Friesland, Wisconsin, August 3, 2021 — Wisconsin red potato harvest is underway at Alsum Farms in Grand Marsh, WI., and the first potato loads were washed, graded, packed and shipped to distribution centers and retail grocers the first full week of August.
“We are having ideal weather for the first harvest of red potatoes this summer at Alsum Farms,” says Larry Alsum, President & CEO of Alsum Farms & Produce in Friesland, WI.
Gold potato harvest got underway a week later on August 6. Alsum Farms russet potato harvest is just starting with the Pacific Russet variety, an early season variety that will be the first of new crop russets to be harvested off the field and freshly washed, packed and delivered to retail grocers in the Midwest and beyond.
New crop Wisconsin Fingerlings also were ready for shipping on August 16. In addition, new crop Wisconsin organic russet, red and gold potatoes were available for shipping August 9th.
Alsum Farms is now in full swing shipping new crop Wisconsin russet, red, white, gold and fingerling potatoes.
Hwy Haul co-founder and CEO Syed Aman knows fresh produce is the future of grocery stores. It’s one of the few categories that still drives shoppers to buy in-store. But some points in the supply chain for fresh produce are still stuck in the dark ages, according to a story in GreenBiz webcast.
Using his experience at Walmart, Aman is dragging trucking into the digital age with the added bonus of reducing food waste and eliminating unnecessary transportation emissions.
The trucking industry is fragmented and driven by individual relationships, according to Aman. Hwy Haul is trying to unite every stakeholder — shipper, trucker and retailer — in one place. Hwy Haul’s app digitally connects growers with fresh produce to truckers who can deliver the loads to buyers around the country. According to Max Gorobets, associate director of transportation for Lakeside Produce, one of Hwy Haul’s clients, before the app, would have to get on the phone to call each trucking company to find a truck and a driver to pick up and deliver his load.
Now Gorobets enters his load’s origin and destination information into the Hwy Haul app, and drivers on the other end can decide to accept it.
The San Francisco-based startup has raised $3.3 million in seed funding.
In the trucking sector, anywhere between 20 and 30 percent of miles are driven by empty freights, according to industry research. Sometimes, trucks drive 300 miles just to pick up a load. Those emissions add up. Hwy Haul has reduced empty mileage by 80 percent compared to industry standards by using data science, AI and algorithms, Aman said.
Aman’s key metric of success, however, is reducing rejections and therefore reducing food waste. According to him, produce spends half its shelf life on a truck.
“Produce is a very time-sensitive commodity,” he said.
That means having eyes on the produce at all times during the route. Hwy Haul uses sensors to monitor metrics such as temperature and location that are uploaded in real-time to its portal.
According to Aman, an average of 14 percent of loads are rejected by the retailer once they make it to the destination because of spoilage and damage en route.
HOLLISTER, CA — Once the North American blueberry season wanes, Peru’s long growing season, steady climate and greenhouse-like growing conditions will provide produce haulers with a constant volume of high-quality blueberries.
“We continue to have new acreage in play, and the crop-set looks heavier, and earlier, than last year,” said Michael Osumi, Berry People’s Chief Operating Officer. “We are expecting to begin shipping in August, a couple of weeks early, with peak arrivals planned for October through mid-December.”
Berry People now has a year-round supply of conventional and organic blueberries as a result of its increasing commercial partnerships in Peru, Chile and North America.
“As Berry People approaches our fourth year in business, our overall volume, continuity, and mix of supply allows us to make larger program commitments with key retail accounts. This year’s Peruvian season is part of that growth, and we are making customer alignments now that we hope to carry forward and upward for years to come as the acreage and volume continues to increase,” said Jerald Downs, President of Berry People.
From the COVID-related packaging supply constraints to port of entry delays, logistics is an increasing challenge for the industry, and Berry People has been chasing these issues head-on in preparation for the next 2021-2022 season. Their one-stop-mixer-dock berry model—shipping both during the summer out of the Central Coast, and in the fall, winter, and spring out of Southern California—continues to simplify shipping.
About Berry People: Berry People is a year-round, full-line shipper of branded organic and conventional strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and owner of the Berry People brand. Headquartered in Hollister, California, the company’s ownership and key alliance partners hold important production assets in California, Mexico, Chile and Peru.
With a steady supply of both domestic and off-shore product, shipper Bee Sweet Citrus of Fowler, CA is prepared to meet summer shipping demand for fresh citrus varieties.
