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Pleasanton, CA — DeltaTrak’s® FlashLink BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) Wireless Monitoring Solution allows receivers to read temperature history data from the FlashLink BLE Logger without opening the vehicle doors or locating the logger inside the truck. As soon as a vehicle arrives, the smart phone application accesses data from the logger from up to ~100 feet meters away, so information is available immediately upon arrival.
According to Frederick, president and CEO of DeltaTrak, “With the current security feature, shippers have the option to require receivers to enter an access code before they can see or download data from the BLE loggers. This gives them that extra layer of data security.” A smartphone app sends information from a mobile device to the BLE Web Application where it can be viewed remotely by authorized users. This solution is ideal for three types of applications which include 24/7 facility monitoring, pre-cooling operations, and delivery routes.
With the FlashLink BLE loggers, customers have secure access to data, immediate alert notifications, and reports in PDF and CSV formats. The FlashLink BLE logger helps suppliers maintain continuous visibility of temperature and humidity during facility monitoring and pre-cooling operations. It is ideal for thermal mapping and facility monitoring, such as in cold storage warehouses, distribution centers, greenhouses, temperature controlled processing, packing and staging areas.
Alert notifications are sent to personnel which allow them to take quick corrective action before products are compromised by changes in temperature conditions. With the FlashLink BLE Wireless Monitoring Solution, pre-cooling operations will improve efficiency, increase pallet throughput and extend product shelf life.
The loggers monitor produce in cooling tunnels and when required temperatures are reached alerts are sent via email or SMS notifications. Instead of pre-cooling based on time and relying on staff to take pulp temperature, this automates tracking and provides real-time temperature conditions during the process. Data can be analyzed by personnel to identify strengths and weaknesses of their operation, and assure that products are adequately cooled, while eliminating the problem of pallets not being cooled long enough.
FlashLink BLE Logger settings are customizable, including device name, logging interval, and high/low alarm limits. All data is available in the cloud, where temperature and location are reviewed remotely for tracking shipments in progress, making cold chain management decisions and reports for audits, HACCP and FSMA documentation.
By RPE
BANCROFT, Wis. — CSS Farms, a multi-state agriculture company producing onions and chip and specialty potatoes, and RPE — category leader and year-round grower/shipper of potatoes and onions — announce the selection of RPE as exclusive marketing partner of Agri-Pack, a CSS Farms subsidiary and Pasco, WA-based grower-packer-distributor of potatoes and onions.
CSS Farms Managing Partner Reagan Grabner said the partnering organizations share a collaborative mindset, strategic approach and entrepreneurial spirit, noting RPE and CSS Farms have worked effectively together since 2010 as joint venture partners in Tasteful Selections, an industry leader in the bite-size potato category, growing it from 1 ½ percent of the United States market eight years ago to 18 percent today.
Since the 2017 mid-year acquisition of Agri-Pack by CSS Farms, a commitment to positioning the business for future growth has been apparent, Larry Denke of Agri-Pack sales said. “I already have witnessed significant investment in the business to bring even more innovation to our operations in the northwest.
RPE in the past decade expanded from a company operating almost exclusively in Wisconsin to a diversified organization selling from every onion- and potato-producing state in the United States and Canada.
Russell Wysocki, RPE president, expects Agri-Pack operations to anchor a comprehensive onion program supplying food service companies, restaurants, retailers and other entities servicing and selling directly to consumers.
“Agri-Pack will be the cornerstone of an expanding onion program that contributes to growth of an entire industry, just as we have demonstrated with the potato industry during the last 10 years,” Wysocki said.
RPE as a sales and marketing entity has considerable experience working with growers and customers alike to introduce innovations while expanding the potato and onion categories.
CSS Farms, a nationwide agricultural business, provides innovative solutions and superior quality and service.
Agri-Pack is a Pacific Northwest farming and packing operation of an extensive and high-quality onion and potato crop.
RPE, a second-generation family farm, is a category leader and key grower/shipper of year-round potatoes and onions.
By CMI Orchards
WENATCHEE, WA: U.S. KIKU® growers, in the final 6-8 weeks of shipping a successful 2017 apple crop, and are making plans for the first KIKU® imports from the Southern Hemisphere.
According to George Harter of CMI Orchards, the 2017 KIKU® brand apple season was very successful despite a smaller overall harvest. “Between CMI and our partners Rice Fruit Company in (Gardners) Pennsylvania and Applewood Orchards in (Deerfield) Michigan, we had less volume to sell…,” said CMI Orchard’s George Harter.
Even with the volume reduction, Harter says that the Nielsen national scan data underscores the success of the strategy this year. The data reveals that the top 15 KIKU® retail chains nationally increased sales by 124 percent with volume up over 100 percent.
“The top 15 KIKU® retailer banners in the U.S. more than doubled their KIKU® volume for the season,” said Harter. “More importantly, they increased their volume while sustaining higher average retail prices. In a year where most retailers are experiencing significant category price deflation, having an apple brand like KIKU® drive sales and higher retail prices has been a huge win.”
