Author Archive
by Grant J. Hunt Company
OAKLAND, CA – Grant J. Hunt Company, an Oakland, California-based produce distribution firm, has announced that Grant J. “Jim” Hunt, Jr. has died at the age of 94.
Mr. Hunt graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in Agricultural Economics in 1943.
Mr. Hunt joined Grant J. Hunt Company in 1946 after his rehabilitation from wounds received in battle during World War II in France during the Battle of the Bulge. Mr. Hunt took the helm of the company in 1949 after the sudden death of the company founder, Grant J. Hunt, Sr. where he served as company President for decades until his retirement in 1992.
Mr. Hunt spent many hours outside of his career pursuing volunteer work; particularly in areas working with youth. He served as Scoutmaster for many years with the Boy Scouts of America followed service on the Board of Directors of Piedmont Council. Mr. Hunt was awarded the Silver Beaver award from the Boy Scouts for positively impacting the lives of youths that he led.
Mr. Hunt served on many Board positions of the Produce Marketing Association including leading the association as President in 1981. His model of service to PMA carried through to his son Grant M. Hunt, who served as PMA Chair in 1999. To date, they are the only father-son duo to ever serve in the Board President/Chair capacity. Under Jim Hunt’s leadership, PMA’s three divisions (retail, foodservice and floral) developed policies to enhance the growth of the industry; particularly meant to attract youth to the produce industry which was his passion.
“Jim Hunt had already completed his term as Chairman of the PMA Board when I joined the association in 1983. Nonetheless, he took the time to school me in the workings of our industry and the lessons he had learned throughout his career. Jim’s unselfish service to the industry he loved is one reason I was so pleased to visit him just weeks ago at his home, where he reminisced so lucidly on shared experiences. Like his son Grant, another PMA Chairman of the Board, Jim understood so well the mutual benefit that flows from leadership service to others across an industry” stated Bryan Silbermann, Retired PMA CEO.
Mr. Hunt was the recipient of The Packer’s Produce Man of the Year Award in 1978 in recognition of his efforts with other Bay Area leaders to eradicate corruption involving the unloading of produce trucks at wholesale markets in Northern California.
Mr. Hunt was very active with St. Helena Catholic Church serving on the Parish Council and the School Board. He also volunteered with many of the youth activities continuing his passion for developing youth talents.
A Mass of Christian Burial is planned for April 5 at St. Helena Catholic Church in St. Helena, CA.
(Editor’s Note: We all have mentors in life. Jim Hunt was my mentor. For those of you who subscribe to Haulproduce.com and find its information helpful in your business, you can thank in part Mr. Jim Hunt. I was a young editor for a produce publication called The Packer during the ’70s. I wrote a 3-part series on the horrendous treatment of truckers delivering produce to the produce market in South San Francisco. Teamster unloaders (also called swampers in those days) were fleecing, threatening drivers and delaying unloading of their trucks when they refused to pay kick backs, and extracting exorbitant unload fees.
Jim Hunt would offer to go on the market as I did my investigative reporting to make sure no harm would come to me. I would call him at home from my hotel room at night with all kinds of questions. He was a wholesaler in Oakland, just across the San Francisco Bay and did business with wholesalers in South San Francisco. Yet, he was not concerned with the loss of business for helping this young reporter and helping expose the corruption. His first concern was how produce truckers were being mistreated. We all need heroes and mentors – Jim Hunt was mine. — Bill Martin)
by Doug Ohlemeier, PerishableNews.com
Growers are assessing damage from a mid-March freeze which could prevent South Carolina growers from commercially packing peaches this summer. During the overnight hours of March 15, temperatures sunk to 20 degrees and destroyed as much as 90 percent of the state’s peach crop.
Titan Farms, headquartered in Ridge Spring, SC, doesn’t plan to run its commercial packing line. Up to 90 percent of its peaches were damaged. Daryl Johnson, vice president of sales and marketing, reports the grower-shipper may have lost all its crop.
Because of a mild winter, a majority of Titan Farms’ varieties and groves were already in bloom. The buds couldn’t handle the record low temperatures. Before the freeze, Titan Farms was optimistic it would experience a favorable crop and begin packing by May 1, about three weeks earlier than normal, says Johnson.
