Following a start of loadings in mid-April, California’s onion shipments, which started in the Brawley area, will begin a gradual shift to more northern areas in June.
Gills Onions of Oxnard, CA launched it harvest April 15 in Brawley. The company’s largest growing region at Bakersfield has just started and will run into early September.
Coastline Family Farms of Salinas, CA has completed its Oregon onion season and has been shipping out of Brawley since early May. The company has controlled temperature storage, which can be important if the Imperial Valley heats sets in. Coastline ships primarily red and yellow onions.
JBJ Distributing Inc. of Fullerton, CA grows and ships onions from the Imperial Valley until mid-June before moving to Firebaugh for a month or two.
Supplies should be plentiful for retailers since the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic shut down much of the foodservice business.
Onions Etc. of Stockton, CA starts onion shipments start later than most, June 15 – 25, since it is mainly in Northern California.
Citrus shipments have been strong throughout the coronavirus crisis, and continue to show excellent weekly increases over the same week last year.
IRI, a Chicago market research firm reports data for the week ending May 3, shows sales of oranges were up 68 percent, lemon sales grew by 42.4 percent and tangerine shipments increased 7.7 percent.
At least part of the sales surge likely was due to the positive reputation vitamin C has earned when it comes to building a strong immune system, according to some shippers and nutritionists.
Sunkist Growers Inc. of Valencia, CA ships California-grown citrus the year-round. During the summer it ships lemons, grapefruit, valencia oranges and limes. It also shipped California and Arizona grown cara cara oranges through May.
Sunkist’s summer citrus varieties will take over volume in June, while other varieties wind down.
Valencia oranges are the only U.S.-grown oranges available in the summer. Shipments of lemons, grapefruit and valencias should be up this summer compared to last year.
Bee Sweet Citrus of Fowler, CA will be shipping valencia oranges, cara cara navels, mandarins, lemons and grapefruit this summer. Blood oranges also will be available through the end of July. The company’s grapefruit, valencia oranges and blood oranges are grown in California, while its mandarins, navel oranges and cara cara navels are imported from Chile. Lemons are grown domestically and imported. Volume on all items should be similar to last year.
Seven Seas of Visalia, CA is a division of Tom Lange Co. Inc., Springfield, IL and is shipping California-grown valencia oranges, grapefruit and lemons this summer.
Limoneira Co. of Santa Paula, CA is shipping product from its California coastal growing area. If needed, fruit will be imported to the U.S. from ranches in Chile and Argentina.
The company ships lemons year-round and volume is similar to last year,
The equivalent of one cup of fresh blueberries, given as 22 g of freeze-dried blueberries, may beneficially affect areas of health in overweight men with type 2 diabetes, according to new research study.
The double-blind study was conducted at the Stratton Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Albany, New York. It found that intake of the equivalent of one U.S. cup of fresh blueberries (given as 22 g freeze-dried blueberries) resulted in clinically significant improvements in measurable indicators of type 2 diabetes – Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and fructosamine – compared to a placebo.
These indicators represent two ways to measure glycemic control in those living with diabetes. First, measuring HbA1c levels provides insight into long-term glycemic control, with the ability to reflect the cumulative glucose level history of the preceding two-to-three months. Testing fructosamine levels provides information on average blood glucose levels over a two-to-three-week time period.
The results also showed significantly decreased levels of serum triglycerides after blueberry consumption compared to placebo. Left untreated or uncontrolled, elevated blood triglyceride levels may increase the risk of serious complications such as cardiovascular disease – the leading cause of morbidity and mortality for individuals with diabetes.
“To date few human clinical trials have evaluated the potential beneficial health effects of blueberries in populations with type 2 diabetes,” said Kim Stote, Ph.D, MPH, RDN, who has a research appointment at the Albany Stratton VA Medical Center, and is the study’s lead investigator.
“While the results cannot be generalized to all populations, the evidence that a dietary intervention with a realistic serving of blueberries may be an effective strategy to improve metabolic factors associated with type 2 diabetes.”
Over an eight-week period, researchers studied 52 overweight male participants between the ages of 51 and 75 who had a medical diagnosis of type 2 diabetes for at least six months as indicated by hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) > 6.5 and < 9 and BMI > 25 kg/m2. During the study, non-insulin diabetes medications were prescribed to 100% of the participants.
Other inclusion criteria for subjects included no insulin use and no heavy exercise. Participants were randomly assigned one of two interventions: either 1) 22 g of freeze-dried blueberries (the equivalent of one U.S. cup/d fresh blueberries) along with their regular diet or 2) 22 g of a placebo powder (matched in energy and carbohydrate content to the freezedried blueberries) along with their regular diet.
Of note, fiber was not controlled in the study, which is known to influence glycemic response. Fasting plasma glucose and serum insulin were not significantly different after eight weeks of consumption of freeze-dried blueberries, compared with placebo.
