Shipping Updates: RRV Potatoes Down; CA Strawberries; Texas Citrus

Updated estimates continue to show fewer Red River Valley potatoes for hauling this season, plus here’s a look at California strawberry loads and Texas citrus.

Fall Potato production in North Dakota is 20.8 million hundredweight, down 25 percent from 2015, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Yield, at 325 hundredweight per acre, is down 20 hundredweight from a year earlier. Area harvested, at 64 thousand acres, is down 16 thousand acres from 2015.

 Potato production in Minnesota was 16.7 million hundredweight, up slightly from 16.2 million last year. Average yield jumped from 400 hundredweight per acre in 2015 to 430 in 2016.  40,000 acres were planted, only 1,000 acres were not harvested according to NASS. 

January rains in California may have disrupted the harvest and shipments of strawberries, but the welcome moisture should bode well in the weeks and months ahead.  Volume is building out of Ventura County leading up the popular St. Valentine’s Day, February 14th.  Oxnard shipment should continue through April.  In the meantime, light volume from the Watsonville area as well as Santa Maria will start in March.

Citrus acreage in Texas is expected to increase from 27,000 acres this year to as much as 30,000 acres by next year, despite challenges like citrus greening and the Mexican fruit fly.

Most of the state’s citrus are Texas red grapefruit varieties, but there also are early and mid-season oranges, navels and valencias.

The season has been progressing smoothly and orange shipments should continue through March and possibly into April.

The firm started grapefruit in early November and expects to continue through April.

Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas grapefruit, oranges and imported Mexican vegetables  and tropical fruits- grossing about $2500 to Atlanta; $2800 to Chicago and $4200 to New York City.