“What is ironic is if the freezes hadn’t happened for both Georgia and South Carolina, we would probably have had South Carolina peaches in the marketplace before Georgia,” explains Johnson. “Our main goal is to assess the situation, work with our employees and go into a more conservative mode. We are taking care of our people and letting every one of our partners know what happened, because they have to adjust accordingly to what they need to do without our peaches.”
Johnson says he’s hearing Georgia growers lost up to half of their peaches. Georgia typically begins harvesting in mid-May and finishes by late August while South Carolina, which is the largest East Coast fresh producing state, generally begins in late May and early June and harvests through early September.
Martin Eubanks, assistant commissioner of agriculture for the South Carolina Department of Agriculture in Columbia, says he’s hearing about similar losses and estimates damage at 85 percent -95 percent. The freeze destroyed the front end of the crop as well as the later season varieties. The drop in the thermometer was among the lowest the state has seen this time of year in history. “At this point in time, it is still to be determined if we will have a packinghouse that opens and actually runs a commercial peach this season,” says Eubanks. “We will have peaches in July and August, but there will not be an overabundance.”
Eubanks estimates growers should take three to four weeks before they know how much fruit they can ship. Titan Farms, which normally ships 2.2 million 25-pound cartons a year, plans to sell field-run fruit locally, says Johnson. The company markets itself as the second largest U.S. peach grower-shipper.
More details are becoming available on that mid March hard freeze that hit crops from North Carolina to Southern Georgia. Spring produce shipments from the Southeast will definitely be affected.
Georgia Blueberry Shipments
That March 15-17 freeze could reduce Georgia blueberry shipments by as much as 75 percent this spring, costing the industry $400 million. At best, there is hope “only” 60 percent of the crop was lost, but it could easily be higher in the south-central areas of Georgia, which is heart of blueberry production.
In this area, covering about 50 miles, 60 to 70 percent of Georgia’s blueberry crop is located. Some farmers have lost 100% of their early production rabbiteye crop. Temperatures in the area dropped to as low as 21 degrees for three nights in a row in mid-March.
Georgia Peach Shipments
Georgia peach orchards, primarily located in the Ft. Valley area, may have faired better than blueberries. Shipments may be reduced by “only” 40 to 50 percent. The lack of chill hours in middle Georgia had delayed the budding process. Now those buds are emerging, but growers now have to take a wait and see approach. Because the peaches were so late, it may have protected the crop.
Still, later on, there’s what is called the “May drop,” where any damaged peaches could start falling from trees.
Vidalia Onion Shipments
Escaping freeze damage was the Vidalia sweet onion crop. Shippers are still making normal plans for the official April 12 opening shipping date. It is described as one of the best crops in years.
Georgia Vegetable Shipments
Freeze damage to Georgia vegetables is all over the board. Bell peppers and other summer vegetables will be lost, while others veggie are expected to be slowed, but not fatally harmed by the weather. It will be awhile before accurate information is available…..As for Georgia watermelon shipments, there is believed to be some losses, but it should be relatively minor.
North Carolina Fruit Shipments
There is widespread damage to peaches and blueberry crops, but little specific information is available at this time.
South Carolina Produce Shipments
We’ll have a report on Monday, March 27th regarding South Carolina, which actually ships more peaches than Georgia or North Carolina in a normal season.
by U.S. Apple Association
Falls Church, VA – Beyond everyday convenience and the wide range of varieties and apple products to choose from, apples also pack a nutritious punch, providing a daily dose of health benefits.
“National Nutrition Month, celebrated in March, is a good time to remind consumers that apples are a super food found in stores across the country,” said Korenna Wilson, Director of Consumer Health and Media Relations for USApple. “We continue to see studies that confirm the link between apple consumption and good health. This is a roundup of our favorites.”
The U.S. Apple Association offers 12 proven ways apples and apple products positively impact health, from head to toe, from the inside out, and through every stage of life:
- Lower LDL Cholesterol
Studies by the Arthritis Foundation found evidence to support claims that eating apples on a daily basis may lower levels of cholesterol as well as C-reactive protein (CRP), a key marker of inflammation in the blood. Female participants who ate apples every day for six months saw lower LDL cholesterol levels by 23 percent as well as a 32 percent decrease in CRP (Arthritis Foundation, 2016).
- Improve Digestive Health
University of Denmark researchers discovered apples and apple products could boost intestinal health by increasing the numbers of good gut bacteria. The friendly bacteria in the intestines feed on pectin, a fiber found abundantly in apples (BMC Microbiology 2010, 10:13).