Harter says the U.S. KIKU® growers will probably be completely sold out by mid May, well ahead of last year.
With supplies of domestically grown KIKU® winding down, the focus is now shifting to KIKU® imports from Chile and New Zealand. Robb Myers, Import Manager for CMI Orchards, says the company is setting plans now for the import KIKU® season beginning June 1.
“We’re expecting a strong import season on KIKU® from our growers in the Southern Hemisphere,” said Myers. The import KIKU® season will kick off in early June with supplies available through September, he added.
Myers said shipments already are being planned retailers get ready for the first of the import KIKU® arrivals on June 1.
About KIKU Apples
KIKU® brand apples come from select growers in strategic regions across the United States, and exclusively from CMI Orchards from their Southern Hemisphere partners. One of the owners of CMI Orchards (Columbia Fruit Packers) was granted the exclusive opportunity to develop the North American market for KIKU® brand apples.
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Washington apples – grossing about $4600 to Chicago.
The Port of Savannah breaks a record for volume, while a new service has been established at the Port of Pensacola.
Savannah
Savannah set a record last year for annual cargo volume by increasing 11 percent to over 4 million 20-foot equivalent units.
“This is the first time we’ve handled more than 4 million TEUs in a 12-month period, which is an important milestone for Savannah,” said Griff Lynch, Georgia Ports Authority executive director, in a Georgia Ports Authority news release.
The complex is investing in a deepening project called the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project, supported by state and federal funds as part of establishing itself as a regional cargo gateway.
With three dredges currently working in the Savannah River, the project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2021.
The port is set to break ground on the Mason Mega Rail terminal in early spring, which will double Garden City Terminal’s rail lift capacity to 1 million containers per year. That project should be finished by the end of 2020.
“What sets Savannah apart is its ability to grow capacity, increase cargo and do it in an efficient manner without congestion,” Georgia Ports Authority board chairman Jimmy Allgood said in the release.
Another project designed to increase capacity is a $3.5 million upgrade to four of the port’s ship-to-shore cranes. The port also received four Neopanamax cranes in November and is set to receive six more in 2020, for a total of 36 cranes.
Ocean Shipper Adds Route
World Direct Shipping is adding a service to Port of Pensacola, FL. It already has a regular ocean shipping route from Mexico to Port Manatee.
The new route, which started February 1st, includes weekly sailings from Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, to Pensacola. Another port in the northern region of Mexico’s Gulf Coast will be added.
“With Pensacola and Port Manatee, World Direct Shipping enhances its service network between Mexico and the Southeast United States,” Carlos Diaz, director of World Direct Shipping, in a news release.
Diaz said the Veracruz-Florida connections give more opportunities for exports through Pensacola from the Southeast U.S. Pensacola Port Director Amy Miller said the deal brings a new level of commerce to the port.
“Breaking into the container markets is a big deal for a smaller port like Pensacola,” she said in the release. “While large-scale container operations may be out of reach for us, we’ve always
known that there were smaller, niche container markets out there that made sense.”
The M/V Queen B, at 435 feet long, has the capacity for 657 twenty-foot equivalents. It is one of two ships on the Veracruz, Mexico, to Pensacola route.
Here’s a news roundup ranging from Texas onion loadings to increasing shipments by an Ontario company, as well as a Colorado produce shipper, and finally, an update on blueberry imports.
Texas Onion Shipments
South Texas onion shipments get underway within the next couple of weeks, but due to industry consolidation and decreasing numbers of onion growers and shippers over the past 15 years, there has been a 31 percent decrease in the number of onion producers and a 34 percent decrease in the number of handlers.
The Rio Grande Valley of South Texas has about 60 onion growers and about 30 shippers. Total shipments of south Texas onions were about 3 million 50-pound equivalents for the 2015-16 season,
Texas onions, Mexican imported produce – grossing about $3400 to Chicago.
Red Sun Shipments
Red Sun Farms of Lemington, ON is expanding its shipments of tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers to include Golden Sun Avocados.
Best known as a North American greenhouse grower, Red Sun Farms will be handling avocados produced in Mexico, and distributed through the company’s supply chain to service customers throughout North America.
Red Sun Farms will begin distributing the Mexican avocados during the second quarter of 2018.
Sakata Sweet Corn
Sakata Farms of Brighton, CO is changing its farming operation and discontinuing sweet corn production, and concentrating on onions and other crops.
The company is holding a farm equipment auction March 10 at 9:30 a.m. Mountain time. The company will no longer raise sweet corn, broccoli and cabbage.
Blueberry Imports
Fresh blueberry shipments take place in the U.S. the year around, made possible in large part by the increasing amount of imports from South America, which supplies product during the offseason of U.S. blueberry shippers. Chile is the leading country supplying “blues” this time of the year to the U.S., accounting for 52.7 percent of fresh cultivated blueberries over the past five years.
