As the California avocado shipping season is virtually over, imports from Mexico, which have been lighter than usual, will increase significantly in the months ahead.
Mexico shipped about 2 billion pounds of avocados to the U.S. during its 2018-19 season, up from about 1.9 billion pounds for the 2017-18 season.
However, Mexican avocado imports crashed last summer. For example, during the last week of June, Mexico shipped only about 8.6 million pounds to the U.S., off from about 30 million pounds in 2018.
Volume from Mexico should gradually start to build in October and November, as the main crop begins harvesting, with January through August being the heart of the season.
Peruvian avocado exporters also had an off year, but still managed to ship more avocados to the U.S. than last year to help fill the gap caused by short crops in California and Mexico.
The Peruvian Avocado Commission reports Peruvian growers will ship an estimated 189 million pounds of avocados to the U.S. this season compared to 180 million last season.
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The Chilean Avocado Importers Association reports Chilean avocado growers are expected to export about 65 million pounds of avocados to the U.S. during the 2019-20 season, which is similar to volume exported during the past two seasons.
California avocado shipments should total 190 million to 200 million pounds of avocados by the time their season ends this month, compared to just over 360 million pounds last year, according to the California Avocado Commission.
Calavo Growers Inc., Santa Paula, Calif., expected to finish its California crop by the end of August, said Rob Wedin, vice president of sales and marketing.
Brooks Tropicals Inc. of Homestead, FL notes Florida is expected to ship about 800,000 bushels of green-skin avocados this season, which began in May and can continue as late as April. The company accounts for about 40 percent of Florida’s avocado volume.
American avocado observers point to optimism about the coming year, with some industry experts predicting overall avocado volume in the U.S. from all sources could reach 3 billion pounds.
While Watsonville strawberry shipments are winding down, loadings will continue in lighter volume until November. Meanwhile, strawberry volume from about 7,000 acres in Oxnard and Santa Maria are building heading into fall.
Picking has just got underway and should continue through October and into November.
Summer-planted acreage for fall production is up about 10 percent from last year. Fresh plants and new fruit from the summer plantings has shippers predicting good sizing and quality for strawberries.
California strawberry shipments are trailing previous years due to rain and cold weather during the winter and spring, which delayed picking.
As of August 3rd, the state had shipped over 131 million trays of strawberries.
At the same time in 2018, the figure was over 148 million trays, and in 2017 it was in excess of 138 million trays.
How close 2019 volume will come to previous years won’t be known for another couple of months. Typically, half the year’s crop is shipped by July 1st.
California strawberry and vegetable shipments from Santa Maria and Ventura County – grossing about $4800 to Chicago.
By University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A 1987 handbook published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s division of Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA-AMS) received a 21st-century update thanks to a team led by University of Florida researchers.
“Many people in the food transportation industry had been asking for a revised handbook for years, to include all of the developments in technology, best practices and food safety that have occurred since then,” said Jeffrey Brecht, a professor of horticultural sciences in the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). Brecht assembled the team of subject matter experts and led the revision of USDA-AMS Handbook No. 669, “Protecting Perishable Foods During Transport by Truck and Rail.” The document is now available at no charge through the UF/IFAS Extension’s online collection, EDIS, while it awaits the USDA’s extensive review process to be officially accepted as the new Handbook No. 669.
Although a few revisions were made to the guide since its original publication, it had also been at least a decade since the handbook was reprinted. Previous revisions were minor, Brecht said, and included things like updating references to the Congressional Record and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations.
The new handbook, created under contract to USDA-AMS, provides comprehensive information for shippers, loaders, carriers and receivers regarding the equipment used to transport fresh and frozen perishable foods, Brecht added. It also offers recommendations for handling different perishable food items to reduce losses in quality while maintaining sanitary conditions.
“The original guide was printed and sized to be put in the glove compartment, so that truck drivers could reference it as needed,” Brecht said. “The idea was for it to be carried around everywhere. Now, that’s like our smartphones. Part of our proposal to USDA-AMS was to create a smart PDF, to be easily navigated and searchable.”
Brecht explained that among the major changes in the content of the revised guide is the addition of many commodities that have become more popular in the years since its last publication.
“Tropical fruits were not as common when the previous edition was released,” Brecht said. “Fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, like packaged salads and baby carrots, were almost unknown at that time. Other products are also prepackaged as a standard now, like beef, among many other examples.”
Steven Sargent, a UF/IFAS professor of horticultural sciences who worked on the project, said that advancements in technology involving the transport of perishable goods also informed the new guidelines.
“A major area of technological advancement that has occurred is computerized refrigerated transport vehicles and telematics, which is the monitoring mechanism behind these systems,” Sargent said. “Telematics uses sensors to control refrigeration systems and collect information like product temperatures and vehicle location during transport. It also uses telecommunication systems to transmit the information to keep everyone informed, from the point of origin to destination.” The document can be viewed online or downloaded here. Its current version, however, is in the process of becoming more mobile-friendly, Sargent added.
