Pacific Northwest blueberry shipments have been soaring in recent years.
Each season new records for blueberry shipments have been broken. Oregon blueberry shipments hit 134 million pounds last season, while and Washington State, which had only 18 million pounds in 2006, shipped 130 million pounds in 2018.
As the per capita consumption of blueberries in North America continues to increase faster than any other berry category, a reported 70 percent of the high bush blueberry production in the United States is currently in the West.
Within the five years it is expected Washington will exceed 200 million pounds, primarily due to new plantings.
Organic “blues” are also a major part of the blueberry industry accounting for nearly 25 percent of Oregon volume. In Washington, 90 percent of fresh blueberry production is organic.
With 20,000 pounds or more being harvested per acre, the Pacific Northwest has some of the highest blueberry yields in the world.
WINTER SPRINGS, FL – Watermelon on menus has grown by 54 percent in the past four years, according to a recent MenuTrends Research study commissioned by the National Watermelon Promotion Board (NWPB) and conducted by Datassential. The Board commissions menu trend research every other year in order to understand the opportunity watermelon has in foodservice and benchmark watermelon’s presence year-over year.
Now in its 5th year, the Board’s Foodservice program, spearheaded by Director Megan McKenna, is seeing a record number of operators interested in assistance with ideation, usage ideas, education and promotion support.
In addition to current menu usage, the study reveals
emerging trends that originate in foodservice, as well as opportunities for
growth. McKenna can point to this data – such as popular flavor pairings or
unique usage – when helping regional and national chains, independents,
“groceraunts,” sporting venues, hospitality and education sectors with new and
innovative offerings.
“Using the Datassential research to highlight watermelon’s
unique flavor profile really resonates with operators,” said McKenna. “Now that
watermelon is squarely in ‘Proliferation’ in the usagemenu adoption cycle, more
Chefs than ever before are open to watermelon’s year-round versatility.”
According to the study, between 2017 and 2018 watermelon
limited time offers (LTOs) launched in all months of the year but one.
Historically watermelon LTOs have taken place in the summer months illustrating
its move to a year-round product.
Additional findings of note include the following:
Watermelon
is found more often on casual and fine dining menus but has seen growth across
all segments.
National
chains are featuring and expanding the use of watermelon more often and at a
faster pace than regional chains and independents.
Watermelon
ranks 22nd among most popular fruits and 3rd among
greatest four-year growth.
One
in ten restaurants serving alcoholic beverages feature a drink with watermelon,
more than doubling in the last ten years.
Dewitt, MI — Michigan asparagus shippers completed their season in the final days of June, completing a season that lasted 6 to7 weeks.
USDA is currently reporting that this year’s fresh market production reached an all-time high of 14 million pounds. On the flip side, the market for processed asparagus reached an all-time low this year, at just 7 million pounds.
With ideal weather conditions and superb quality, the major setback for Michigan Asparagus again took the form of imported asparagus flooding the market during Michigan’s growing season. Imports were coming from Peru and Mexico.
Rainy conditions this spring created ideal growing conditions, helping roots soak up plenty of rainwater and produce the juicy spears that Michigan is known for. Cooler temperatures allowed producers to stay on top of harvesting the quickly growing crop. “When the weather gets hot, the asparagus just shoots up.” Explains John Bakker, Executive Director of the Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board, “Under the right conditions, we’ll see up to 10 inches of growth in a single day. Those are the days that require us to go through a field two or three times to harvest. If a grower gets behind, they’ll have to mow the field and lose that part of the harvest – that’s why the mild temperatures we had this season are so important.”
This year’s ideal conditions created steady, predictable growth and superb quality asparagus. Spears harvested throughout the state displayed excellent tip quality, delicious fresh flavor, and desirable thickness.
Cool and rainy weather held back Ohio vegetable shipments at the start of the season in early June as the season got underway with radishes, mustard greens, turnip greens and cilantro, and by late June lettuce was added.
Weirs Farm Inc. of Willard, OH reports green onion loadings got underway by the end of June and yellow squash, zuchinni and cucumbers were launched in early July. Hot peppers will start up in August.