Since 2013, however, Mexico, Argentina and Peru significantly increased exports to the U.S. Argentina has upped exports to the U.S. by 35 percent from 2013 to 2017, Uruguay is up 46 percent and Mexico is up 414 percent.
Percentage wise, the biggest increase has come from Peru, with U.S. imports from that country up 3,971 percent from 2013 to 2017.
Overall, blueberry imports are up 44 percent.
Consumer confidence is at an all time high. Businesses are bringing back thousands of jobs and foreign investment in the United States is growing by leaps and bounds. GDP is over 3.3 percent, double the Obama years, and may top 4 percent by the end of 2018. We have a stock market at an all time high, and businesses are planning on expanding and adding new services.
Yes, the rich are getting richer, but who cares. All of your money, my money, and Bill Gates money is just a number in a bank’s computer anyway. Regardless of how you may feel about Donald Trump you must ask yourself this simple question. Are the poor among us better off with jobs that create value and pay higher wages? Or are the poor better off having to work at teenager jobs that pay minimum wage?
It is well past time that we set aside the petty emotions of envy and jealousy of the rich that are among us and face the realities of modern life. People do not and will not thrive in a socialist society. There is no such thing as “free. Everything in life must be paid for. No system is perfect and some people will always be left behind. There will be winners and losers in everything that life has to offer. But the vast majority of people are better served when they are free to prosper and grow as they desire. When people are free to use their own ideas, talents, and hard work to create value we are all better off as a society. Life does not come without risks. You will make some bad decisions and suffer the consequences from them. And we will always have the poor. They are the bottom 16 percent of the bell curve. It’s simple math folks.
The poor will always be with us, but they will be much better off in a society with a median income of $60,000 than a society with a median income of $9,000. As a free people we will prosper. Too much government is a bad thing. For some reason this is a hard lesson for some folks to learn.
(Larry Oscar is a graduate from the University of Tulsa and holds a degree in electrical engineering. He is retired and lives with his wife on a lake in Oklahoma where he brews his own beer, sails, and is a member of numerous clubs and organizations.)
A shipping gap appears likely in the West as vegetables from the desert shipping areas of California and Arizona are seasonally winding down. At the same time the seasonal transition of the products from the desert to Huron in the San Joaquin Valley and to the Salinas Valley probably won’t be that smooth. Light vegetable shipments at best are seen in the coming weeks.
There seems to be more years than not, when a smooth transition from the desert areas to those to the north in California fail to materialize.
Refrigerated truck loadings out of the desert are wrapping up one to two weeks early this season, aided primarily by warmer weather, at least by winter standards there, even though there has been enough winter weather to cause quality problems with lettuce. This is has been primarily with California desert head lettuce showing blistering and having problems with peel.
Vegetables out Salinas and Huron were scheduled to start shipping a week or two earlier, but cooler weather pushed back the growing schedule. As a result of the desert ending early combined with delays in Salinas and Huron, vegetable shipments will be lighter well into March. Unless the weather cooperates, the situation could extend into the middle of April.
Truck loadings in Salinas and Santa Maria with cauliflower and broccoli are just starting in very light volume.
Vegetable shipments in the desert typically extends through March, but the season is expected to finish as much as two weeks earlier than that.
Head lettuce shipments from the Huron district in the San Joaquin Valley should get underway in light fashion during the last half of March. Volume loadings of Salinas Valley lettuce should occur during the first half of April, about one to two weeks later than normal.
Vegetable shipments from El Centro, CA and Yuma, AZ are grossing about $6700 to New York City.
The ugly, but tasty Gold Nugget mandarin shipments are underway, while an increase in imports of Mexican mangoes are seen…Finally, here’s a glimpse at American’s imports and exports of fresh produce.
Mandarin Shipments
Gold Nugget mandarins are now being shippe by Bee Sweet Citrus of Fowler, CA.through March.
Gold Nuggets, which will be shipped through March, have a bumpy exterior with a bright orange easy-peel rind and a sweet flavor..
Gold Nuggets are every citrus lover’s dream,” director of communications Monique Bienvenue said in a press release. “Not only are have they been voted to be one of the best-tasting mandarin varieties by a professional taste panel, they’re also easy-to-peel and are virtually seedless.”
The fruit is good for snacking, for salads or even for marmalade.
Mexican Mango Imports
Mexican mango imports by the U.S. began arriving about a month ago with ataulfo variety, arriving from the states of Chiapas, Oaxaca and Michoacán. The forecast calls for volumes and quality are going to be much better than last year out of Southern Mexico. About 29 million boxes of mangoes will be shipped through the week of May 19, an increase of 5 percent from the same period in 2017. The Mexican mango shipments are expected to continue growing in volume, driven in large part by increasing production in the Los Mochis area in northern Sinaloa.
