Southern Florida avocado growers are expected to harvest 900,000 bushels of avocados during the current season, which lasts from March to April of the following year. Peak loadings occur between August and November.
Brooks Tropical of Homestead, FL has the SlimCado, the trademarked name for its hydrocooled green-skin avocados.
Florida avocado shipments are expected to be similar to last season.
The Florida Avocado Administrative Committee of Homestead reports Some consumers use hass avocados from California or Mexico for guacamole and Florida avocados in their salads.
The committee has states there is room for various versions of the fruit and you don’t just eat one kind of apple. Why eat just one kind of avocado?
Some consumers use hass avocados from California or Mexico for guacamole and Florida avocados in their salads. Florida avocados are larger than the hass variety, and they brown much more slowly, which means dishes can be prepared the night before they’re served.
During the off-peak season in Florida, they’re imported from the Dominican Republic. The East Coast and the South are the biggest U.S. markets for green-skin avocados.
J&C Tropicals in Miami has added a 50-acres to its grove for green-skin avocados. This brings the company’s avocado groves to 200 acres and is planning further expansion.
USApple calculates the USDA’s August estimate of 253.6 million bushels (down 3 percent from the 2019 crop) would be the 9th largest crop since the government department began reporting apple production in the 1940s.
The 2019 apple crop was the 6th largest crop in history, said the U.S. Apple Association recently at the organization’s 125th Annual Crop and Outlook Marketing Conference. Apple exports also rebounded during the past year, with a 15 percent increase in volume.
At 262 million (42lb units) bushels, the 2019 apple crop was up 8 percent in volume from 2018.
The industry continued the trend to adapt to consumer preferences by increasing production of Honeycrisp, which is expected to rise by 12 percent, moving it ahead of Granny Smith and Fuji into third place in national production.
“With the 2018 crop, Red Delicious lost the position it had held for decades as the largest volume variety to Gala,” said USApple Director of Regulatory and Industry Affairs Mark Seetin. “Projections for the current crop are that Gala will continue to expand its edge over Red Delicious and will remain the largest volume variety produced.”
The 2020 top five produced apple varieties are: 1) Gala 2) Red Delicious 3) Honeycrisp 4) Granny Smith and 5) Fuji.
The top 3 varieties (Gala, Red Delicious and Honeycrisp) comprise 48 percent of all production. The top five varieties (adding Granny Smith and Fuji) comprise 67 percent.
Caution is urged loading Salinas Valley lettuce, which could cost you money due to rejected loads, claims or deductions from your freight rate.
Below is an update from Markon Cooperative Inc. of Salinas, CA regarding the explosion of plant virus and disease issues heavily impacting lettuce crops over the last couple of weeks in California’s Salinas Valley.
Green leaf has been the least affected, but yields are down 20 to 50 percent in some iceberg and romaine lettuce crops
Sclerotinia is not uncommon in late summer/early fall crops, but the Impatiens Necrotic Spot Virus is typically not as widespread as it is currently being reported
Harvesting crews are heavily trimming heads to detect and cull defects, but may not be able to eliminate these issues 100%
Production crews are harvesting fields at a faster pace due to the increase in culled product; upcoming fields will have less time to fully mature
Expect light weights, intermittent quality and shelf-life issues, and elevated markets for lettuce items for the duration of the Salinas season
Salinas Valley vegetables – grossing about $8700 to New York City.
Both California kiwi and persimmon shipments are expected to be down this season.
Trinity Fruit Sales of Fresno, CA handles sales for Venida Packing Co. of Exeter, CA. Venida reports the 2020-21 California kiwifruit crop should be about 9 million tray pack equivalents compared to 10.5 million last year.
Kiwifruit is a storage crop, similar to apples, with packing being completed by the end of November, with shipments continuing out of storage until May. The company has seen a tremendous increase in loadings to retailers, but a huge drop in foodservice as more consumers are staying at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As for persimmons, fewer shipments are predicted this season. Persimmons are an alternate-bearing crop, with a heavy-volume year usually followed by a lighter one.
There are two main kinds of California persimmons. The fuyu variety is squattier, and it is eaten when it’s hard, like an apple.
The hachiya variety is more the traditional cooking variety, or it can be eaten fresh once it’s soft.
Persimmons are shipped to major retail chains and club stores from October until mid-December.
An expansion of of avocados in the global market has taken place at Naturipe with its first season distributing Colombia avocados in the U.S.