In early June, Buurma Farms of Williard, OH was shipping radishes, turnips, mustard greens, cilantro, parsley and soon was followed by green leaf, red leaf, romaine, endive, escarole and boston lettuce. Curly parsely and baby dill started June 10th and green onions and beets got undeway in the last half of June.
Cucumbers and zucchini started in early July.
Buurma Farms will have supplies well into October or early November, depending upon when the first good frost occurs.
Wholesaler DNO Produce of Columbus, OH sells bulk wholesale and value-added fresh local produce to retail and foodservice companies. Besides vegetables the wholesaler handles a lot of Ohio apples and this past season sold storage apples up until early May, which is a lot longer than normal.
New varieties like the EverCrisp have helped extend the Ohio apple season.
2018 acreage
USDA statistics from 2018 showed sweet corn as the top Ohio vegetable crop, with 9,800 acres, followed by tomatoes (5,500 acres), pumpkins (4,000 acres), cucumbers (1,900 acres) and bell peppers (1,500 acres).
2017 acreage
The 2017 Census of Agriculture notes open-field vegetable acreage — both fresh and processing — in Ohio in 2017 totaled 35,298 acres, about the same as 35,553 acres in 2012, but down from 47,014 acres in 2007.
Fresh market open-field vegetable acreage in 2017 totaled 25,966 in 2017, down from 27,061 acres in 2012 and off sharply from 33,333 acres in 2007.
2017 vegetable acreage, compared with 2012:
> Fresh market asparagus: 152 acres in 2017, up from 69 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market snap beans: 2,637 acres in 2017, up from 2,305 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market beets: 172 acres in 2017 (no data for 2012);
> Fresh market broccoli: 92 acres in 2017, up from 56 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market cabbage: 1,459 acres in 2017, up from 69 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market cantaloupe: 406 acres in 2017, down from 444 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market carrots: 108 in 2017, up from 23 acres in 2012;
> Combined fresh and processed cauliflower: 78 acres in 2017, up from 16 acres in 2012;
> Fresh celery: 7 acres in 2017, up from 1 acres in 2012;
> Combined fresh and processed collard greens: 181 acres in 2017, down from 183 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market cucumbers: 598 in 2017, up from 300 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market daikon: 28 acres in 2017, up from 1 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market eggplant: 109 acres in 2017 (no data for 2012);
> Fresh market escarole and endive: 55 acres in 2017 (no data for 2012);
> Fresh market garlic: 90 acres in 2017 (no data for 2012);
> Fresh market herbs: 458 acres in 2017, up from 261 acres n 2012;
> Fresh market honeydew: 10 acres in 2017, up from 2 acres in 2012;
> Fresh and processed kale: 271 acres in 2017, up from 107 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market lettuce: 429 acres in 2017, up from 306 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market head lettuce: 122 acres in 2017, up from 28 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market leaf lettuce: 299 acres in 2017, up from 220 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market romaine lettuce: 105 acres in 2017, up from 66 acres in 2012;
> Combined fresh and processed mustard greens: 221 acres in 2017 (no data for 2012);
> Fresh market dry onions: 110 acres in 2017, down from 254 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market green onions: 249 acres in 2017, down from 260 acres in 2012;
> Combined fresh and processed parsley: 238 acres in 2017, down from 241 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market Chinese peas: 14 acres in 2017, up from 10 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market green peas; 44 acres in 2017, up from 32 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market bell peppers: 856 acres in 2017, up from 772 in 2012;
> Fresh market chile peppers: 360 acres in 2017, up from 255 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market potatoes: 957 acres in 2017, down from 986 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market pumpkins: 857 acres in 2017, down from 947 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market radishes: 598 acres in 2017, up from 433 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market rhubarb: 32 acres in 2017 (no data for 2012);
> Fresh market spinach: 41 acres in 2017, up from 28 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market squash 1,552 acres in 2017, up from 1,046 acres in 2012;
> Fresh market sweet corn: 7,777 acres in 2017, down from 9,521 in 2012;
> Fresh market sweet potatoes: 36 acres in 2017 (no data for 2012);
> Fresh market tomatoes: 1,010 acres in 2017, down from 1,839 acres in 2012;,
> Combined fresh and processed turnips: 76 acres in 2017, up from 25 acres; and
> Fresh market watermelons: 361 acres in 2017, compared with 338 acres in 2012.