Produce Imports and Exports
U.S. fresh fruit and vegetable exports will increase from $7 billion in 2016 to $8.5 billion in 2027, a gain of 21.4 percent over 10 years. A much faster increase is seen for imports of fresh fruits and vegetables. Imports of fresh produce will climb from $19.2 billion in 2016 to $32.1 billion in 2027, a gain of 68.9 percent over a decade.
“Growing consumer incomes, coupled with a demand for a wide variety of food, drives increases in U.S. agricultural imports over the projection period,” the USDA said, noting that the 4 percent annual growth in horticultural imports is largely driven by active fresh fruit and vegetable sales.
Produce industry consolidations seem to be common place these days, with one of the latest being two Georgia peach shippers…Also new distribution centers continue in South Texas, this time from Evergreen Cold Storage.
Over 5,000 acres of peaches will be shipped under the Lane Southern Orchards brand following a merger of perhaps Georgia’s two largest peach shippers.
Lane Southern Orchards of Ft. Collins, GA and Taylor Orchards of nearby Reynolds, GA have merged. Lane Southern Orchards farms 2,000 acres of peaches and 3,500 acres of pecans, while Taylor Orchards farms 3,000 acres of peaches and 950 acres of row crops which include peanuts and soybeans.
The combined company will ship peaches under the Lane Southern Orchards label. Additionally, the new operation plans to increase peach production by 700 acres and pecan production by 1,000 acres.
“This additional supply of peaches allows us to be a better supplier to existing customers and expand our customer base as well,” Duke Lane III, director of sales for Lane Southern Orchards, said in a news release. “From a sales and marketing perspective, you can engage consumers in creative ways with nearly 6,000 acres of Georgia peaches. It is going to be an exciting summer for Georgia peaches.”
New South Texas Distribution Center Coming
By Rio Grande Guardian
PHARR, TX – Pharr city and economic development officials helped Evergreen Cold Storage break ground on a new fresh produce warehouse project on Hi Line Road, not far from the Pharr International Bridge.
Victor Perez, executive director of Pharr Economic Development Corporation, said the groundbreaking kick starts Evergreen’s plans to construct a total of 283,200 square feet of warehouse space in three phases on approximately 16.7 acres.
“The first phase is the construction of a 117,000 square feet warehouse to be completed by December 2018. The second phase includes a 95,600 square-foot warehouse and a 13,000 square-foot commercial area, to be completed by December 2021. The third phase will include the construction of a 57,600 square-foot warehouse to be completed by December 2022,” Perez told the Rio Grande Guardian.
Imports of tomatoes by U.S. tomato imports was unchanged in 2017, while Mexico continues to be the dominant supplier, although imports from Canada are increasing….Meanwhile, further plunges in citrus shipments are seen in years ahead.
Total fresh tomato imports in 2017 amounted to $2.177 billion, down 4 percent from 2016. Volume of all U.S. tomato imports came to 1.78 million metric tons, unchanged from 2016..
The USDA reports imports from Mexico accounted for 85 percent of the value ($1.842 billion, down 6 percent from 2016) and 90 percent of the volume (1.612 million metric tons, unchanged from a year ago) of tomato imports.
Canadian Tomatoes Increase
Imported tomatoes by the U.S. from Canada were up both in volume and value. U.S. imports of Canadian tomatoes in 2017 were $312.9 million, up 13 percent from 2016. Volume of Canadian tomatoes shipped to the U.S. was 165,400 metric tons, up 7 percent from 2016. Canada represented 14 percent of the value and 9 percent of the volume of total U.S. tomato imports.
The Dominican Republic and Guatemala shipped lesser tomato volumes to the U.S., together accounting for less than 1 percent of total U.S. tomato imports.
Citrus Decline is Predicted
Noticeable decreases in Florida’s citrus shipments are projected to be an issue for U.S. citrus over the next 10 years, according a new report from the USDA’s long term projections issued in mid-February.
Over the next decade, fruit, tree nuts and vegetable shipments are forecast to increase at a modest 0.6 percent annually, when measured by farm weight.
Citrus, however, will suffer declines in shipments during the next decade, plunging from 17.49 billion pounds in 2018 to 14.04 billion pounds by 2027, a drop of 20 percent.
“While the value of production is expected to grow over the next decade due to higher prices, citrus production continues to decline slowly over the projection period, primarily due to loss of bearing acreage in Florida and the spread of citrus greening, a citrus disease spread by insects for which no cure currently exists,” the USDA report states.
The report said citrus greening has the potential to threaten the “entire citrus industry if not closely monitored.”
The USDA said declines in citrus production are projected to be offset by increases in non-citrus fruit.
The value of U.S. fruit, vegetable and nut production will top $65.8 billion by calendar year 2027, up from nearly $52 billion in 2018. The value of production will grow about 2.7 pecent per year for fruits, nuts and vegetables. Of the total value, fruits contribute nearly 40 percent of the total value, tree nuts 18 percent and vegetables 42 percent.
