Western produce shipments may not be setting many records right now, but in general provide the best loading opportunities in the U.S.
Vegetables are in good volume from Arizona, where it be the Yuma district or Mexican product crossing the border at Nogales. Head lettuce and romaine lettuce account for the heaviest volume with about 2000 truck loads a week from Yuma and to a lesser extent the Phoenix area. Much fewer shipments of broccoli and cauliflower also are available.
Yuma, AZ vegetables – grossing about $7100 to New York City.
Mexican vegetables coming into Nogales distribution centers are led by bell peppers and other peppers totaling about 900 truck loads weekly, and various squash at around 750 truck loads of sweet corn. There’s also decent volume with tomatoes and squash.
Mexican vegetables from Nogales – grossing about $5800 to Miami.
In the Pacific Northwest apple growers and shippers not only know how to produce great product, they’ve developed keen marketing skills over the decades. Apples easily provide the single heaviest domestic fresh produce volume this year. Over 3000 truck load equivalents are being shipped from Washington state’s Yakima and Wenatchee valleys. They also are shipping much lighter volumes of pears.
Washington apples – grossing about $5100 to Chicago.
Southern Washington’s Columbia Basin along with the adjacent Umatilla Basin in Northern Oregon are shipping moderate amounts of onions and potatoes. Combined the two products are averaging 1000 truck loads a week, although the biggest volume is with onions.
Idaho potato shipments are averaging over 1800 truck load equivalents, although similar to Washington apples, a significant amount is moving by rail. Western Idaho and Malheur County Oregon are loading about 650 truck loads of onions weekly.
Twin Falls, ID potatoes – grossing about $5900 to Orlando.
Colorado russet potato shipments from the San Luis Valley are amounting to around 575 truck loads per week.
San Luis Valley potatoes – grossing about $1700 to Dallas.