(The following press release was issued July 9 by Markon of Salinas, CA. Lettuce and vegetable haulers are urged to use caution in loading to help reduce chances of claims at destination, by working closely with your brokers and receivers.)
Much of the West Coast, including California’s Salinas and Santa Maria Valleys, have been experiencing an extended heat spike over the past week with temperatures ranging from the 70°s to 80°s near the coast to as high as 110° in the southern end of the Salinas Valley.
All row crop vegetables that have been exposed to these temperatures are expected to exhibit varying levels of heat-related quality and shelf-life concerns over the next two weeks.
In general, most commodity and value-added supplies have faired better than expected thus far, but some lettuce and tender leaf crops are showing defects such as:
Markon inspectors are aggressively monitoring quality through pre-harvest inspections and finished product evaluations of commodity and value-added items. Fields that are exhibiting elevated issues are being rejected and harvesting/processing crews are taking steps to remove damaged leaves and minimize defects.
Ordering for quick turns is recommended. It remains critical to adhere to strict cold chain management throughout distribution to the end-user level in order to maximize quality and shelf-life of perishable produce items.
Good-quality Ohio vegetables are being predicted thanks to good weather and timely rains, which had vegetable shipments starting right on time at the end of June, according to growers and shippers.
Buurma Farms Inc. of Willard, OH notes there has good growing weather and rains.
The grower/shipper grows about 35 commodities, including radishes, greens, green onions, several kinds of lettuce items, beets, cucumbers and green and yellow squash.
Because of volume and the number of different veggies grown, the company notes it results in fewer multiple pickups for truckers.
All the commodities were being shipped by the end of June except sweet corn, which gets underway in mid-July.
The company ships to customers up and down the Eastern Seaboard, as far south as Florida, into the New England area and west to Chicago, Wisconsin and Memphis.
Buurma reports it has a freight rate advantage over growers in the West with loads that originate east of the Mississippi.
Sirna & Sons Produce of Ravenna, OH, was acquired by FreshEdge of Indianapolis last July and has added new computer and phone systems, upgraded GPS systems in trucks, conducted training programs and is preparing to implement a warehouse management system.
Sirna & Sons offers a variety of local products, such as peppers, squash, tomatoes and greenhouse lettuces.
Holthouse Farms of Ohio Inc., Willard, is shipping squash, bell peppers, chili peppers, cucumbers, eggplant, Ohio green beans, hard squash, sweet corn and cabbage and will have all commodities moving by mid-July,
Holthouse Farms ships to a number of retail, foodservice and wholesale customers in the Ohio Valley and in western Pennsylvania to New Jersey, New York City and into Detroit, Chicago and Kentucky.
More consumption of berries has been associated with reduced stress indicators, according to a study by Penn State University. Published in the journal Nutrients, the research looked at the link between berry consumption and the allostatic load in U.S. adults.
According to the research abstract, allostatic load is an aggregate measure of chronic stress-induced indicators across cardiovascular, metabolic, autonomic and immune systems. The research found that greater consumption of berries was associated with a lower composite allostatic load score.
“The mean [allostatic load] composite scores for consumers of any berries (11.9), strawberries (11.6), and blueberries (11.6), respectively, were significantly lower than nonconsumers (12.3), after fully adjusting for sociodemographic, lifestyle, and dietary confounders,” the abstract said. “A significant dose-response relationship was determined between greater consumption of total berries, strawberries, and blueberries and lower mean [allostatic load] composite scores.”
In conclusion, researchers said that “increasing berry intake is a simple dietary modification that could reduce stress-related morbidity/comorbidity and promote health.”
The Organic Produce Network reports that warm weather and a smooth transition from spring to summer in production areas have resulted in a good supply of several organic melon varieties.
Creekside Organics Inc. of Bakersfield, CA reports strong demand for watermelons, including both organic mini watermelons (also called personal watermelons) and large-sized fruit, typically referred to as bin melons, are being shipped. There are also good supplies of organic honeydew and cantaloupes.
Creekside notes there are still organic melon supplies coming from Mexico, and the company is also sourcing significant volumes from farming operations in Holtville in California’s Imperial Valley.