The Westside District in the Central San Joaquin Valley has just started shipments of cantaloupe, watermelon and honeydew following a growing season marked by below normal temperatures and more than average rainfall.
Westside melon shippers are expected to load 20 million cartons this season, which is considered a normal volume.
Pacific Trellis of Los Angeles is the parent company of Dulcinea Farms harvesting its Tuscan-style cantaloupes, mini seedless watermelons and regular sized seedless watermelons. Shipments should continue into late September and possibly October.
Pacific Trellis expect more volume with both conventional and organic mini seedless watermelon, although volume will be off a little its Tuscan-style cantaloupe and yellow-flesh watermelon.
While some San Joaquin Valley melon shippers are a week to 10 days later this season due to weather, Turlock Fruit Co. Inc. of Turlock, CA had warmer than usual temperature in March and April. It launched its season the start of July with honeydews, orangedews, cantaloupes and varietal melons.
Acreage and supply for Turlock Fruit will be similar to last year for all fruit except for the orangedew, a honeydew with orange flesh, which has more acreage.
Legend Produce of Dos Palos, CA. has just started shipments of melons and should continue until October 10th when it shifts its harvest to Yuma, AZ.
Between the two regions, the company expects ship in excess of 7 million cartons this year, consistent with prior years.
Westside Produce of Firebaugh, CA has been shipping cantaloupe about two week and should continue until October. The company expects to ship around 2 million to 2.2 million boxes of melons from nearly 2,500 acres.
Cantaloupes account for about two-thirds of the melon shipments for Del Mar Farms of Patterson, CA, which also has honeydews and watermelons
Organic melons loadings start in mid-July and finish up in early October, while conventional melons should be available through October or possibly November.
The Hunts Point Wholesale Terminal in New York City’s South Bronx is the largest produce market in the world, where merchants run 32 companies spread over 113 acres, handling 1 to 3 million boxes of fresh produce at a time.
The gate fee for big rigs is $30.
The complex has gross sales of nearly $2.5 billion a year, supplying over 20 million people within a 50-mile radius of New York City, accounting for about 9 percent of the total U.S. population.
Hunts Point opened in 1967, and has its own public works, security team, with offices on the second floor with fruits and vegetables, union laborers, along with salesmen and buyers on the ground floor.
The handling of fresh fruits and vegetables involves product from 49 states and 55 countries.
Many of the merchants are descendants of the original owners who sold vegetables on push-carts and then at the lower Manhattan Washington Market of 1821 and its northern offshoot, Bronx Terminal Market, which eventually gave way to Hunts Point.
The market gates for big rigs open at 9 p.m. Sundays, and trucks are lined up to enter the market to unload at the docks. About 6,000 people conduct business daily at the market.
Trucks are delivering more of a diversification of product and at any one time there may be 50 different brands of broccoli, for example, on the market. The majority of buyers of produce from Hunts Point are retailers and restaurants.
Every 5 years, USDA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services release a new version of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans with information and recommendations about how individuals can achieve a healthy diet. During 2019, the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee—composed of nutritionists, physicians, and public health researchers—has been meeting to discuss new research and advances, which might be incorporated into the upcoming, next version of the guidelines.
The current 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that people needing 2,000 calories per day include 2 cups of fruit and 2.5 cups of vegetables in their daily diets. USDA food consumption surveys find that the average American falls far short—consuming only 0.9 cups of fruit and 1.4 cups of vegetables per day. Individuals choose foods based on taste, convenience, cost, and other factors, in addition to Federal dietary recommendations. Cost, in particular, has been cited as a possible barrier to higher fruit and vegetable consumption, especially for low-income households.
To inform policymakers, nutritionists, and other researchers about how much money it costs Americans to eat a sufficient quantity and variety of fruits and vegetables, ERS researchers periodically report average costs per cup equivalent for a large set of commonly purchased fresh and processed fruits and vegetables. ERS updated these costs in 2018 using 2016 retail price data.