- Replace Daily Statin Use
Some cardiologists argue that statins do more harm than good, especially for those who do not already have heart disease. Instead, people would benefit from eating an apple a day to prevent heart attacks, strokes and other vascular diseases (BMC Medicine, 2016 14:4).
- Support Respiratory Health
A National Institutes of Health study reports that foods rich in fiber and flavonoids, found abundantly in apples, may reduce chronic productive cough and other respiratory symptoms (Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med, 2004, 170: 279-287).
- Promote Heart Health
An Ohio State University study found that eating an apple a day for four weeks lowered blood levels of oxidized LDL, the bad cholesterol, by 40 percent. A University of Florida study found eating two apples a day reduced LDL by 23 percent (Journal of Functional Foods, 2013).
- Strengthen Bone Health
A study published in the November 2010 online edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that older women who eat plenty of fruits, including apples and apple products, along with vegetables and whole grains, may have a lower chance of bone fractures than those not getting their fill.
- Deliver a Dose of Vitamin C
Apples are a great source of vitamin C, which helps repair body tissue and provides antioxidants. According to the USDA National Nutrient Database, a large apple contains about 10.3mg of vitamin C, nearly 10 percent of the daily recommended dose.
- Protect Brain Cells
Research from the University of Massachusetts-Lowell suggests eating apples and drinking apple juice can be beneficial when it comes to improving brain health and diminishing symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. With a balanced diet, apple and apple juice consumption may protect against oxidative brain damage that can lead to memory loss.
- Strengthen Muscles
A natural compound found in the apple’s skin, called ursolic acid, may help prevent muscle wasting that can result from aging and illness (Cell Metabolism, 2011, 13 (6): 627-638).
- Reduce Asthma Symptoms
Research from the United Kingdom reports children of mothers who eat apples during pregnancy are much less likely to exhibit symptoms of asthma at age five. Apples were the only food found to have a positive association with a reduced risk of asthma among a variety of foods consumed and recorded (American Thoracic Society, 2007).
- Lowers Risk of Certain Types of Cancer, including Breast, Pancreatic, Colon or Liver, Prostate and Colorectal
Apples are rich in antioxidants, especially quercetin, which have been identified to help inhibit cancer onset and cell proliferation. In one study, the more apples per day a person ate, the less likely he/she was to develop colorectal cancer. The anti-cancer effect was seen even when a person had a low total consumption of fruits and vegetables, but consumed at least an apple a day (European Journal of Cancer Prevention, 2010, 19(1):42-47).
- Help Maintain Optimal Weight
State University of Rio de Janeiro researchers studying the impact of fruit intake on weight loss found that overweight women who ate the equivalent of three apples a day lost more weight on a low-calorie diet than women who didn’t eat the fiber-rich fruit (Nutrition, 2003, 19: 253-256). Furthermore, researchers at Harvard University found a higher intake of foods rich in flavonols, flavan-3-ols, anthocyanins and flavonoids, all of which are found in apples, was associated with less weight gain among adults and may contribute to the prevention of obesity.
For more information on the health benefits of apples and apple products vist, USApple.org.
By Fresh Solutions Network
San Francisco, CA – Fresh Solutions Network recently announced packaging design award from Graphic Design USA, American Packaging Design Awards. The award celebrates the Side Delights® Flavorables™ fresh potato package design, with its vibrant color palette and bold flavor profiles, encouraging an exciting potato choice.
“Capitalizing on consumer flavor trends that are HOT, HOT, HOT, we challenged the design team to communicate the bold flavor combinations while providing package designs that would be just as stimulating visually on the shelf,” said Kathleen Triou, President and CEO of Fresh Solutions Network, “We designed the packaging for a consumer that wants to be excited about their food choices and who loves the convenience of preparing quick, healthy, flavor forward meals.”
The American Package Design Awards challenge entrants to “convey the message, promote the brand, and close the deal.” Winners are chosen not just on visual design, but how the product and packaging address specific market trends, marketing objectives, and target markets.
Side Delights® Flavorables™ are high quality, triple-washed, Red and Yellow petite potato varieties featuring sachets of delicious, Smokin’ Tomato, Malaysian Curry, and Chimichurri spice blends. These potatoes come in a one-pound microwaveable tray.
