Here’s a shipping update ranging from California carrots to Florida citrus and Vidalia onions. There’s also one less major Georgia onion shipper this year.
California carrots may a little roughed up due to record rains and flooded fields during the past several months, but shippers say the quality remains good for hauling despite some blemishes and cosmetic flaws.
Eighty-five percent of the nation’s fresh carrots are grown and shipped from California. It’s believed there are between 40 and 50 carrot growers in the Golden State. Most of those farmers market and ship the product through Grimmway Farms in Bakersfield, Wm. Bolthouse Farms Inc., Bakersfield, or Kern Ridge Growers in Arvin.
Kern County carrots – grossing about $3700 to Chicago.
Florida Citrus
Florida citrus shipments, consisting primarily of grapefruit, tangerines and Valencia oranges, are on a steady seasonal decline. Grapefruit is pretty much finished, while tangerine loadings should continue until mid-April. valencias shipments are expected remain fairly steady through May.
Since 2005, when the first signs of citrus greening was discovered, Florida’s citrus shipments have plummeted by 75 percent.
Florida spring produce – grossing about $1100 to Atlanta.
Vidalia Onion Shipments
Vidalia onion shipments from Southeastern Georgia get underway with the official packing date of April 12th, which is two weeks earlier than last year Favorable winter and spring growing conditions are the reasons for the earlier start. Last season Georgia shipped 268 million pounds of Vidalia onions from 11,200 acres.
Plantation Sweets Bankruptcy, Auction
Vidalia onions has one less grower/shipper this season. Plantation Sweets of Cobbtown, GA filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July 2016 claiming assets of less than $50,000 and liabilities of more than $10 million and listing an estimated 50-99 creditors, according to court documents filed at that time. Plantation Sweets was one of oldest and larger Vidalia onion operations ranking as the second or third largest shipper there.
The packinghouse, land and equipment formerly used in operations for Plantation Sweets will be offered in a bank-ordered auction April 26. Farming equipment and micro-bins used in the operations will be sold April 27 in a separate auction.
While known for its Vidalia onions, Plantation Sweets also had sweet potatoes, watermelon, corn, cabbage and tobacco.