“Citrus fruits remain a household staple for many families, so year-round availability is imperative to meeting the industry’s demand for product,” stated Bee Sweet Citrus Sales Representative Jason Sadoian. “As our summer import program continues to gain momentum, our customers can rely on our team to provide them with Chilean Oranges, Mandarins and Lemons, as well as several domestic varieties to meet their consumer’s needs.”
Available in new, high-graphic packaging, all of Bee Sweet’s off-shore product is checked for quality once it arrives at the company’s main location in Fowler, California. With a dedicated production team trained to facilitate the summer program and the company’s sales team focused on clearance, logistics and inventory, customers can look to the Bee Sweet Citrus team for a successful 12-month citrus program.
“During the summer months, consumers can look to our brand for year-round staples such as Navel Oranges, Lemons and Mandarins, in addition to domestic Valencias, Blood Oranges and Grapefruit,” continued Sadoian. “All of these varieties are flavorful, nutritious and are incredibly versatile.”
Truckload freight volumes hit new highs in June and spot and contract rates stayed in record territory as surging retail imports and peak produce shipments fueled demand for transportation services, according to DAT Freight & Analytics, operator of the largest truckload freight marketplace in North America.
The DAT Truckload Volume Index was 237 in June, an 11% increase compared to May and a record high. The Index is an aggregated measure of dry van, refrigerated (“reefer”) and flatbed loads moved by truckload carriers and an industry-standard indicator of commercial freight activity. A baseline of 100 reflects freight volume in January 2015.
Super High Rates
The national average rate for van loads on the DAT One load board network was $2.68 per mile in June, down 1 cent from the all-time high in May (all rates include a fuel surcharge).
The national average spot rate for refrigerated freight fell 1 cent to $3.10 per mile month over month while the flatbed rate increased 3 cents to $3.15.
Contract truckload rates set records for all three equipment types. The average van rate was $2.73 per mile, up 6 cents compared to May. The contract reefer rate increased 3 cents to $2.88 per mile, while the flatbed rate jumped 7 cents to $3.10 per mile.
Spot load postings decline as more freight moves under contract.
Overall truckload volumes increased last month but the number of loads posted to the DAT One network fell 6.0% compared to May. This marked a shift from the spot market toward more freight moving under contract or other means.
The number of available trucks on DAT One increased 13.2% compared to May. Although capacity remains tight, there are signs that workers are coming back to the industry, with 24,500 new transportation jobs added in June.
With fewer loads on the spot market and more trucks available, load-to-truck ratios declined for all three equipment types. The national average van ratio was 5.6 in June, meaning there were 5.6 available loads for every van posted to the DAT network, down from 6.1 in May. The reefer ratio was 11.6, down from 13.0, and the flatbed ratio slipped from 97.1 in May to 66.8 last month.
In June, shippers faced a supply-driven capacity crunch, said Ken Adamo, Chief of Analytics at DAT: “While the number of trucks posted to the DAT load board network increased significantly in June, overall demand accelerated at a faster pace. The typical seasonal decline in contract and spot rates from now to Thanksgiving looks less likely in 2021.”
Spot truckload rates typically drop after the July 4 holiday with back-to-school and back-to-office retail goods already positioned and produce season past its peak. In some cases, reefer carriers will shift to moving dry van and other types of freight, which could provide relief to retailers seeking transportation services for end-of-year holiday goods.
Usually, 12 to 15% of all truckload volume moves on the spot market. Entering July, that figure is closer to 25% but should tighten as more shippers take a portfolio-based transportation procurement strategy (dedicated, contract and spot, as well as using a mix of both asset and non-asset providers).
Between July 4 and Thanksgiving, weekly truckload volumes of produce typically decline an average of 21%, which translates to reefer carriers hauling 7,300 fewer truckloads per week by the end of November.
Comparing rates entering the market to those exiting shipper routing guides, contract rates were rising at the beginning of July: new routing guide contract rates increased by 7% in the two weeks ending July 1 compared to the prior two-week period. We expect contract rates to remain elevated at least through the fall.
In an effort to speed delivery and meet increasing consumer demand to have goods delivered to their doorstep, Walmart is strengthening its partnership with the on-demand drone delivery startup DroneUp.