The packaging was designed to appeal particularly to the adventurous millennial consumers who are frequently seeking out new and bold flavor experiences. With clearly marked labeling for consumers interested in vegan, non-GMO, gluten-free, alternatives, these side dishes are guaranteed to satisfy consumers looking for a fresh alternative to the same old potato choices.
About Fresh Solutions Network, LLC: Fresh Solutions Network is a group of family owned growers and shippers who choose to work together to make the potato and onion industry better for everyone. FSN helps fresh potato and onion buyers grow their categories, maximize category investment, and increase sales. FSN delivers category insights, collaborative innovation and customized assortment. Fresh Solutions Network, LLC partners are: Sterman Masser, Inc. (Masser Potato Farms and Keystone Potato Products in Sacramento and Hegins, PA), Michael Family Farms, Inc. (Urbana, OH), Basin Gold Cooperative, Inc. (Pasco, WA), Green Thumb Farms, Inc. (Fryeburg, ME), Red Isle Potato Growers, Ltd. (Prince Edward Island, Canada), NoKota Packers, Inc. (Buxton, ND), Sun-Glo of Idaho, Inc. (Sugar City, ID) and Mack Farms (Lake Wales, FL).
Here’s a shipping update ranging from California carrots to Florida citrus and Vidalia onions. There’s also one less major Georgia onion shipper this year.
California carrots may a little roughed up due to record rains and flooded fields during the past several months, but shippers say the quality remains good for hauling despite some blemishes and cosmetic flaws.
Eighty-five percent of the nation’s fresh carrots are grown and shipped from California. It’s believed there are between 40 and 50 carrot growers in the Golden State. Most of those farmers market and ship the product through Grimmway Farms in Bakersfield, Wm. Bolthouse Farms Inc., Bakersfield, or Kern Ridge Growers in Arvin.
Kern County carrots – grossing about $3700 to Chicago.
Florida Citrus
Florida citrus shipments, consisting primarily of grapefruit, tangerines and Valencia oranges, are on a steady seasonal decline. Grapefruit is pretty much finished, while tangerine loadings should continue until mid-April. valencias shipments are expected remain fairly steady through May.
Since 2005, when the first signs of citrus greening was discovered, Florida’s citrus shipments have plummeted by 75 percent.
Florida spring produce – grossing about $1100 to Atlanta.
Vidalia Onion Shipments
Vidalia onion shipments from Southeastern Georgia get underway with the official packing date of April 12th, which is two weeks earlier than last year Favorable winter and spring growing conditions are the reasons for the earlier start. Last season Georgia shipped 268 million pounds of Vidalia onions from 11,200 acres.
Plantation Sweets Bankruptcy, Auction
Vidalia onions has one less grower/shipper this season. Plantation Sweets of Cobbtown, GA filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July 2016 claiming assets of less than $50,000 and liabilities of more than $10 million and listing an estimated 50-99 creditors, according to court documents filed at that time. Plantation Sweets was one of oldest and larger Vidalia onion operations ranking as the second or third largest shipper there.
The packinghouse, land and equipment formerly used in operations for Plantation Sweets will be offered in a bank-ordered auction April 26. Farming equipment and micro-bins used in the operations will be sold April 27 in a separate auction.
While known for its Vidalia onions, Plantation Sweets also had sweet potatoes, watermelon, corn, cabbage and tobacco.
An interactive online game featuring Ernie the Elephant fromWonderful Pistachios, Los Angeles, is launching Destroy Ernie’s Evidence.
Voiced by wrestling celebrity John Cena, players help Ernie destroy incriminating evidence from a party with the Squirrel Sisters the evening before in a series of online games that will be released every two weeks.
“Ernie’s influence has already led to pistachios’ sales volume increasing by more than 35 percent,” Adam Cooper, vice president of marketing at Wonderful Pistachios, said in a news release. “Whether you are throwing an Ernie-sized party to watch your favorite sport or playing our ‘Destroy Ernie’s Evidence’ game, Wonderful Pistachios is the smart snack to satisfy your cravings without compromising your healthy eating goals.”
The company is offering more than $100,000 in prizes, including a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon and a trip for four to the Coachella Music Festival.
“From partying with the Squirrel Sisters to inadvertently trashing a treadmill on Super Bowl Sunday, Ernie the Elephant has won the hearts of pistachio lovers everywhere with his larger-than-life personality,” Michael Perdigao, president at Wonderful Agency, the company’s in-house advertising and communications agency. “Now fans can fully engage with Ernie by joining him on a journey to uncover what actually happened on his wild night through this one-of-a-kind interactive gaming experience.”