The company, a year-round grower-supplier of berries and avocados, says Colombia will contribute to the supply growth of avocados worldwide. Naturipe is also increasing the Colombian industry with “significant growing operations. In Colombia, we are executing a plan to have more than 2,500 acres of avocados farms in the next three years, mainly in the area of Caldas, Quindio and Antioquia to secure nearly year-round production of avocados from Colombia,” said Andres Carvallo, Board Chairman for Naturipe Avocado Farms.
“We have already planted 500 acres and have a global export business from Colombia of more than 6 million pounds. We expect our Colombian export business to grow to 45 million pounds annually in five years.”
Andrew Bruno, president of Naturipe Avocado Farms, says the company’s farms are located at various altitudes, ranging from 5,500 to 8,200 feet above sea level.
“This will give us a wider production window from October to March for our main harvest and from May to August for our secondary harvest,” he said.
“This allows us to provide our clients with quality, fresh fruit for 10 months of the year from Colombia.” Colombia gained access to the U.S. avocado market in August 2017. While volumes from the country in the U.S. market have been limited since then, it is expected to grow substantially as a supply origin over the coming years.
Light loadings of onions from Idaho and Eastern Oregon got underway in mid August and as diggings progress, shipments of storage onions are now going on.
Haun Packing of Weiser, ID cites nearly ideal weather and growing conditions resulting in an excellent quality onion crop this season. Some growers began harvest in July and full harvest throughout the region was underway by mid to late August.
RPE of Bancroft, WI ships red and yellow onions out of the region for a couple of growers and notes the season is on schedule.
Baker & Murakami Produce Co. of Ontario, OR points out the 2019 season was a rough one due to adverse weather, then onion loadings were stymied this spring due to COVID-19. The company sees a lot of uncertainty is shipments for the next 8 to 10 months because of the pandemic.
Wada Farms of Idaho Falls, ID notes onions in the Treasure Valley are looking great due to ideal weather and a bumper crop is expected. Shipments should continue into April.
Snake River Produce Co. LLC of Parma, ID ships onions from August until April and is optimistic about the shipping season. Similar views also came from Eagle Eye Produce of Idaho Falls, ID, as well as ProSource Inc. of Hailey, ID.
Vegetable imports notched a 10 percent increase, while ottal fruit imports to the U.S. fell by 2 percent in the first half of the year, recently released USDA data shows.
The drop in fruit imports to the US was driven by a 19 percent drop in fruit juices and a 1 percent dip in fresh deciduous imports to the U.S. Fresh citrus imports fell by 1 percent to the US. The predominant ‘other’ fresh fruit category – which includes avocados, bananas and berries – saw no change, holding steady from January through June.
Avocado imports fell by 3 percent during the period, while bananas rose by 1 percent and blueberries fell by 17 percent and strawberries declined by 6 percent. Table grape imports through mid-February were up 35 percent, following by a 9 percent rise through the end of March, and then a 17 percent drop in the next three months.
Apples were down 22 percent, while limes were down 13 percent, mandarins were up 42 percent and oranges were up 19 percent.
Meanwhile, the total vegetable category was up 10 percent, driven by a 10 percent increase in imports of fresh vegetables excluding potatoes. Frozen vegetables were up 8 percent, while prepared or preserved vegetables rose by 15 percent. Potatoes notched a 38 percent uptick.
Pear growers and producers from Washington’s Wenatchee and Yakima valleys and Oregon’s Mid-Columbia and Medford districts have estimated this year’s fresh pear shipments at 16.6 million standard box equivalents, or approximately 366,000 tons of fresh pears. The estimate is coming in slightly above last season’s total.
Harvest started in mid August for early varieties Starkrimson and Bartlett in all regions, with growers to begin picking Green and Red Anjou and Bosc over the last two weeks of August. Specialty pears Comice, Seckel, Forelle and Concorde pears started near the end of August and into the first week of September.
Four leading varieties make the up 96 percent of the Northwest crop.
The industry is expected to ship 8.6 million standard boxes of Green Anjou pears, which will be more than 51 percent of the total crop. Other primary varieties include 4.2 million boxes of Green Bartlett pears at 25 percent of the crop, 2.3 million boxes of Bosc for 14 percent of the crop, and just under 1 million Red Anjou pears at 5.5 percent of the total volume.