“We’re working to develop an app,” Sargent said. “It’s still in the early stages, but the idea is to make it easier for users to jump to the individual commodity or topic they’re looking for on their phones.”
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The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS works to bring science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents. Visit the UF/IFAS website at ifas.ufl.edu and follow us on social media at @UF_IFAS.
The third location of an automated online order fulfillment center has been announced by Kroger.
“The new facility (in Forest Park, GA) will provide Kroger the ability to bring customers across the coverage area fresher food faster than ever before,” Tim Brown, president of Kroger’s Atlanta division, said in a news release. “I’m thrilled the Atlanta market was selected as one of the 20 (customer fulfillment center) sites.”
In the release, Kroger described the center as a $55 million investment. The company is building the centers in partnership with Ocado.
Luke Jensen, CEO of Ocado Solutions, said the facility will “transform the e-commerce experience for customers in the region.”
“In a fast-developing landscape for grocery retail, Kroger’s determination to continue delivering the best experience for its customers, online as in stores, is unparalleled,” Jensen said.
The Georgia facility will be 375,000 square feet, per the release. Kroger will break ground on it later this year, and it is expected to be operational in 2021.
Monroe, Ohio, and Groveland, Fla., are the locations for the first two automated fulfillment centers.
Kroger broke ground on the Ohio facility in June and also plans to break ground on the Florida facility this year.
Shipments of California grape shipments are off about 8 percent from last season, but average per-pound prices for the major varieties are the same.
The USDA reports California had shipped 462.25 million pounds of grapes through August 24, compared to 503.41 million pounds at the same time a year ago. With the arrival of fall shipments, it is unlikely this year’s volumes will approach those of last season during the fall.
The California Table Grape Commission of Fresno reports California grape shippers set a record for most shipments from September 8 through October 12, 2018, moving more than 23 million boxes during the five-week period.
San Joaquin Valley vegetables, melons and grapes – grossing about $6700 to New York City.
Second-quarter vegetable sales totaled $7.68 billion, up 5.3 percent from the same period in 2018.
Fruit sales declined 0.6 percent to $8.16 billion on mixed performance of individual commodities, according to the latest FreshFacts on Retail report.
“Mandarins rebounded from supply challenges to return to strong double-digit growth,” the United Fresh Produce Association wrote in the report. “With just one commodity reaching more than half of all households during the quarter, opportunities exist to increase product reach.
“Private label also presents an interesting opportunity as it’s far less developed in fruit than vegetables but increased sales by double digits,” United Fresh wrote.
Strawberry volumes sales dropped 8.2 pecent, and dollar sales fell 7.8 percent to $814 million. Oranges saw a 5.4 percent dip in volume, and dollar sales dropped 11.6 percent to $268 million. Avocados also saw a 7 percent decrease in volume, but dollar sales increased 10.3 percent to $639 million.
Mandarins saw a 23.8 percent increase in volume and 13.5 percent increase in dollar sales to $423 million, and raspberry volume grew 14.4 percent, spurring a 6.5 percent jump in dollar sales to $237 million.
Vegetables that fared well in the second quarter included lettuce, with dollar sales up 6.8% to $454 million; bell peppers, with dollar sales up 5.6% to $406 million; broccoli, with sales up 9.3% to $254 million; and onions, with sales up 15.1% to $553 million.
The value-added vegetable category also saw growth in the second quarter, growing 6.2 percent in volume and 8.8 percent in dollar sales to $391 million.
The following items saw both volume and dollar sales increase substantially:
Mixed vegetables: +7.4 percent to 27 million pounds, +8.0 percent to $106 million
Broccoli: +13.5 percent to 21 million pounds, +15.2 percent to $61 million
Celery: +23.9 percent to 11 million pounds, +26.9 percent to $28 million
Organic produce sales also grew in the second quarter, reaching nearly $1.5 billion, up 3.9 percent from the same time in 2018.
Berries were among the organic items with the most growth since last year, with volume increases of 11 percent for strawberries, 15.4 percent for blueberries and 27.8 percent for raspberries. Lettuce and the herbs and spices category also saw significant increases.
This season U.S. sweet potato shippers are looking for greater volume due to the new crop providing better yields. After unfavorable weather conditions last fall, sweet potato yields dropped from 224 cwt. per acre in 2017 to 190 cwt. per acre in 2018.
Sweet potato acreage and yields fell from 2017 to 2018. Acreage fell from 159,300 acres harvested to 144,400 acres and yield dropped 8.27 million cwt. from 35.64 million cwt. to 27.38 million cwt., according to the USDA.
The USDA reported shipments of North Carolina sweet potatoes totaled 14.2 million 40-pound cartons from August 2018 through July 2019, down from 18.57 million cartons the previous year.
Shipments from Louisiana from August 2018 through July 2019 totaled 1.08 million 40-pound cartons, up slightly from 1.03 million cartons the previous year.