The company moves up the Joaquin Valley as the summer continues, with both the Bakersfield area in Southern San Joaquin Valley and Firebaugh on the west side of the valley producing various melon varieties.
The grower/shipper reports good supplies of cantaloupes, honeydew, and mini watermelons through September.
Pacific Trellis Fruit of Los Angeles states the company expects to have a good supply of organic mini and bin watermelons throughout the summer.
The company has finished up production in Hermosillo, Mexico, and is winding down Yuma, AZ. In July the operation will transition to California, providing good supplies of minis through the summer.
Since the start of the calendar year, Peru’s fresh lemon exports have maintained a good pace, with monthly shipments above $5 million.
At the end of the first quarter of 2024, Peruvian citrus shipments totaled 15,540 tons for $15.7 million, which meant 10 percent more in volume and 5 percent more in value compared to the same period last year, as reported by AgroPeru Informa.
In this same period, Peruvian lemons reached 15 countries, of which the three that stood out the most were the U.S., with 54 percent of the volume; Chile, with 11.5 percent; and the Dominican Republic, with 11.4 percent.
Exports to the U.S. totaled 8,077 tons for $8.5 million, which was 9 percent more in volume, but 4 percent less in value than in 2023. This is due to the drop in the price in this market (12 percent lower), which went from $1.19 to $1.05 per kilogram.
As for Peruvian exporters, the leaders were Procesadora Laran S.A.C., with 18 percent participation, and Ecosac Agrícola S.A.C., with 15 perce
Imports of Peruvian avocados by the U.S. occurred from May through October 2023. USDA shipment numbers reveal the peak supply of Peruvian fruit arrived in July and August, with 27% of the yearly supply of conventional fruit arriving in July and 39% in August.
The USDA reported total U.S. import shipments of conventional Peruvian avocados totaled 154.9 million pounds in 2023, with shipments of organic avocados from Peru rated at 9.2 million pounds.
In 2022, the USDA reported Peru shipped 250 million pounds of conventional avocados to the U.S., with shipments arriving from March through October.
The USDA reported Peruvian organic avocado shipments in 2022 totaled 18.8 million pounds.
“Road trip,” “Shotgun” are some popular sayings for the non-truckers on the road. Summer is here and the uptick in travelers on the road increases, as provided by Headlight News:
With more folks on the road for summer vacations traveling by car, motorhome, or other means, commercial vehicles must be aware of more drivers who can clog the various “truck” routes. As a transportation broker, we see the effects that traffic, construction, and events can have on a driver’s ability to deliver freight in a timely manner. Whether you are a long-haul driver or a family heading out on a summer vacation, everyone is affected by the conditions of our roadways. This goes especially for holidays, and with the 4th of July upon us, here are a few hints, favorite road trips, and, just for extra fun, the best fireworks displays.
According to Headlight News, this year’s projected number of travelers for the holiday period represents a 5.2% increase compared to 2023 and an 8.8% increase over 2019.
“With summer vacations in full swing and the flexibility of remote work, more Americans are taking extended trips around Independence Day,” said Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel. “We anticipate this July 4th week will be the busiest ever with an additional 5.7 million people traveling compared to 2019.”
To better plan your trip (if you are not the truck driver who knows the best routes), here are a couple of the most popular routes or cities being traveled to over the holiday and their fireworks plans for 2024:
Los Angeles to New York City
Top destination
From Los Angeles – route via I-80 vs. I-40 (from personal experience, I-80 from Glenwood Springs to Denver, CO, is absolutely gorgeous). This is the primary artery, so both commercial truck drivers and personal vehicles will experience the same conditions.
The number one viewed fireworks show, in person and televised, is sponsored by Macy’s. The city of New York is giving away 10,000 free tickets this year, so maybe you stay home in New York, or at least plan to arrive there by Wednesday, July 3rd.
Washington D.C. to Los Angeles
Los Angeles is a top destination year-round, but not the highest-rated city for fireworks. So, if you decide to stay home or do not have a load to keep you on the road this 4th of July, you can see far better public displays in Washington D.C.’s Fireworks on the Mall and other great rooftop locations.
