California melon shipments will be ramping up soon from the San Joaquin Valley, while further south in this valley, various colored potato shipments are picking up. Finally, we take a look at the season closing shipments for Florida Valencia oranges.
California’s Westside district of the San Joaquin Valley should have normal shipments this season, with loading underway by the end of June. Most shippers will begin packing between June 20 and July 1. California desert produce shipments are winding down, which means most of the nation will be receiving its supplies of cantaloupe, honeydew and other melons from and the Central San Joaquin Valley.
Consistent shipments of California melons are now expected through Labor Day. This will follow a trend for this year’s spring melon shipments that started from Arizona and California’s Imperial Valley where there good supplies and steady loadings of trucks.
Potato Shipments
Potato shipments have been decent from the Bakersfield (Kern County) area this spring, but are expected to get even better now that loadings out of Florida and Arizona are winding down. This Southern San Joaquin area is shipping primarily yellow and red potatoes, with lesser amounts of white potatoes. Shipments of white potatoes are just finishing, while reds will go through July 4th and yellows through mid-July.
Kern County potatoes, carrots – grossing about $4500 to Chicago.
Florida Valencia Shipments
Florida has slightly increased shipments of valencia oranges and honey tangerines. The USDA reports late season valencia oranges increased production by 300,000 equivalent cartons while honey tangerines increased by 10,000 cartons. Grapefruit and non-valencia orange shipments remain unchanged from the previous month’s report. In its June 10 report, the USDA reported all oranges at 81.4 cartons compared to 81 million cartons the previous month and 96.9 million cartons the previous season.
Florida Valencia orange shipments are 97 percent complete, while growers have finished grapefruit and tangerine shipments.