The U.S. Sweet Potato Council Inc. noted Hurricane Florence that hit North Carolina and there were relentless rains in the southern states of Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and Alabama. The combination in the fall of 2018 was a shortage of potatoes this year.
Garber Farms of Iota, LA lost one third of its 2018 sweet potato crop to wet weather resulting in shipping gaps until the new shipping season gets underway.
Nash Produce of Nashville, NC experienced a similar shipping season. The company is hopeful volume will be up this season.
North Carolina accounted for 19.69 million cwt. of sweet potatoes in 2017 and 10.99 million cwt. in 2018. The state also harvested 16,500 fewer acres than in 2016.
In terms of exports, North Carolina supplies approximately half of exported U.S. sweet potatoes.
U.S. sweet potato exports saw a drop in supply for the first time in 6 years in April 2019. North Caroline dodge most of the “bullet” from Hurricane Dorian a few weeks ago.
Supply is starting to pick up, due to favorable weather, and the American Sweet Potato Marketing Institute expects export volume and production to rise to previous levels.
Harvest started on time with the peak shipping season being from mid-September to mid-October.
Garber Farms started harvest on time in early September with the peak season being in November.
Apple shipments for the 2019-20 season is pegged at 247.76 million (42-pound) cartons, down 2.2 percent from the USDA’s August estimate of 253.09 million cartons. This forecast by the U.S. Apple Association typically is smaller than the USDAs.
The U.S. apple estimate, which includes fruit for the fresh and processing markets, was up 1 percent from the 2018-19 crop but down 1 percent from the 5-year average.
The association presented its estimate recently at its annual Crop Outlook & Marketing Conference in Chicago.
Compared with the USDA numbers, the U.S. Apple estimate shows lower expected output in Washington, slightly higher production in New York and nearly the same estimate for Michigan.
Here are US Apple estimates and the change compared with the USDA’s August 2019 estimates:
Sacramento, CA — Summer is quickly coming to an end, but a multitude of pear varieties are still being shipped from the Mountain District areas of California.
“We are just beginning harvest of Comice, French Butter, Forelle, Seckel and Organic Bosc varieties this week,” says Scott Fraser, sales manager at Scully Packing Company in Lake County. “The California Mountain District has experienced perfect growing conditions this season and the quality has been excellent!”
California is the major supplier of freshly harvested, heirloom variety pears at this time. The River District has wrapped up its pear harvest season, but the Mountain Districts is now in full swing for harvesting a number of specialty heirloom pear varieties. Both shipping areas will continue to have supplies of these heirloom variety pears through mid-October with the mainstream varieties of Bartlett and Bosc available for sale into November. Organic options are also available for many varieties.
“As fall approaches, consumers will be looking for specialty pear varieties and we want buyers across the U.S. to know that California has fresh-crop pears for sale now,” says Chris Zanobini, Executive Director of the California Pear Advisory Board.
Heirloom pear varieties are versatile for use in many recipes and look wonderful in table decorations or floral arrangements.
California pears are grown by approximately 60 farming families in the state, many of whom are farming the same land tended to by their great grandparents. California heirloom pear varieties are grown using sustainable farming practices on orchards that are up to 100 years old.
Despite record-breaking heat in July, 2019 eastern apple shipments are shaping up to be a strong and on par with previous years.
The New York Apple Association of Fishers, NY reports Empire State farmers are expecting to ship about some 31 million bushels this fall. Although is would be off compared to last year, it would be more than some previous seasonss.
New York state apple acreage has been holding steady, with more of a focus on newer varieties, including Honeycrisp, SnapDragon, Evercrisp and SweeTango. Many farmers have been transitioning out standard-size trees in favor of dwarf and semi-dwarf varieties. This results in more trees planted per acre, yielding more fruit per acre. The trees also reach fruit-bearing age faster.
Fowler Farms of Wocott, NY packs and ships 24 varieties of apples grown on 2,500 acres lining the shores of Lake Ontario in Wayne County, NY. Its varieties include the old standards Red Delicious, McIntosh, Jersey Mac, Empire and Raeburn, along with the newer varieties like Gala.
The company grows and ships the largest amount of Honeycrispin the Northeast, as wells as with SweeTango.
Fowler Farms also grows SnapDragon, and volume has doubled each of the past three years. – particularly with loadings destined for the Southeastern U.S..
Fowler Farms has its own nurseries, grows its own trees, packs and stores its own fruit, and even makes much of the equipment it uses to work its orchards.
The company reports the Northeastern 2019 apple crop looks great and is on par to match last year’s volume, with product coming from over 70 apple growers in Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland and Virginia. Large increases in volume are expected with Gala, Honeycrisp and other newer varieties, including Evercrisp, RubyFrost and SnapDragon.
SweeTango is another one of the newer apple varieites on the market. The season is just kicking with SweeTango as one of the earlier premium apple varieties.
