.
Salinas vegetables and Watsonville berries – grossing about $7000 to New York City.
San Joaquin Valley Produce Shipments
The heaviest volume out of the San Joaquin Valley now is probably grapes and cantaloupe. Table grapes are heaviest in the Southern part of the valley closer to the Bakersfield area, but are gaining in volume as the season spreads northward in the valley. Cantaloupe loadings are now good out of the Westside district of the San Joaquin Valley from places such as Firebaugh. Both grapes and cantaloupes are averaging around 1,250 truckloads per week.
Growers in Fresno County ship almost 250,000 tons of cantaloupes from 11,400 acres.
Tomato shipments are now originating out of the central valley. There’s also is moderate loadings with peaches. Both items are averaging around 500 truck loads each per week. Nectarines and plums also are being shipped, but in relatively light volume.
San Joaquin Valley produce – grossing about $4100 to Dallas.