Walmart first partnered with DroneUp — operator of small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) — in 2020 and launched a pilot program to deliver at-home COVID-19 self-collection kits.
“The trial demonstrated we could offer customers delivery in minutes versus hours. Now, after safely completing hundreds of drone deliveries from Walmart stores, we’re making an investment in DroneUp to continue our work toward developing a scalable last-mile delivery solution, John Furner, CEO and president of Walmart U.S., said in a recent press release.
Furner said Walmart is “uniquely positioned” to advance drone deliveries because of the retailer’s expansive footprint — over 4,700 stores nationwide — plus, 90 percent of the population lives within 10 miles of a Walmart location.
He said Walmart’s investment in DroneUp will apply to flying and ground delivery. The first official operation is being launched at a Walmart store in Bentonville, Arkansas.
“Conducting drone deliveries at scale is within reach. DroneUp’s expertise combined with our retail footprint and proven history of logistics innovation puts us right where we want to be for that day. Because when it comes to the future of drone delivery, we know the sky’s the limit,” Furner said in the post.
DroneUp was the first operator to use the FAA 107.39 waiver, which allows delivery flights to take place over people and moving vehicles. The Virginia startup is an authorized government drone services provider and operates commercially nationwide and for 11 states serving public sector agencies.
Walmart isn’t the only company looking for alternative means of handling fast deliveries. Amazon is planning to launch its own unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) fleet and Google’s Wing UAV service recently piloted an operation during the pandemic lockdown and delivered books to school children.
NEW ROCHELLE, NY – LGS Specialty Sales, a leading importer of citrus, avocados, grapes, and persimmons, announces an update on its 2021 summer citrus season. Over the next few months, LGS’ Darling Citrus® line will include Cara Caras, lemons, minneolas, navels and W. Murcotts.
“The summer citrus season is always an exciting time at LGS,” said Luke Sears, president and founder of LGS Specialty Sales. “Our growers supply us with quality fruit and we’re excited for shoppers to experience and enjoy the various products we have available during the summer months.”
Cara Caras – The Chilean Cara Caras will be available from August through September. The company reports the quality is great with the size trending smaller than previous seasons.
Lemons – The Argentinian lemon season will run throughout August along with Chilean lemons through October to finish out the season. Both regions are producing premium fruit with excellent juice content.
Minneolas – The Peruvian minneolas are of great quality with a vibrant appearance and good brix/acid ratio. The size is evenly split, which allows for availability in different pack styles and bulk sizes.
Navels – The Chilean navel season will run throughout mid to late October. The size is trending smaller with the volume up 5-10 percent from 2020.
W. Murcotts – The Peruvian and Chilean W. Murcott season will run from August through early November. The fruit is producing great flavor, an ideal acid/brix ratio and a vibrant orange exterior.
Additionally, LGS’ summer avocado program is also seeing great success. The Columbian summer program is producing quality avocados through August until the winter program kicks off in November. The Peruvian avocados are producing great oil content and the season is anticipated to go throughout September.
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About LGS Specialty Sales, Ltd.
LGS Specialty Sales, Ltd. has been importing fruit from select growers around the world for 30 years. Today, LGS is a leading importer of clementines, oranges, avocados, grapes, lemons, minneolas, cara cara oranges and persimmons.
Bridges Produce has built their business on long term partnerships and their relationship with Fruit d’Or is no exception. The Bridges team has worked with Fruit d’Or, for over 24 years and has acted as their exclusive organic fresh cranberry sales representative in the United States for the last 7 years. During this time, they have seen the program grow and diversify across many markets and distribution channels. This Fall, Bridges will be adding Massachusetts based Decas Farms conventional fresh cranberries to their available offerings.
In March 2021, family-owned Fruit d’Or based in Quebec, Canada acquired Decas Cranberry Products Inc. The Patience Fruit & Co organic brand is well-developed in Canada and is a strong organic player in the US cranberry market. Decas Farms has an 80 year history of producing high quality fresh cranberries and cranberry products.
There continues to be opportunities for significant growth across the fresh cranberry category which grew over 4.1% in 2020. Bridges will be able to offer both 8oz. and 12 oz. Patience Fruit & Co. brand organic cranberries and 12 oz. Decas Farms brand conventional cranberries from October through December shipping from three locations – Carver MA, Los Angeles, CA, and Vineland, NJ.