Pleasanton, CA — DeltaTrak’s® FlashLink BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) Wireless Monitoring Solution allows receivers to read temperature history data from the FlashLink BLE Logger without opening the vehicle doors or locating the logger inside the truck. As soon as a vehicle arrives, the smart phone application accesses data from the logger from up to ~100 feet meters away, so information is available immediately upon arrival.
| According to Frederick, president and CEO of DeltaTrak, “With the current security feature, shippers have the option to require receivers to enter an access code before they can see or download data from the BLE loggers. This gives them that extra layer of data security.” A smartphone app sends information from a mobile device to the BLE Web Application where it can be viewed remotely by authorized users. This solution is ideal for three types of applications which include 24/7 facility monitoring, pre-cooling operations, and delivery routes.
With the FlashLink BLE loggers, customers have secure access to data, immediate alert notifications, and reports in PDF and CSV formats. The FlashLink BLE logger helps suppliers maintain continuous visibility of temperature and humidity during facility monitoring and pre-cooling operations. It is ideal for thermal mapping and facility monitoring, such as in cold storage warehouses, distribution centers, greenhouses, temperature controlled processing, packing and staging areas. Alert notifications are sent to personnel which allow them to take quick corrective action before products are compromised by changes in temperature conditions. With the FlashLink BLE Wireless Monitoring Solution, pre-cooling operations will improve efficiency, increase pallet throughput and extend product shelf life. The loggers monitor produce in cooling tunnels and when required temperatures are reached alerts are sent via email or SMS notifications. Instead of pre-cooling based on time and relying on staff to take pulp temperature, this automates tracking and provides real-time temperature conditions during the process. Data can be analyzed by personnel to identify strengths and weaknesses of their operation, and assure that products are adequately cooled, while eliminating the problem of pallets not being cooled long enough. FlashLink BLE Logger settings are customizable, including device name, logging interval, and high/low alarm limits. All data is available in the cloud, where temperature and location are reviewed remotely for tracking shipments in progress, making cold chain management decisions and reports for audits, HACCP and FSMA documentation. |
By RPE
BANCROFT, Wis. — CSS Farms, a multi-state agriculture company producing onions and chip and specialty potatoes, and RPE — category leader and year-round grower/shipper of potatoes and onions — announce the selection of RPE as exclusive marketing partner of Agri-Pack, a CSS Farms subsidiary and Pasco, WA-based grower-packer-distributor of potatoes and onions.
CSS Farms Managing Partner Reagan Grabner said the partnering organizations share a collaborative mindset, strategic approach and entrepreneurial spirit, noting RPE and CSS Farms have worked effectively together since 2010 as joint venture partners in Tasteful Selections, an industry leader in the bite-size potato category, growing it from 1 ½ percent of the United States market eight years ago to 18 percent today.
Since the 2017 mid-year acquisition of Agri-Pack by CSS Farms, a commitment to positioning the business for future growth has been apparent, Larry Denke of Agri-Pack sales said. “I already have witnessed significant investment in the business to bring even more innovation to our operations in the northwest.
RPE in the past decade expanded from a company operating almost exclusively in Wisconsin to a diversified organization selling from every onion- and potato-producing state in the United States and Canada.
Russell Wysocki, RPE president, expects Agri-Pack operations to anchor a comprehensive onion program supplying food service companies, restaurants, retailers and other entities servicing and selling directly to consumers.
“Agri-Pack will be the cornerstone of an expanding onion program that contributes to growth of an entire industry, just as we have demonstrated with the potato industry during the last 10 years,” Wysocki said.
RPE as a sales and marketing entity has considerable experience working with growers and customers alike to introduce innovations while expanding the potato and onion categories.
CSS Farms, a nationwide agricultural business, provides innovative solutions and superior quality and service.
Agri-Pack is a Pacific Northwest farming and packing operation of an extensive and high-quality onion and potato crop.
RPE, a second-generation family farm, is a category leader and key grower/shipper of year-round potatoes and onions.
By CMI Orchards
WENATCHEE, WA: U.S. KIKU® growers, in the final 6-8 weeks of shipping a successful 2017 apple crop, and are making plans for the first KIKU® imports from the Southern Hemisphere.
According to George Harter of CMI Orchards, the 2017 KIKU® brand apple season was very successful despite a smaller overall harvest. “Between CMI and our partners Rice Fruit Company in (Gardners) Pennsylvania and Applewood Orchards in (Deerfield) Michigan, we had less volume to sell…,” said CMI Orchard’s George Harter.
Even with the volume reduction, Harter says that the Nielsen national scan data underscores the success of the strategy this year. The data reveals that the top 15 KIKU® retail chains nationally increased sales by 124 percent with volume up over 100 percent.
“The top 15 KIKU® retailer banners in the U.S. more than doubled their KIKU® volume for the season,” said Harter. “More importantly, they increased their volume while sustaining higher average retail prices. In a year where most retailers are experiencing significant category price deflation, having an apple brand like KIKU® drive sales and higher retail prices has been a huge win.”