ERS Calculates Average Consumer Cost
At the grocery store, fruits and vegetables are sold in many forms, including canned, frozen, dried, juiced, and fresh products. ERS researchers calculate average costs to consume 24 fresh fruits, 40 fresh vegetables, 38 processed fruits, and 52 processed vegetables (including legumes), measured in cup equivalents. When the Dietary Guidelines recommends daily cups of fruits and vegetables, it is referring to cup equivalents. For most fruits and vegetables, a cup equivalent is the amount of the edible portion of a fruit or vegetable (e.g., minus pits or peels) that will fit in a standard 1-cup measuring cup. But not always. Some foods are more concentrated, and some are more airy or contain more water. A cup equivalent for lettuce and other raw leafy vegetables is 2 cups; for raisins and other dried fruits, it is one-half cup.
Costs Vary Widely
Eight out of 62 fresh and processed fruits cost less than 40 cents per cup equivalent in 2016, and another 21 fruits cost less than 80 cents per cup equivalent. Fresh whole watermelon, at 20 cents per cup equivalent, and apple juice (made from concentrate), at 26 cents, were the lowest priced fruits, while fresh blackberries, fresh raspberries, and canned cherries were the most costly.
A greater share of vegetables (77 percent) than fruits (47 percent) cost less than 80 cents per cup equivalent. Among all 92 fresh and processed vegetables examined, ERS researchers found that heads of Romaine lettuce, fresh whole carrots, canned green beans, and 13 other products cost less than 40 cents per cup equivalent in 2016, while 55 vegetables, including canned whole kernel corn, fresh whole mushrooms, and canned tomatoes, cost between 40 and 79 cents. Fresh asparagus, at $2.47 per cup equivalent, was the priciest of the 92 vegetables examined, and dried pinto beans were the least expensive, at $0.17 per cup equivalent.
Recommended eating patterns depend on a person’s age, gender, and level of physical activity. Fresh, canned, frozen, dried, and 100-percent juice count equally toward recommended intakes for both fruits and vegetables. However, Americans are encouraged to consume more whole fruit (raw, canned, or frozen) than juice to raise intake of dietary fiber. They are also encouraged to eat a variety of vegetables from each of five subgroups: legumes, dark green vegetables, red and orange vegetables, starchy vegetables, and other vegetables.
Using estimates of each product’s 2016 cost-per-cup equivalent, ERS researchers priced out different combinations of popular fresh and processed fruits and vegetables that would satisfy recommendations for a person on a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet. Each daily combination includes 2 cup equivalents of fruit and 2.5 cup equivalents of vegetables, distributed among different vegetable subgroups, such as dark green, red and orange, and starchy vegetables, as recommended in the Dietary Guidelines. A previous ERS analysis based on 2013 prices revealed that 2 cups of fruit and 2.5 cups of vegetables could be obtained for about $2.10 to $2.60. Retail fruit and vegetable prices rose 2.2 percent from 2013 to 2016, and then a modest 0.4 percent during 2017 and 2018. The analysis using 2016 price data indicated it was still possible to satisfy the Dietary Guidelines’ fruit and vegetable recommendations, based on a 2,000-calorie diet, for about $2.10 to $2.60 per day.
While Northwest pear shipments are forecast to decline by 9 percent from last season, and 6 percent compared to the 5-year average, good loading opportunities should remain.
The estimate for the 2019-29 fresh pear shipping season is 17.3 million 44-pound box equivalents. However, the decline doesn’t affect organic production, which at 10 percent of the overall crop, is seeing a 20 percent gain over last season.
The estimate includes Washington’s Wenatchee and Yakima valleys, and Oregon’s Mid-Columbia and Medford districts.
Estimates for pear varieties, and their percentage of the overall crop, are:
Green anjous:8.8 million boxes (51 percent);
Bartletts: 4.4 million boxes (26 percent);
Boscs: 2.2 million boxes (13 percent); and
Red anjous: 1 million boxes (6 percent).
The green anjou and bartlett crops are down single digits, but the bosc estimate is a 30 percent drop from the most recent season and 23 percent lower than the 5-year average. Red anjou estimates are a slight increase over last season, according to a news release.