The organic pear estimate is expected to come in at 1.96 million standard boxes – more than 43,000 tons which is nearly 12 percent of the total Northwest crop. Green Anjou and Bartlett combine for 74 percent of the organic crop, and Bosc and Red Anjou make up 14 percent and 6 percent respectively, with the remaining specialty varieties also available to fill out the crop year.
About Pear Bureau Northwest
Pear Bureau Northwest is a non-profit marketing organization established in 1931 to promote the fresh pears grown in Washington and Oregon, home to 87% of the US commercial fresh pear crop. The Bureau represents over 800 grower families and partners with outlets throughout the world in an effort to increase overall success with the pear category.
About 40 percent of pumpkin acres in 2017 were grown in five States: Illinois, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Texas, and California. However, all state produce at least some pumpkins.
At Turek Farms in King Ferry, NY the company observes people are not going on vacation, because they are staying home and spending more on landscaping and cooking,” said Turek ships hundreds of loads of traditional orange jack-o-lanterns to retailers in the Northeast.
The majority of Turek’s pumpkins are ready the last 10 days in September and the first 20 days of October.
At Jackson Farming Co. based in Autryville, N.C., pumpkins for carving are ready to be shipped in mid-September, although a few loads go out to retailers who set up their produce departments up right after Labor Day. Jackson’s peak shipping period is October 1 – 15.
Washington state is expecting plentiful supplies of pumpkins and ornamental gourds, according to Bay Baby Produce of Mount Vernon, WA. The operation grows over 550 acres of pumpkins in the Skagit Valley, including 15 pumpkin varieties from pie to ornamental and three varieties of long-stemmed, hard-shelled pumpkins for decoration.
Bay Baby expects to started harvesting the second week of August and continues until October 15, with product shipping from the first of September until October 25. Bay Baby’s designs are shipped across North America and down to Mexico, with some exported to Japan and Taiwan.
Frey Farms of Keenes, IL starts picking the last week of August and first week of September, stocking up building up its inventory. Then right after Labor Day it starts shipping to retail stores.
Frey’s ornamentals, from mesh bags of white, orange and striped mini pumpkins to gourds and decorative corn, start ramping up the second and third week of September. However, most loadings of its jack-type pumpkins take place in October.
Bancroft, Wis. — Potato innovation doesn’t happen overnight or even in one growing season. Agronomists are long at work in test fields across the globe with the goal of growing better-tasting, better-looking, and better-growing potatoes.
These trials take years and the number of test candidates at the onset of testing might start out at 200 different varieties with eventually one or two reaching commercial production. This is the story of how new potato varieties are born.
RPE, Inc. — a full service grower, shipper, marketer of fresh potatoes – is delighted to bring a new, premium red potato variety to potato consumers this fall.
“RPE Golden Red™ premium potatoes are the new gold standard in red potatoes,” says Tim Huffcutt, Vice President Sales & Marketing Operations for RPE. “Compared to common red potatoes, these superior stunners have a vibrant red skin with a rich yellow interior and a sweet creamy taste.”
This potato variety started out in the Netherlands where it showed early promise based on yield, internal and external quality as well as disease and insect resistance. Likewise, the variety performed well in growing regions of the U.S. and Canada. Sensory testing showed that not only does the Golden Red taste better than standard, mainstream red potatoes; its internal and external appearance outshines its commodity counterpart.
Beyond the appearance of the Golden Red is its performance in the kitchen and flavor. Research Chef Chris McAdams said of Golden Red, “I truly believe this potato was built for potato salad, it’s phenomenal in that application. Once it’s cooked, it holds its shape and texture much better than comparable potatoes. When you cut it after boiling it doesn’t break apart or get grainy, which is what makes it ideal for a potato salad.”
Chef Chris also recommends consumers prepare this potato either boiled, roasted or fried. “These methods,” he said, “highlight the creamy texture and sweet, mildly-earthy flavor.”
Golden Red is an RPE exclusive varietal. RPE and parent company, Wysocki Family of Companies, since the 1950s have been potato industry innovation leaders. Innovation in storage longevity and crop management along with trial varietals are the bedrock of the company and remain a core value today.
Golden Red premium potatoes will be available this fall in a three-pound, poly light-blocker, bilingual bag.
About RPE
Category leader RPE is a grower/shipper of year-round potatoes and onions, providing category innovation and retail solutions. Varietal development is just one way we combine our progressive farming heritage and our visionary agronomy practices.