Harter says the U.S. KIKU® growers will probably be completely sold out by mid May, well ahead of last year.
With supplies of domestically grown KIKU® winding down, the focus is now shifting to KIKU® imports from Chile and New Zealand. Robb Myers, Import Manager for CMI Orchards, says the company is setting plans now for the import KIKU® season beginning June 1.
“We’re expecting a strong import season on KIKU® from our growers in the Southern Hemisphere,” said Myers. The import KIKU® season will kick off in early June with supplies available through September, he added.
Myers said shipments already are being planned retailers get ready for the first of the import KIKU® arrivals on June 1.
About KIKU Apples
KIKU® brand apples come from select growers in strategic regions across the United States, and exclusively from CMI Orchards from their Southern Hemisphere partners. One of the owners of CMI Orchards (Columbia Fruit Packers) was granted the exclusive opportunity to develop the North American market for KIKU® brand apples.
*****
Washington apples – grossing about $4600 to Chicago.
The Port of Savannah breaks a record for volume, while a new service has been established at the Port of Pensacola.
Savannah
Savannah set a record last year for annual cargo volume by increasing 11 percent to over 4 million 20-foot equivalent units.
“This is the first time we’ve handled more than 4 million TEUs in a 12-month period, which is an important milestone for Savannah,” said Griff Lynch, Georgia Ports Authority executive director, in a Georgia Ports Authority news release.
The complex is investing in a deepening project called the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project, supported by state and federal funds as part of establishing itself as a regional cargo gateway.
With three dredges currently working in the Savannah River, the project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2021.
The port is set to break ground on the Mason Mega Rail terminal in early spring, which will double Garden City Terminal’s rail lift capacity to 1 million containers per year. That project should be finished by the end of 2020.
“What sets Savannah apart is its ability to grow capacity, increase cargo and do it in an efficient manner without congestion,” Georgia Ports Authority board chairman Jimmy Allgood said in the release.
Another project designed to increase capacity is a $3.5 million upgrade to four of the port’s ship-to-shore cranes. The port also received four Neopanamax cranes in November and is set to receive six more in 2020, for a total of 36 cranes.
Ocean Shipper Adds Route
World Direct Shipping is adding a service to Port of Pensacola, FL. It already has a regular ocean shipping route from Mexico to Port Manatee.
The new route, which started February 1st, includes weekly sailings from Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, to Pensacola. Another port in the northern region of Mexico’s Gulf Coast will be added.
“With Pensacola and Port Manatee, World Direct Shipping enhances its service network between Mexico and the Southeast United States,” Carlos Diaz, director of World Direct Shipping, in a news release.
Diaz said the Veracruz-Florida connections give more opportunities for exports through Pensacola from the Southeast U.S. Pensacola Port Director Amy Miller said the deal brings a new level of commerce to the port.
“Breaking into the container markets is a big deal for a smaller port like Pensacola,” she said in the release. “While large-scale container operations may be out of reach for us, we’ve always
known that there were smaller, niche container markets out there that made sense.”
The M/V Queen B, at 435 feet long, has the capacity for 657 twenty-foot equivalents. It is one of two ships on the Veracruz, Mexico, to Pensacola route.
Here’s a news roundup ranging from Texas onion loadings to increasing shipments by an Ontario company, as well as a Colorado produce shipper, and finally, an update on blueberry imports.
Texas Onion Shipments
South Texas onion shipments get underway within the next couple of weeks, but due to industry consolidation and decreasing numbers of onion growers and shippers over the past 15 years, there has been a 31 percent decrease in the number of onion producers and a 34 percent decrease in the number of handlers.
The Rio Grande Valley of South Texas has about 60 onion growers and about 30 shippers. Total shipments of south Texas onions were about 3 million 50-pound equivalents for the 2015-16 season,
Texas onions, Mexican imported produce – grossing about $3400 to Chicago.
Red Sun Shipments
Red Sun Farms of Lemington, ON is expanding its shipments of tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers to include Golden Sun Avocados.
Best known as a North American greenhouse grower, Red Sun Farms will be handling avocados produced in Mexico, and distributed through the company’s supply chain to service customers throughout North America.
Red Sun Farms will begin distributing the Mexican avocados during the second quarter of 2018.
Sakata Sweet Corn
Sakata Farms of Brighton, CO is changing its farming operation and discontinuing sweet corn production, and concentrating on onions and other crops.
The company is holding a farm equipment auction March 10 at 9:30 a.m. Mountain time. The company will no longer raise sweet corn, broccoli and cabbage.
Blueberry Imports
Fresh blueberry shipments take place in the U.S. the year around, made possible in large part by the increasing amount of imports from South America, which supplies product during the offseason of U.S. blueberry shippers. Chile is the leading country supplying “blues” this time of the year to the U.S., accounting for 52.7 percent of fresh cultivated blueberries over the past five years.
