Eight out of every 10 carrots are grown and shipped in the U.S. are from California’s Kern County.
The USDA reported California carrot shipments of 748.7 million pounds in 2020, up from 723.6 million pounds in 2019.
The Kern County carrot season will be increasing in volume in late May for Kern Ridge Growers LLC of Arvin, CA.
The company reports carrot shipments will shift to Kern County from the California desert region in May.
Kern Ridge Growers has been in the carrot business since the early 1970s and is a year-round shipper of California carrots. Its history starts when the company started packing cello carrots under the Kern Ridge label. Today, the company also ships ready-to-eat baby peeled carrots from its facility. Most of the company’s carrots are grown in the rich, sandy loam soil near the mountain range at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley.
Carrot shipments are expected to be similar to a year ago and remain through the year. The company also is shipping navel oranges through the end of May.
By early June, Kern Ridge Growers will start a six-week gap season for fresh peppers and then shift its focus to solely carrots after that.
An estimate by county officials at the University of California, Davis estimated the 2019 value of the fresh and processed carrot supply at $336.1 million. The 2017 Census of Agriculture put fresh carrot acreage in Kern County at 27,078 acres, compared with 3,250 acres for processed carrot acreage.
In 2020, the United Fresh Produce Association’s FreshFacts on Retail report said overall U.S. carrot were $1.41 billion, up 7.8% from 2019. Carrot volume sold at retail totaled 1.11 billion pounds, up 9.5% compared with 2019.
The average price per pound of carrots at retail was $1.27 per pound, down 1.6% compared with 2019. Carrots performed well in 2020, but slightly below the overall vegetable category, according to FreshFacts on Retail. FreshFacts on Retail said total retail vegetable dollar sales in 2020 topped a new high of $35.8 billion (attributable to the pandemic), up 14.4% compared with 2019.
Produce shippers with foodservice customers see 2021 being a little more sane than last year.
Shippers in the Santa Maria area of California relate the pandemic’s effect on shipments has been profound, but foodservice demand is slowly recovering.
Beachside Produce LLC. of Guadalupe, CA sees improved foodservice shipments approaching pre-pandemic levels, which could happen as early as midsummer.
Mid-July is also the target date for a return to pre-pandemic foodservice demand levels for AB Fresh Inc. of Santa Maria, CA, which has experienced wild swings in demand in 2020 as the virus affected different regions of the country.
Main Street Produce of Santa Maria reports reaching the pre-pandemic level of demand will take time. The company see shipments increase as the country exits the pandemic, but it could be a multi-year process before approaching pre-pandemic levels. Last year’s increased shipments to retailers is carrying over into 2021.
Innovative Produce of Santa Maria described the past year as “a wild ride” with 2021 being “moderately less wild.” Barring another big wave/shutdown, Babé Farms is optimistic foodservice will be close to pre-pandemic levels in late 2021 or early 2022.
Durant Distributing of Santa Maria says “normal” should be back when all restaurants are open 100%.
The first estimate from Northwest Cherries pegs the 2021 crop at 23.79 million cartons, up 20% from 19.83 million cartons in 2020 and up 2% from 2019. Harvest is expected to begin June 1.
Crop Size: The Northwest Cherry Growers’ Field Estimate team has compiled an initial (“Round 1”) projection for the 2021 Northwest crop. Annually this 22-person estimation team looks at their orchards as well as the surrounding area’s volume dynamics and compiles overviews for their area.
Each member submits the data specific to their active growing districts, and then that data is built into an estimation model which represents each of the Northwest’s cherry growing regions. The model is populated with historical data, growing degree day patterns, acreage shifts, market trends, processing tonnage and in-field assessments, and then uses the Field Team’s input to project a crop for the coming season. This year, the first round data from the model suggests a 2021 crop of 237,992 tons.
2021 NW Round 1 Crop Estimate: 23,792,000 boxes
However, as always it is important to note that this Round One estimate has the most potential for variance from the eventual and actual size of the crop. Spring was late this year, but progressing quickly. Tree “drops” are natural and taken into account in our subsequent estimates. But that’s not all we can tell from the trees, and the news is good.
Crop Points to Remember – 2021
Harvest will begin in the last few days of May in our earliest sites.
As more orchards & regions come online during the first two weeks of June, volume may accumulate more slowly due to weather-impacted orchards.
While volume may accumulate more slowly, as the end of June approaches we expect shipping volumes to exceed last year.
Supplies for late June and the 4th of July promotions look very promising.
July will be a strong month all the way through.
August will have opportunity for at least one ad this season with projected volume trickling out through the end of the month. Crop Timing: Based on our accumulated Growing Degree Day data, it appears that AT THIS POINT we are on track for a start that should begin by June 1. In several of our earliest regions we are only a day or two behind last year, which saw harvest start on the 28th of May.
Mexican table grapes are crossing the border at Nogales, AZ in light volume, starting with Early Sweets, Perlettes and other early green varieties. Flames and a dozen other varieties of all colors will follow shortly.