Consumers can visit helpernie.com for more information on the game and prizes.
About Wonder Pistachios
The Wonderful Company is a privately held $4 billion company committed to offering high-quality, healthy brands and helping consumers make better choices, every day.
We grow, harvest, bottle, package, and market a diverse range of healthy products, including fruits, nuts, flowers, water, wines and juices. The Wonderful Company’s diverse holdings make it the world’s largest grower of tree nuts, America’s largest citrus grower, and the world’s largest flower delivery service with the Teleflora network of florists.
We believe there is incredible power in the Wonderful family of brands to inspire healthier choices and to support our communities. By helping nourish our neighbors with high-quality, healthy products, we believe we can grow a better worl
Loxahatchee, FL – J&J Family of Farms® is always looking for ways to attract and bring value to its customers. This season, J&J is doing just that, with the introduction of its Field-Grown Colored Pepper program. The company plans to keep fulfilling consumer demand in new and innovative ways with the new product line.
J&J Family of Farms worked closely with Seminis® in order to bring customers and consumers a unique Field-Grown Colored Pepper that has thick walls and a long shelf life. Seminis is known to bring the latest product offerings to the market.
This growing season has resulted in good crops and excellent yields in Florida. The new Field-Grown red and yellow pepper are available now.
“We are constantly looking to perfect our produce year after year, and we are confident that we have the best colored pepper variety in the market.” said Chris Coffman, Sr. VP, Marketing and Strategy for J&J. “We are excited to bring our Field-Grown Colored Peppers to the market. It’s dense and yields a higher net weight, making it excellent for processors. We believe it’s going to take time to educate our customers about this new Field-Grown Colored Pepper, but once they have it in their hands, they will experience the quality and great taste for themselves.”
About J&J Family of Farms:
Established in 1983, J&J Family of Farms specializes in growing cucumbers, bell peppers, squash, green beans and eggplant. J&J manages over 14,000 acres of production from its own farms and partners, and has operations in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Arizona and Mexico.
About Seminis Vegetable Seeds:
For over 150 years, the Seminis legacy has focused on producing the best vegetable seed varieties for growers to use in farming operations around the world. We are proud to support our grower partners by continuously developing new seed varieties through our global research and development team and specialty breeders, and by providing ongoing agronomic solutions to unique farming challenges.
Shipments of Southeastern blueberries are coming, while imported Mexican avocados are expected to cover the lighter volume expected out of California.
Southeastern blueberry shipments from Florida get underway in mid- to late March, while Georgia blueberry shipments starts with its southern highbush harvests in mid- to late April. This is followed by rabbiteyes in late May.
North Carolina blueberry shipments round out the region’s production with loadings in mid- to late May.
The Southeast was expected to increases in volume in Florida and Georgia, but we are now awaiting the results of how much damage following freezes March 15-6. Meanwhile there’s some debate whether North Carolina will be up or down from a year ago, but again, we’re waiting on freeze results. Cold weather wasn’t as severe in Florida which has been talking about double the shipments of 2016. Georgia was hoping for up to a 30 percent increase from last year. While some observes see a small decline from North Carolina, others see as much as a 20 percent increase. Some feel Carolina could be down from last year due to Hurricane Matthew’s strong storm surge, which pushed water up into the blueberry growing regions close to the coast.
California Avocados
California growers expect to ship about 200 million pounds of avocados between now and August, about half as much as they moved in 2016. Shipments will be increase into April and before peaking from May into August. California avocado shipment should account for about 10 percent of the total volume this year.
Mexican Avocado Imports
Imported Mexican avocado shipments a seen as being less than last year, although Mexican shippers seem confident they can fill any void caused by the shortfall of California fruit. The initial estimate for Mexico is for 2.1 billion pounds to be shipped, although some observers see volume coming in as low as 1.6 billion pounds.
Instead of Mexico shipping 40 million pounds per week, there could be around 30 million, over the next four months.
Imported Mexican tropical fruits and vegetables crossing border in South Texas – grossing about $2500 to Atlanta.
If great spring weather for growing vegetables, combined with optimism by Florida shippers mean anything, this should be one of the better years in a while for hauling produce from the Sunshine state.