Since 2013, however, Mexico, Argentina and Peru significantly increased exports to the U.S. Argentina has upped exports to the U.S. by 35 percent from 2013 to 2017, Uruguay is up 46 percent and Mexico is up 414 percent.
Percentage wise, the biggest increase has come from Peru, with U.S. imports from that country up 3,971 percent from 2013 to 2017.
Overall, blueberry imports are up 44 percent.
Consumer confidence is at an all time high. Businesses are bringing back thousands of jobs and foreign investment in the United States is growing by leaps and bounds. GDP is over 3.3 percent, double the Obama years, and may top 4 percent by the end of 2018. We have a stock market at an all time high, and businesses are planning on expanding and adding new services.
Yes, the rich are getting richer, but who cares. All of your money, my money, and Bill Gates money is just a number in a bank’s computer anyway. Regardless of how you may feel about Donald Trump you must ask yourself this simple question. Are the poor among us better off with jobs that create value and pay higher wages? Or are the poor better off having to work at teenager jobs that pay minimum wage?
It is well past time that we set aside the petty emotions of envy and jealousy of the rich that are among us and face the realities of modern life. People do not and will not thrive in a socialist society. There is no such thing as “free. Everything in life must be paid for. No system is perfect and some people will always be left behind. There will be winners and losers in everything that life has to offer. But the vast majority of people are better served when they are free to prosper and grow as they desire. When people are free to use their own ideas, talents, and hard work to create value we are all better off as a society. Life does not come without risks. You will make some bad decisions and suffer the consequences from them. And we will always have the poor. They are the bottom 16 percent of the bell curve. It’s simple math folks.
The poor will always be with us, but they will be much better off in a society with a median income of $60,000 than a society with a median income of $9,000. As a free people we will prosper. Too much government is a bad thing. For some reason this is a hard lesson for some folks to learn.
(Larry Oscar is a graduate from the University of Tulsa and holds a degree in electrical engineering. He is retired and lives with his wife on a lake in Oklahoma where he brews his own beer, sails, and is a member of numerous clubs and organizations.)
A shipping gap appears likely in the West as vegetables from the desert shipping areas of California and Arizona are seasonally winding down. At the same time the seasonal transition of the products from the desert to Huron in the San Joaquin Valley and to the Salinas Valley probably won’t be that smooth. Light vegetable shipments at best are seen in the coming weeks.
There seems to be more years than not, when a smooth transition from the desert areas to those to the north in California fail to materialize.
Refrigerated truck loadings out of the desert are wrapping up one to two weeks early this season, aided primarily by warmer weather, at least by winter standards there, even though there has been enough winter weather to cause quality problems with lettuce. This is has been primarily with California desert head lettuce showing blistering and having problems with peel.
Vegetables out Salinas and Huron were scheduled to start shipping a week or two earlier, but cooler weather pushed back the growing schedule. As a result of the desert ending early combined with delays in Salinas and Huron, vegetable shipments will be lighter well into March. Unless the weather cooperates, the situation could extend into the middle of April.
Truck loadings in Salinas and Santa Maria with cauliflower and broccoli are just starting in very light volume.
Vegetable shipments in the desert typically extends through March, but the season is expected to finish as much as two weeks earlier than that.
Head lettuce shipments from the Huron district in the San Joaquin Valley should get underway in light fashion during the last half of March. Volume loadings of Salinas Valley lettuce should occur during the first half of April, about one to two weeks later than normal.
Vegetable shipments from El Centro, CA and Yuma, AZ are grossing about $6700 to New York City.
The ugly, but tasty Gold Nugget mandarin shipments are underway, while an increase in imports of Mexican mangoes are seen…Finally, here’s a glimpse at American’s imports and exports of fresh produce.
Mandarin Shipments
Gold Nugget mandarins are now being shippe by Bee Sweet Citrus of Fowler, CA.through March.
Gold Nuggets, which will be shipped through March, have a bumpy exterior with a bright orange easy-peel rind and a sweet flavor..
Gold Nuggets are every citrus lover’s dream,” director of communications Monique Bienvenue said in a press release. “Not only are have they been voted to be one of the best-tasting mandarin varieties by a professional taste panel, they’re also easy-to-peel and are virtually seedless.”
The fruit is good for snacking, for salads or even for marmalade.
Mexican Mango Imports
Mexican mango imports by the U.S. began arriving about a month ago with ataulfo variety, arriving from the states of Chiapas, Oaxaca and Michoacán. The forecast calls for volumes and quality are going to be much better than last year out of Southern Mexico. About 29 million boxes of mangoes will be shipped through the week of May 19, an increase of 5 percent from the same period in 2017. The Mexican mango shipments are expected to continue growing in volume, driven in large part by increasing production in the Los Mochis area in northern Sinaloa.