Total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, CRP concentrations, blood pressure and body weight were not significantly different after eight weeks of consumption of freezedried blueberries, compared with the placebo.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 34 million Americans have diabetes (about 1 in 10). Approximately 90-95% of them have type 2 diabetes, which occurs when insulin is made by the pancreas, but the body’s cells gradually lose the ability to absorb and use the insulin. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is increasing in the U.S. population due to aging, physical inactivity, being overweight and obesity status, all of which are serious risk factors.
Protests and Violent Riots are erupting in cities nationwide.
Use extreme caution while driving, especially through major cities and congested areas. Avoid these areas whenever possible, especially after dark.
Stay on major highways to avoid traffic congestion, and do not stop if confronted. Park in lighted areas at least 50 miles from all areas with protest or violent activity.
Be sure to keep adequate fuel in your truck so you do not need to make unplanned stops. Make sure to double check the routing through these areas when booking loads.
Imported Peruvian avocados should hit 200 million pounds to the U.S. this year, according to the Peruvian Avocado Commission.
Significant volume is expected by mid-June, with the season continuing until late September.
Index Fresh Inc. of Riverside, CA received its first Peruvian avocados only a few days ago. The company’s foodservice demand dropped about 90 percent around Easter, but the situation seemed to be improving by early May. Foodservice sales at Index Fresh had risen to 50 to 60 percent of pre-COVID-19 levels.
Robinson Fresh of Prairie, MN received its first U.S. arrivals of Peruvian avocados on May 3, about the same time as last year The company expects volume to be higher this year than last.
Calavo Growers Inc. of Santa Paula, CA should see its first arrivals June 15-21.
Mission Produce Inc. of Oxnard, CA should be up slightly compared to last year,
First arrivals were expected in the U.S. the first half of June, just in time as Mexico’s crop winds down for the summer.
McDaniel Fruit Co., McDaniel Fruit Co. of Fallbrook, CA received its first fruit of the season the week of May 11.
My daughter is a smart and caring teacher of young children in Seattle. She has been out of work for months and is doing fine, but obviously concerned about the job she loves.
Teachers’ salaries deserve more debate, but we acknowledge the societal importance. While I understand some companies have no choice but to lay off their workforce, what is surprising is the substantial number of layoffs and even changes in compensation plans for those employees in essential businesses that our society depends on.
The first quarter of 2020 was difficult for the produce industry and transportation providers like the Allen Lund Company. We are proud of how our company remained loyal to our customer base while truck rates skyrocketed. We added people to our staff to fill in key spots, quickly adapted new protocols to maintain clean and safe work environments, and we are flexible with some of our team members working from home in order manage the needs of our customers during these difficult times.
As we speak, my 401K looks a lot less like Swiss cheese and feels more like I can breathe. I’m sure this is more of a reaction the world will come back from this over time and erase the initial reaction we were all doomed, which we are certainly not.
What we should see is a speeding up of certain trends that were going to happen, just a lot earlier than we all thought. Trends like home delivery and home health care are at full speed.
Produce should be foremost in our thoughts as a process of health and wellness. I would imagine restaurants, gyms, and sporting events will return, but I’m hoping it would be a safer, new normal that will be better for everyone in the future.
Our produce clients have many challenges going forward. Innovation is all around us as change can be very positive and profitable once we all get over the shock of the suddenness of this movement. Stores such as 7-11 were born from the off shoot of their primary business of selling ice before the invention of refrigeration.
We are witnessing much stronger communication and collaboration from all parties and are hopeful our new way of working will continue as these issues subside. We expect the utmost ethical business practices are used as the economy rebounds and we all work together to ensure a robust and hopefully v-curved economic recovery!
People in our industry have always been able to work through challenges and adapt to whatever curveball is thrown. We are smart, focused, and live in an ever-changing environment. We are resilient in our business practices and the current extraordinary circumstances will be met with a positive “get it done” attitude. bob.rose@allenlund.com
While there will be fewer Northwest cherry shipments than a year ago, which was 23 million 20-pound boxes, in 2020 there will be plenty of loading opportunities.
The original estimate for this year’s crop was about 19 million to 20 million boxes. It was issued in early May by the Northwest Cherry Growers, an organization with about 2,500 cherry growers in the Pacific Northwest. The group released an official estimate of 20.5 million 15-pound boxes.
Initial shipments have just started and volume will be ramping up in the coming days.
Sage Fruit Co. of Yakima, WA, reports the season is looking excellent and there will be good supplies heading towards the Fourth of July.
The Oppenheimer Group of Vancouver, British Columbia recalls last year was one of the best in recent history for cherry shipments.
Oneonta Trading Corp. Wenatchee, WA is expecting to have 25 percent fewer loadings this season due to frost damage.