Dozens of mixed vegetables are now being shipped, or will soon get underway. Similar to the strawberry crop that got an early start this season from the Plant City area (and is now finished), one would think Florida vegetable shipments would follow a similar path of earlier than usual volume.
April and May are typically the heaviest volume months, so we’ll see. The biggest movers currently are mature green, plum and grape tomatoes averaging over 350 truck loads a week. Other leading items are cabbage, sweet corn, potatoes (red, white and yellow), bell peppers and green beans. Very light volume is with numerous veggies ranging from cucumbers to lettuce, radish, and celery to eggplant.
Keep in mind, Florida isn’t Mexico or California when it comes to volume. There’s a reason so many multiple pick ups and drops are associated with hauling produce out of Florida.
Spring watermelons are heavy volume in season, but the first melons from Florida will not start until around the middle of April from the Immokalee area. In fact, most loadings of Florida produce for the next several weeks will occur in Southern and Central areas of the state.
Another significant item is Florida blueberry shipments, which have been increasing in volume in recent years. “Blues” will be starting in April.
Although Florida doesn’t compare to South Carolina, Georgia, or certainly not California, it does ship peaches as far north as Canada and across the Mississippi River. Operations such as Florida Sweet Peaches in Arcadia and Florida Classic Growers in Dundee have been expanding. Peach shipments should get underway in late March and continue through April and possibly early May.
Florida vegetable shipments – grossing about $2400 to Philadelphia.
by Grant J. Hunt Company
OAKLAND, CA – Grant J. Hunt Company, an Oakland, California-based produce distribution firm, has announced that Grant J. “Jim” Hunt, Jr. has died at the age of 94.
Mr. Hunt graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in Agricultural Economics in 1943.
Mr. Hunt joined Grant J. Hunt Company in 1946 after his rehabilitation from wounds received in battle during World War II in France during the Battle of the Bulge. Mr. Hunt took the helm of the company in 1949 after the sudden death of the company founder, Grant J. Hunt, Sr. where he served as company President for decades until his retirement in 1992.
Mr. Hunt spent many hours outside of his career pursuing volunteer work; particularly in areas working with youth. He served as Scoutmaster for many years with the Boy Scouts of America followed service on the Board of Directors of Piedmont Council. Mr. Hunt was awarded the Silver Beaver award from the Boy Scouts for positively impacting the lives of youths that he led.
Mr. Hunt served on many Board positions of the Produce Marketing Association including leading the association as President in 1981. His model of service to PMA carried through to his son Grant M. Hunt, who served as PMA Chair in 1999. To date, they are the only father-son duo to ever serve in the Board President/Chair capacity. Under Jim Hunt’s leadership, PMA’s three divisions (retail, foodservice and floral) developed policies to enhance the growth of the industry; particularly meant to attract youth to the produce industry which was his passion.
“Jim Hunt had already completed his term as Chairman of the PMA Board when I joined the association in 1983. Nonetheless, he took the time to school me in the workings of our industry and the lessons he had learned throughout his career. Jim’s unselfish service to the industry he loved is one reason I was so pleased to visit him just weeks ago at his home, where he reminisced so lucidly on shared experiences. Like his son Grant, another PMA Chairman of the Board, Jim understood so well the mutual benefit that flows from leadership service to others across an industry” stated Bryan Silbermann, Retired PMA CEO.
Mr. Hunt was the recipient of The Packer’s Produce Man of the Year Award in 1978 in recognition of his efforts with other Bay Area leaders to eradicate corruption involving the unloading of produce trucks at wholesale markets in Northern California.
Mr. Hunt was very active with St. Helena Catholic Church serving on the Parish Council and the School Board. He also volunteered with many of the youth activities continuing his passion for developing youth talents.
A Mass of Christian Burial is planned for April 5 at St. Helena Catholic Church in St. Helena, CA.
(Editor’s Note: We all have mentors in life. Jim Hunt was my mentor. For those of you who subscribe to Haulproduce.com and find its information helpful in your business, you can thank in part Mr. Jim Hunt. I was a young editor for a produce publication called The Packer during the ’70s. I wrote a 3-part series on the horrendous treatment of truckers delivering produce to the produce market in South San Francisco. Teamster unloaders (also called swampers in those days) were fleecing, threatening drivers and delaying unloading of their trucks when they refused to pay kick backs, and extracting exorbitant unload fees.