With Decas Farms now under the Patience Fruit & Co’s umbrella, they plan to pack and ship the majority of the organic and conventional fresh fruit at the Decas’ Massachusetts facility. “Bridges is excited to add a Massachusetts based packing house and the additional SKU’s in the Decas Farms label. The combination of Patience and Decas has greatly increased our capacity and efficiency of logistics. We can now cover the full cranberry category with both organic and conventional options with three loading locations in the US,” said Ben Johnson, Bridges Produce’s President. With these increased efficiencies, and hundreds of years of combined experience Bridges expects to provide even higher levels of customer service paired with the superior quality fruit that all three companies are known for.
A record volume of 3.4 million metric tons (MT) of table grapes was traded in the 2020-21 season despite “multiple hurdles”, according to a USDA report.
At the world level, the pandemic doesn’t appear to have limited output as losses by some producer countries are being offset by gains in others, keeping production at 24.7 million MT, just below the record level set in 2017-18, the report said.
In addition, if forecasts are realized, this year could also mark the first time Peru surpasses Chile in production.
“Global trade has faced many challenges this past year due to COVID‐19 and its many effects. Agriculture as a whole has had to overcome, and continues to be confronted with, significant transportation challenges as part of the fallout from COVID‐19,” the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) report on World Markets and Trade said.
“Included in these are worldwide shipping delays and container shortages, with resultant high shipping costs, while countries also face labor shortages to varying degrees due to COVID‐19 measures.
“Table grapes experienced further obstacles the latter half of the season that made the year even more trying.”
The report noted that in Peru, striking workers blocked roads and shipments in Ica in December, hitting growers in the top producing region during the Andrean country’s second-largest export month.
Additionally, in the midst of Chile’s harvest in January, unseasonal and torrential rain caused severe damage in three of the main growing regions, it said. Producer associations in O’Higgins, the largest producing region, reported losses of up to 80 percent.
And in March, the cargo ship Ever Given ran aground and blocked the Suez Canal, impacting India’s exports destined for Europe at the peak of its shipping season.
But the report noted that there is also “no relief expected from lower volumes”, with production levels remaining high.
“Adequate supplies are often being met with logistical challenges in getting fruit to import markets, but most major exporters have been able to reach markets, with some even expanding their reach to new destinations. Chile, the United States, and Mexico are the only top producer‐exporters anticipated to see reduced shipments, but mostly due to lower supplies,” it said.
“Despite the litany of challenges, the table grape industry has shown great resilience. With steady high volumes, imports and exports are each projected to reach a record of more than 3.4 million tons.”
The U.S. trucker shortage has become so severe companies are trying to recruit drivers from abroad more than ever.
The American Journal of Transportation reports the country has been struggling with a chronic lack of drivers for years, but the shortage reached crisis levels due to the pandemic.
Covid-19 simultaneously sent demand for shipped goods soaring while touching off a surge in early retirements.
Filling stations are facing gasoline outages, airports are short on jet fuel and lumber prices hit records with some suppliers partly blaming delivery delays.
Trucking has emerged as one of the most acute bottlenecks in the supply chain that has been hit quite hard amid the pandemic.
“We’re living through the worst driver shortage that we’ve seen in recent history, by far,” Jose Gomez-Urquiza, the chief executive officer of Visa Solutions told ajot.
As a result, demand for Visa Solutions’ services from the trucking industry has more than doubled since before the pandemic, and “this is 100% because of the driver shortage,” he said.
In July, a roundtable meeting was held with the trucking industry to discuss efforts to improve driver retention and reduce turnover.
Among the measures the industry is seeking is lowering the minimum age to 18 from 21 for interstate drivers and adding trucking to the list of industries that can bypass some of the Department of Labor’s immigration certification process.
Last year’s lockdowns also made it harder for new drivers to access commercial-trucking schools and get licensed.
Companies have offered higher wages, signing bonuses and increased benefits however, their efforts haven’t done enough to attract domestic workers to the industry.
In 2019, the U.S. was already short 60,000 drivers, according to the American Trucking Associations and that number is anticipated to swell to 100,000 by 2023, according to Bob Costello, chief economist Petroleum Marketing Group.
He also pointed out that there’s also a capacity shortage, or an unusually small number of trucks on the road, at the same time that demand has surged, he said.
“Even if there were drivers, there is a finite number of trucks at any moment in time, so you have two issues happening at once,” Fuller said.