The Sonora Grape Growers Association issued an original crop estimate of 21.5 million cartons March 30 and this estimate is still though to be good.
That estimate forecasted the second week of May at just under 400,000 cartons and the first week of June at about 4,000,000. That’s a 10-fold increase in 3 weeks.
LOXAHATCHEE, Fla. — J&J Family of Farms (“J&J”), a Florida-based leading national grower, packer and shipper of field-grown vegetable commodities and value-added produce, today announced strategic infrastructure investments and new grower relationships that further expand its capacity to deliver premium quality produce throughout the year to retail and foodservice customers.
With over 10,000 acres of farmland already under management and multiple packing and cooling facilities across North America, J&J has acquired another 1,000 acres of agricultural land near Vero Beach, Florida to support its growth. In addition to being prepared to grow a significant volume of sweet and hot peppers, yellow squash, zucchini, cucumbers and eggplant for commercial distribution, this land will house a new research and development facility and a dedicated area for seed variety trials.
Additionally, J&J also welcomed new dry vegetable and watermelon growers to its network across five states, adding more than 1,000 additional acres to the company’s contracted production capacity.
J&J is a wholly owned subsidiary of Benson Hill, a food tech company unlocking the natural genetic diversity of plants with its cutting-edge food innovation engine, CropOS™. Today’s announcement is a part of Benson Hill’s recently-announced plans to enhance J&J’s operations with breeding and testing sites, expanded processing and distribution capacity and sustainability best practices across J&J’s grower base.
J&J Family of Farms’ transportation subsidiary, Trophy Transport, manages its fleet, and contracts independent, third-party owners and operators to satisfy the demand of produce shipping.
With five J&J locations throughout the eastern US, Trophy Transport has access to over 100,000 square feet of refrigerated produce warehouse space for cross-docking freight.
Cross Docking Locations
Loxahatchee, FL
Boca Raton, FL
Adel, GA
Homerville, Ga
Tifton, GA
About J&J Family of Farms Established in 1983, J&J Family of Farms is a leading grower, packer and shipper of field-grown vegetable commodities. J&J specializes in bell peppers, green beans, cucumbers, squash and eggplant. Within their family of farms, J&J operates packing and cooling facilities in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Texas and Mexico. J&J’s farm-to-fork approach starts with expertise in farming directly. J&J is a wholly owned subsidiary of Benson Hill. Learn more at www.jjfamilyoffarms.com.
Here’s a glimpse at hauling availability now and in coming weeks for cherries, watermelons and berries
California cherry volume is low. Although this gorgeous looking and tasting fruit makes up only one percent of total volume in produce shipments, it’s one of the highest paying freight items for produce haulers.
The cost for a 16-pound case of cherries started the season in California at a whopping $58 per case, the highest in 7 years. U.S. cherry shipments get underway in late April and wraps up at the end of August. Traditionally, peak loadings occur in July before gradually decreasing. The United States is the 2nd largest producer of cherries in the world after Turkey.
The California cherry season is just the warm up for an action-packed 16 weeks, and is a prelude to big time shipper, the state of Washington.
Lime, Lemon Shipments
Mexico has experienced an abnormally wet and cold winter in Tabasco, the leading lime growing region. Shippers also report high freight rates also is contributing to the availability of limes. Lime volume is expected to remain lower than normal at least through June.
While cherry volume is limited right now, watermelons are in plentiful supply.
As an example, a 40,000-pound truckload of cherries is valued at $174,000. The same weight in watermelons is only worth $4,800!
Blueberry shipments are finally increasing as domestic U.S. production rises and are less reliant on imports to meet blueberry demand. Domestic blueberry shipping regions are ramping up as they head toward peak loadings from June to August.
Blackberry volumes also are on the upswing with increasing production in the Baja California, Mexico, and California. While raspberries are coming out of those same regions volume remains relatively low.
As for strawberries, volume and quality have been all over the board in recent weeks. Shipments are expected to be building and should continue through June.
Why are the rates so high? Where are all the trucks? When will it go back to normal?
All modes of transportation have been struggling to find these answers, the light at the end of the tunnel so to say. But the reality is we don’t have these answers. The last year has been challenging for obvious reasons, and as the containment of the COVID-19 outbreak continues to progress, so does the demand for transportation capacity.
How do we continue to service our customers, source capacity, and stay profitable all at the same time? Is that even possible? Yes, it is. And it boils down to a better understanding of the market, drivers, and communication.
The usual conversations between brokers and customers are focused on load details, commodities, quantities, temps, ready dates, and so forth. But, why not also discuss the market conditions related to bigger picture items? Information is a powerful tool for productive decision making and for educating our fellow supply chain members. We can work together to share insights and forecasts too!
As the gap between truck supply and freight demand continues to spread, most of us can attest it’s the tightest truck market in decades. Couple that with a driver pool which continues to age due to more drivers retiring while fewer drivers enter the workforce, and we all face an extremely fragile market.