Jim Hunt would offer to go on the market as I did my investigative reporting to make sure no harm would come to me. I would call him at home from my hotel room at night with all kinds of questions. He was a wholesaler in Oakland, just across the San Francisco Bay and did business with wholesalers in South San Francisco. Yet, he was not concerned with the loss of business for helping this young reporter and helping expose the corruption. His first concern was how produce truckers were being mistreated. We all need heroes and mentors – Jim Hunt was mine. — Bill Martin)
by Doug Ohlemeier, PerishableNews.com
Growers are assessing damage from a mid-March freeze which could prevent South Carolina growers from commercially packing peaches this summer. During the overnight hours of March 15, temperatures sunk to 20 degrees and destroyed as much as 90 percent of the state’s peach crop.
Titan Farms, headquartered in Ridge Spring, SC, doesn’t plan to run its commercial packing line. Up to 90 percent of its peaches were damaged. Daryl Johnson, vice president of sales and marketing, reports the grower-shipper may have lost all its crop.
Because of a mild winter, a majority of Titan Farms’ varieties and groves were already in bloom. The buds couldn’t handle the record low temperatures. Before the freeze, Titan Farms was optimistic it would experience a favorable crop and begin packing by May 1, about three weeks earlier than normal, says Johnson.
“What is ironic is if the freezes hadn’t happened for both Georgia and South Carolina, we would probably have had South Carolina peaches in the marketplace before Georgia,” explains Johnson. “Our main goal is to assess the situation, work with our employees and go into a more conservative mode. We are taking care of our people and letting every one of our partners know what happened, because they have to adjust accordingly to what they need to do without our peaches.”
Johnson says he’s hearing Georgia growers lost up to half of their peaches. Georgia typically begins harvesting in mid-May and finishes by late August while South Carolina, which is the largest East Coast fresh producing state, generally begins in late May and early June and harvests through early September.
Martin Eubanks, assistant commissioner of agriculture for the South Carolina Department of Agriculture in Columbia, says he’s hearing about similar losses and estimates damage at 85 percent -95 percent. The freeze destroyed the front end of the crop as well as the later season varieties. The drop in the thermometer was among the lowest the state has seen this time of year in history. “At this point in time, it is still to be determined if we will have a packinghouse that opens and actually runs a commercial peach this season,” says Eubanks. “We will have peaches in July and August, but there will not be an overabundance.”
Eubanks estimates growers should take three to four weeks before they know how much fruit they can ship. Titan Farms, which normally ships 2.2 million 25-pound cartons a year, plans to sell field-run fruit locally, says Johnson. The company markets itself as the second largest U.S. peach grower-shipper.
More details are becoming available on that mid March hard freeze that hit crops from North Carolina to Southern Georgia. Spring produce shipments from the Southeast will definitely be affected.
Georgia Blueberry Shipments
That March 15-17 freeze could reduce Georgia blueberry shipments by as much as 75 percent this spring, costing the industry $400 million. At best, there is hope “only” 60 percent of the crop was lost, but it could easily be higher in the south-central areas of Georgia, which is heart of blueberry production.
In this area, covering about 50 miles, 60 to 70 percent of Georgia’s blueberry crop is located. Some farmers have lost 100% of their early production rabbiteye crop. Temperatures in the area dropped to as low as 21 degrees for three nights in a row in mid-March.
Georgia Peach Shipments
Georgia peach orchards, primarily located in the Ft. Valley area, may have faired better than blueberries. Shipments may be reduced by “only” 40 to 50 percent. The lack of chill hours in middle Georgia had delayed the budding process. Now those buds are emerging, but growers now have to take a wait and see approach. Because the peaches were so late, it may have protected the crop.
Still, later on, there’s what is called the “May drop,” where any damaged peaches could start falling from trees.
Vidalia Onion Shipments
Escaping freeze damage was the Vidalia sweet onion crop. Shippers are still making normal plans for the official April 12 opening shipping date. It is described as one of the best crops in years.
Georgia Vegetable Shipments
Freeze damage to Georgia vegetables is all over the board. Bell peppers and other summer vegetables will be lost, while others veggie are expected to be slowed, but not fatally harmed by the weather. It will be awhile before accurate information is available…..As for Georgia watermelon shipments, there is believed to be some losses, but it should be relatively minor.