Some less than large cities, that are not necessarily traveled by big rigs, but offer spectacular fireworks displays:
Cape Cod, MassachusettsFirst state to make the 4th of July a state holiday. Their celebrations and fireworks begin June 28th, and displays continue through the 4th.
Following best practices while sharing the roads across America will help you get to where you want to be, safely. The best tip: leave early, adhere to speed limits, and get to your final destination without an incident. Then, watch those wonderful fireworks that celebrate this great country.
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Nora Trueblood began her career with ALC in 2002 as Director of Marketing & Communications. Prior to joining the company, Trueblood worked as the event manager with the Montrose Arts Council and Alpine Dance in Montrose, CO., had her own production and event planning company, and spent 7 years with Lorimar Television.
TORONTO — Waabi, a company pioneering generative AI for the physical world, today announced it has raised $200 million (USD) in an oversubscribed Series B round, led by Uber and Khosla Ventures.
The funding round includes participation from best-in-class strategic investors NVIDIA, Volvo Group Venture Capital, Porsche Automobil Holding SE, Scania Invest and Ingka Investments.
Additional financial investors include HarbourVest Partners, G2 Venture Partners, BDC Capital’s Thrive Venture Fund, Export Development Canada, Radical Ventures, Incharge Capital, and others. The new funding, which brings total investment in Waabi to more than $280 million (USD), will support the company’s deployment of fully driverless, generative AI-powered autonomous trucks in 2025.
Only three years on from the company’s inception Waabi is on the verge of reaching Level 4 autonomy. This industry-leading pace and capital efficiency is made possible through the company’s revolutionary approach to unleashing generative AI in the physical world.
Waabi has pioneered a single end-to-end AI system that is capable of human-like reasoning, enabling it to generalize to any situation that might happen on the road, including those it has never seen before. Because it is able to reason, the system requires significantly less training data and compute resources compared to other end-to-end approaches.
Further departing from these approaches, Waabi’s system is fully interpretable and its safety can be validated and verified. The innovation marks a first across autonomous vehicles and AI systems deployed in the physical world. This end-to-end AI system, paired with Waabi World, the world’s most advanced simulator, reduces the need for extensive on-road testing and enables a safer, more efficient solution that is highly performant and scalable from day one.
“I have spent most of my professional life dedicated to inventing new AI technologies that can deliver on the enormous potential of AI in the physical world in a provably safe and scalable way,” said Raquel Urtasun, Founder and CEO of Waabi. “Over the past three years, alongside the incredible team at Waabi, I have had the chance to turn these breakthroughs into a revolutionary product that has far surpassed my expectations. We have everything we need — breakthrough technology, an incredible team, and pioneering partners and investors — to launch fully driverless autonomous trucks in 2025. This is monumental for the industry and truly marks the beginning of the next frontier for AI.”
This round of investment brings together pioneers and trailblazers across deep tech, AI, automotive, as well as shipping and logistics ecosystems, all in support of Waabi’s innovative approach and ambitious vision. With the infusion of strategic capital, Waabi is well positioned to launch fully driverless trucks in Texas, expand driverless operations to new geographies, and transform the supply chain.
California Giant Berry Farms of Watsonville, CA forecasts good volume shipments of high-quality conventional and organic blueberries from its Pacific Northwest growing region in the coming months.
The Pacific Northwest blueberry season has officially begun, with strong conventional harvests out of Oregon, Washington and British Columbia with all regions reporting excellent flavor and size.
Likewise, organic harvests are underway and ramping up stateside — with premium fruit being reported. Peak volumes of conventional and organic fruit will be available throughout the month of July, with an abundance of blueberries available through early-September.
“We’re excited to share our abundance of conventional and organic blueberries from the Pacific Northwest,” said Markus Duran, Director of Bushberry at California Giant Berry Farms. “We had strong pollination from the start, and barring any major weather events, we look forward to a steady supply of nutritious berries to meet the ever-growing demand from our consumers.”
California Giant continues to drive increases in blueberry consumption through consumer marketing to drive purchase intent for fresh blueberries and share the smiles and health benefits that they deliver.