Produce Imports and Exports
U.S. fresh fruit and vegetable exports will increase from $7 billion in 2016 to $8.5 billion in 2027, a gain of 21.4 percent over 10 years. A much faster increase is seen for imports of fresh fruits and vegetables. Imports of fresh produce will climb from $19.2 billion in 2016 to $32.1 billion in 2027, a gain of 68.9 percent over a decade.
“Growing consumer incomes, coupled with a demand for a wide variety of food, drives increases in U.S. agricultural imports over the projection period,” the USDA said, noting that the 4 percent annual growth in horticultural imports is largely driven by active fresh fruit and vegetable sales.
Produce industry consolidations seem to be common place these days, with one of the latest being two Georgia peach shippers…Also new distribution centers continue in South Texas, this time from Evergreen Cold Storage.
Over 5,000 acres of peaches will be shipped under the Lane Southern Orchards brand following a merger of perhaps Georgia’s two largest peach shippers.
Lane Southern Orchards of Ft. Collins, GA and Taylor Orchards of nearby Reynolds, GA have merged. Lane Southern Orchards farms 2,000 acres of peaches and 3,500 acres of pecans, while Taylor Orchards farms 3,000 acres of peaches and 950 acres of row crops which include peanuts and soybeans.
The combined company will ship peaches under the Lane Southern Orchards label. Additionally, the new operation plans to increase peach production by 700 acres and pecan production by 1,000 acres.
“This additional supply of peaches allows us to be a better supplier to existing customers and expand our customer base as well,” Duke Lane III, director of sales for Lane Southern Orchards, said in a news release. “From a sales and marketing perspective, you can engage consumers in creative ways with nearly 6,000 acres of Georgia peaches. It is going to be an exciting summer for Georgia peaches.”
New South Texas Distribution Center Coming
By Rio Grande Guardian
PHARR, TX – Pharr city and economic development officials helped Evergreen Cold Storage break ground on a new fresh produce warehouse project on Hi Line Road, not far from the Pharr International Bridge.
Victor Perez, executive director of Pharr Economic Development Corporation, said the groundbreaking kick starts Evergreen’s plans to construct a total of 283,200 square feet of warehouse space in three phases on approximately 16.7 acres.
“The first phase is the construction of a 117,000 square feet warehouse to be completed by December 2018. The second phase includes a 95,600 square-foot warehouse and a 13,000 square-foot commercial area, to be completed by December 2021. The third phase will include the construction of a 57,600 square-foot warehouse to be completed by December 2022,” Perez told the Rio Grande Guardian.
Imports of tomatoes by U.S. tomato imports was unchanged in 2017, while Mexico continues to be the dominant supplier, although imports from Canada are increasing….Meanwhile, further plunges in citrus shipments are seen in years ahead.
Total fresh tomato imports in 2017 amounted to $2.177 billion, down 4 percent from 2016. Volume of all U.S. tomato imports came to 1.78 million metric tons, unchanged from 2016..
The USDA reports imports from Mexico accounted for 85 percent of the value ($1.842 billion, down 6 percent from 2016) and 90 percent of the volume (1.612 million metric tons, unchanged from a year ago) of tomato imports.
Canadian Tomatoes Increase
Imported tomatoes by the U.S. from Canada were up both in volume and value. U.S. imports of Canadian tomatoes in 2017 were $312.9 million, up 13 percent from 2016. Volume of Canadian tomatoes shipped to the U.S. was 165,400 metric tons, up 7 percent from 2016. Canada represented 14 percent of the value and 9 percent of the volume of total U.S. tomato imports.
The Dominican Republic and Guatemala shipped lesser tomato volumes to the U.S., together accounting for less than 1 percent of total U.S. tomato imports.
Citrus Decline is Predicted
Noticeable decreases in Florida’s citrus shipments are projected to be an issue for U.S. citrus over the next 10 years, according a new report from the USDA’s long term projections issued in mid-February.
Over the next decade, fruit, tree nuts and vegetable shipments are forecast to increase at a modest 0.6 percent annually, when measured by farm weight.
Citrus, however, will suffer declines in shipments during the next decade, plunging from 17.49 billion pounds in 2018 to 14.04 billion pounds by 2027, a drop of 20 percent.
“While the value of production is expected to grow over the next decade due to higher prices, citrus production continues to decline slowly over the projection period, primarily due to loss of bearing acreage in Florida and the spread of citrus greening, a citrus disease spread by insects for which no cure currently exists,” the USDA report states.
The report said citrus greening has the potential to threaten the “entire citrus industry if not closely monitored.”
The USDA said declines in citrus production are projected to be offset by increases in non-citrus fruit.
The value of U.S. fruit, vegetable and nut production will top $65.8 billion by calendar year 2027, up from nearly $52 billion in 2018. The value of production will grow about 2.7 pecent per year for fruits, nuts and vegetables. Of the total value, fruits contribute nearly 40 percent of the total value, tree nuts 18 percent and vegetables 42 percent.