Carriers are doing anything possible to help combat this issue and get drivers in the seat. We hear of this from our carrier partners every day. We also find that the small to midsize carriers are more successful in growing their fleets than the larger players as it’s easier to go from 5 trucks to 10 than it is from 50 to a 1,000.
At Allen Lund we are blessed that our core carriers fall into this category as it allows us to keep up with our customer demand in a way their asset pools cannot. All too often we find ourselves in a position of wanting to fulfill a buyer’s need for transportation and an obvious lack of supply that fits all of their freight parameters. Whether that be finding capacity within their vendor’s allowance, or finding a truck within the allotted freight spend that’s also able to deliver the load by the desired arrival time. This is a great time for honest communication and education about how to work together in this challenging market.
Maybe the buyer is willing to sacrifice price in order to keep a timeline or vice versa. Maybe there’s an ad and we need to make it happen, or maybe there is enough inventory on hand to tide them over until next week while we shop for better pricing. Unfortunately, with perishable shipments, time is of the essence. If we can’t find flexibility on load dates, maybe next time we can increase the lead time.
Anticipating continued driver shortages and elevated consumer demand as the world opens back up from the coronavirus will be key to staying ahead of the always hectic produce season. Buyers, brokers, and transportation managers will all benefit by being more comfortable talking about freight spend and capacity restraints. A wise man once said that there’s no hill for a climber.
We are all in this game together. Communication on market trends and drilling down to prioritize our freight will help us get through this as we establish the new norm in transportation.
*****
Paul Nesbit began working for the Allen Lund Company in February of 2020, when they acquired Des Moines Truck Brokers (DMTB) in Norwalk, IA. He has been working in transportation brokerage since graduating from Grand View University in 2012. He first started as an admin for TMC Transportation completing carrier setups and billing. Nesbit later obtained his CTB and was hired at DMTB. He has been an account manager in the Des Moines office for the last eight years.
Plant City, FL – International grower and year-round marketer of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries, Wish Farms, is pleased to announce the ribbon cutting on its new headquarters in Plant City, FL. The ceremony commemorated the official move in to Wish Farms’ new 24,000 square foot office on its 36-acre campus.
“Our company has a one-hundred-year relationship with the community of Plant City. Our connection goes back to our days on the State Farmers Market and beyond,” said Wish Farms’ owner Gary Wishnatzki. “This is a strawberry town, so keeping our new address here means a lot to our company, employees and growers.”
The land on which the campus is built has a strong connection to agriculture dating back generations before Wish Farms’ purchase. Proceeds from its sale in 2018 were placed into a charitable trust benefiting local FFA and agriculture education by the previous owner, Joe Kuhn.
In addition to the office built by construction company Barr and Barr, the campus features a blueberry farm, 125,000 square foot warehouse/cooling facility with a 20,000 square foot solar array, digital billboard, a treehouse, walking trails and lake. According to the Florida Department of Transportation, approximately 115,000 vehicles drive past the Wish Farms’ headquarters every day.
About Wish Farms:
Founded in 1922, Wish Farms is a fourth-generation, family operated company. As a year-round supplier of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries, it grows both conventional and organic varieties.
New Jersey spring vegetable shipments are underway, although early local crops are destined to local markets. As volume increases some shipments are regional.
Katona Farms in Burlington County, NJ grows and ships asparagus as well as other vegetables and crops and are currently in farmers markets and stores around the state.
New Jersey ranks in the top 10 in the U.S. in the production of several crops, including fourth in asparagus. In 2020, the New Jersey asparagus crop was valued at $15 million, and the overall production of the state’s fruits and vegetables was about $350 million, according to the USDA.
Other crops with an early harvest are shipping daily include kale, lettuce, radishes and spinach. Beets and strawberries became available recently.
First established as Rolling Acres in 1950 by Walt and Betty Katona, it later became known as Katona Farms under Chip Katona and is now in its third generation. Along with asparagus, the farm grows sweet corn, market tomatoes and watermelon, which are sold at its Crosswicks Farm. The Katonas also sell vegetables wholesale to large farm markets and wholesale buyers, as well as to Hunts Point Produce Market in Bronx, N.Y., and to markets in Philadelphia.
The Katonas own nearly 800 acres, all of which is deed-restricted to agriculture. They also have a grain operation which includes wheat for grain and straw, soybeans, corn, hay and rye for straw.
Total volume of avocado fruit sold in the U.S. rose by 6.1% in 2020, from 2.492 billion pounds in 2019 to 2.644 billion pounds in 2020;
Bagged fruit saw a rise in popularity at retail. Bagged fruit in many weeks reached about 30% of retail sales, according to HAB; and
There was some retail pricing deflation in 2020, the HAB said, with per fruit pricing coming off the average of $1.15/per fruit in 2019 to closer to $1 per fruit in 2020. The lower pricing was especially seen in the latter part of the year, according to the release.
Mexican avocados, tropical fruits and vegetables from South Texas – grossing about $7000 to New York City.