Organic production is expected to be 1.76 million boxes, 10 percent of the total crop. That’s a 20 percent increase in organic production from the 2018-19 season. Of that, about 652,000 boxes will be green anjous, about 645,400 boxes will be bartletts and about 272,400 are boscs.
Harvests are expected to be about a week later than last season, which is close to the historical average. Starkrimsons start the first 2 weeks of August, followed in mid-August by bartletts. Anjou harvest starts the last week of August in all districts except in Mid-Columbia, which is early September. Bosc and comice harvest is from mid-August through mid-September, and concorde, forelle and seckel picking is in August and September in the four districts.
Allen Lund Company has kicked off its Christmas in July Toy Drive to benefit the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in downtown Los Angeles. ALC welcomes local communities to donate toys for underserved families at Christmas. Donated toys will be presented to families along with donated baskets of food at Christmas to help families and children who are suffering. The Christmas in July Toy Drive will run from July 1st to July 31st. The Allen Lund Company wants every child to have a very Merry Christmas this year and no donation is too little. We hope the community joins us in collecting toys for the most needful in Los Angeles.
Toys must be NEW and UNWRAPPED
Sports equipment (Ages 3-17)
Gift cards welcomed
Drop Off Location
Allen Lund Company Marketing Department 4529 Angeles Crest Highway, Suite 101 La Cañada, CA 91011 800.475.5863
About Allen Lund Company:
Specializing as a national third-party transportation broker with nationwide offices and over 500 employees, the Allen Lund Company works with shippers and carriers across the nation to arrange dry, refrigerated (specializing in produce), and flatbed freight; additionally, the Allen Lund Company has a logistics and software division, ALC Logistics, and an International Division licensed by the FMC as an OTI-NVOCC #019872NF. If you are interested in joining the Allen Lund Company team, please click here.
Established in 1976, the Allen Lund Company was recognized by Logistics Tech Outlook for our software division ALC Logistics as a 2018 Top 10 Freight Management Solution Providers, 2018 FL100+ Top Software and Technology Providers, 2017 Supply & Demand Chain Executive Top 100, 2017 Food Logistics 100+ Top Software and Tech Provider, a 2016 Top IT Provider by Inbound Logistics, 2015 Coca-Cola Challenger Carrier of the Year, 2015 Top Private Company in Los Angeles by the Los Angeles Business Journal, 2015 Top 100+ Software and Technology Providers, 2015 Top 100 Logistics IT Provider by Inbound Logistics, a 2014 Great Supply Chain Partner, and was placed in Transport Topics’ “2014 Top 25 Freight Brokerage Firms.” The company manages over 365,000 loads annually, and received the 2013 “Best in Cargo Security Award.” In 2011, the company received the TIA 3PL Samaritan Award, and NASTC (National Association of Small Trucking Companies) named Allen Lund Company the 2010 Best Broker of the Year.
New Mexico onion shipments should be in good volume this summer with shippers optimistic about good quality and sizing, although acreage and yields may be lower than last season.
Shiloh Produce Inc., of Hatch, NM reported shipments hit good in late May and accelerated in early June.
Onion shipments will continue until August or early September, yellow onions accounting for about 70 percent of the New Mexico volume, with reds and white onion accounting for the balance.
A majority of the growers for ProSource Inc. of Hailey, ID are located in the Hatch Valley of New Mexico, where shipments got underway in late May.
The company report truck supplies have been better this season.
Desert Springs Produce, Arrey, N.M., reports having similar acreage to last year, but believes overall statewide acreage down slightly from a year ago.
Barker Produce, Las Cruces, N.M., reports the company’s acreage is down about 100 acres and yields also are expected to be down compared to the past couple of years. The firm should ship onion though about September 10th.
Acreage Trends
Over the past 25 years, onion acreage in New Mexico has ranged from a high of 9,195 acres in 1997 to low of 5,457 acres in 2012, according to the 2017 Census of Agriculture.
In 2017, the census pegged New Mexico onion acreage at 6,915.
New Mexico harvested area of onions in 2018 totaled 6,500 acres, according to the USDA crop statistics.
That was off 8 percent from New Mexico’s harvested area of 2017 from 7,100 acres but up 7 percent from 6,100 acres in 2016.