Despite being down in volume as a state, the addition of Stadelman Fruit to to company family has positioned Oneonta Trading to have a great season.
Chelan Fresh Marketing of Chelan, WA believes there will be improved shipments in the in northern growing areas of the Northwest than a year ago. The company expects shipments to run through mid-August.
BC Tree Fruits of Kelowna, British Columbia will start with light volume about June 12 and sees peak shipments hitting in mid July and continuing until the first half of August.
Yakima Valley apples – grossing about $6300 to New York City.
A combination of a warm winter, rainy spring and throwing in a few hail storms and tornadoes to boot, will mean fewer Georgia vegetable shipments this season. Although Georgia is shipping some type of veggie the year around, mid-May to mid-June is when heaviest volume occurs.
The weather factors will probably reduce Vidalia onion volume as much as 20 percent, although a better handle on losses will come when harvest is complete.
Baker Farms of Norman Park in southwestern Georgia has kale, turnip greens, mustard greens, collards, turnip roots, beet roots, chard, cilantro, cabbage and broccoli. Although Baker Farms grows veggies year-round, it spring shipments will be less, primarily due to excessive rains.
A&M Farms of Lyons, GA will have a 15 to 20 less volume with its Vidalia onions.
Generations Farms of Vidalia, Ga., was hit by hail in April which damaged a few fields, causing a loss of about 85 acres, or 10 percent of its Vidalia onion crop.
Shuman Farms of Reidsville, GA reports the Vidalia onion industry will see lower yields per acre compared to the past three to four years, as well as a smaller size profile.
Corbett Bros. Farms of Lake Park, GA, which is part of the Grower Network, had some tornado damage in mid- to late April. The farm, located in the southern-central part of Georgia close to the Florida border, produces cabbage, cucumbers, bell peppers, eggplants, hot peppers and citrus.
Georgia watermelon shipments, which rank fourth nationally in volume, get underway in early June, with peak loadings coming by June 20th. The state averages over 18,000 acres of harvested watermelon each year. Other top watermelon-shipping states are Texas, Florida and California.
Vidalia onions – grossing about $2600 to Chicago and New York City.
A new facility that helps move imported fresh fruit quicker to retailers and foodservice operators has opened at Port Manatee, Palmetto, FL.
The transfer facility, which opened in early April, frees dock space by moving trailers to an area that can park 120 trailers, according to a news release. It optimizes capabilities for expedited cargo movement by freeing up room for up to 300 containers.
“The trailer transfer facility could not be coming online at a more encouraging time,” Carlos Buqueras, Port Manatee’s executive director, said in the release. “The enhanced efficiencies this new installation facilitates already are proving vital in best utilizing port acreage to accelerate shipments of imported fruits and vegetables to consumers.”
The 3.6-acre site cost $916,000. It serves shippers that include Del Monte Fresh Produce, which imports bananas, pineapples and avocados from Central and South America, and World Direct Shipping, which imports numerous perishables from Mexico.
“Strategic investments in infrastructure, such as this newest facility, are essential to Port Manatee’s ability to best serve its users and, moreover, the consumers of our region and beyond,” Priscilla Whisenant Trace, chairwoman of the Manatee County Port Authority said. “This is particularly important amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, as we maintain essential operations while steadfastly focused on safety and health.”
Eric Pennucci of Horizon Air Services, a Boston trucking firm, does not like the idea of 18-year-olds behind the wheel of tractor-trailers.
SALINAS, CA – Baja Son Growers began harvesting their asparagus crops on May 1st out of Central Mexico. While supplies are picking up they’re encouraging customers to take advantage of various ad opportunities through the month of June.
“With increased
acreage out of Central Mexico, we will be able to handle more ad opportunities
than we have in previous seasons,” says Robert Leonard, Director or Sales, Baja
Son Growers.
Their current volume, along with
new plantings in Baja and Caborca, will now give the Salinas-based
grower-shipper approximately 2 million boxes of fresh asparagus each year. Baja
Son Growers also grows and packs 2 million cases of conventional green onions
and now 250,000 cases of organic green onions each year. They continue to grow
and invest in new equipment and technology to give their customers fresh,
healthy produce.
“We are expanding our production volume in both green onions and asparagus. We plan on increasing our green onion volume by 5-8% per year for the next 5 years. Additionally, we plan on expanding our asparagus volume by 10-15% annually for the next 5 years,” says Robert Leonard, Director of Sales, Baja Son Growers.
About Baja Son Growers
Baja Son Growers is a vertically
integrated grower-shipper for the acreage they sell. With full control over the
supply chain,
Michigan Asparagus Shipments
Michigan asparagus shipments got under way the week of May 19th with some companies, while others are getting started this week. Quality and volumes will be similar to last season with peak shipments in late May and early June. About the Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board The Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board (MAAB) promotes the production and consumption of Michigan Asparagus nationwide.