North Carolina Fruit Shipments
There is widespread damage to peaches and blueberry crops, but little specific information is available at this time.
South Carolina Produce Shipments
We’ll have a report on Monday, March 27th regarding South Carolina, which actually ships more peaches than Georgia or North Carolina in a normal season.
by U.S. Apple Association
Falls Church, VA – Beyond everyday convenience and the wide range of varieties and apple products to choose from, apples also pack a nutritious punch, providing a daily dose of health benefits.
“National Nutrition Month, celebrated in March, is a good time to remind consumers that apples are a super food found in stores across the country,” said Korenna Wilson, Director of Consumer Health and Media Relations for USApple. “We continue to see studies that confirm the link between apple consumption and good health. This is a roundup of our favorites.”
The U.S. Apple Association offers 12 proven ways apples and apple products positively impact health, from head to toe, from the inside out, and through every stage of life:
- Lower LDL Cholesterol
Studies by the Arthritis Foundation found evidence to support claims that eating apples on a daily basis may lower levels of cholesterol as well as C-reactive protein (CRP), a key marker of inflammation in the blood. Female participants who ate apples every day for six months saw lower LDL cholesterol levels by 23 percent as well as a 32 percent decrease in CRP (Arthritis Foundation, 2016). - Improve Digestive Health
University of Denmark researchers discovered apples and apple products could boost intestinal health by increasing the numbers of good gut bacteria. The friendly bacteria in the intestines feed on pectin, a fiber found abundantly in apples (BMC Microbiology 2010, 10:13). - Replace Daily Statin Use
Some cardiologists argue that statins do more harm than good, especially for those who do not already have heart disease. Instead, people would benefit from eating an apple a day to prevent heart attacks, strokes and other vascular diseases (BMC Medicine, 2016 14:4). - Support Respiratory Health
A National Institutes of Health study reports that foods rich in fiber and flavonoids, found abundantly in apples, may reduce chronic productive cough and other respiratory symptoms (Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med, 2004, 170: 279-287). - Promote Heart Health
An Ohio State University study found that eating an apple a day for four weeks lowered blood levels of oxidized LDL, the bad cholesterol, by 40 percent. A University of Florida study found eating two apples a day reduced LDL by 23 percent (Journal of Functional Foods, 2013). - Strengthen Bone Health
A study published in the November 2010 online edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that older women who eat plenty of fruits, including apples and apple products, along with vegetables and whole grains, may have a lower chance of bone fractures than those not getting their fill. - Deliver a Dose of Vitamin C
Apples are a great source of vitamin C, which helps repair body tissue and provides antioxidants. According to the USDA National Nutrient Database, a large apple contains about 10.3mg of vitamin C, nearly 10 percent of the daily recommended dose. - Protect Brain Cells
Research from the University of Massachusetts-Lowell suggests eating apples and drinking apple juice can be beneficial when it comes to improving brain health and diminishing symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. With a balanced diet, apple and apple juice consumption may protect against oxidative brain damage that can lead to memory loss. - Strengthen Muscles
A natural compound found in the apple’s skin, called ursolic acid, may help prevent muscle wasting that can result from aging and illness (Cell Metabolism, 2011, 13 (6): 627-638). - Reduce Asthma Symptoms
Research from the United Kingdom reports children of mothers who eat apples during pregnancy are much less likely to exhibit symptoms of asthma at age five. Apples were the only food found to have a positive association with a reduced risk of asthma among a variety of foods consumed and recorded (American Thoracic Society, 2007). - Lowers Risk of Certain Types of Cancer, including Breast, Pancreatic, Colon or Liver, Prostate and Colorectal
Apples are rich in antioxidants, especially quercetin, which have been identified to help inhibit cancer onset and cell proliferation. In one study, the more apples per day a person ate, the less likely he/she was to develop colorectal cancer. The anti-cancer effect was seen even when a person had a low total consumption of fruits and vegetables, but consumed at least an apple a day (European Journal of Cancer Prevention, 2010, 19(1):42-47). - Help Maintain Optimal Weight
State University of Rio de Janeiro researchers studying the impact of fruit intake on weight loss found that overweight women who ate the equivalent of three apples a day lost more weight on a low-calorie diet than women who didn’t eat the fiber-rich fruit (Nutrition, 2003, 19: 253-256). Furthermore, researchers at Harvard University found a higher intake of foods rich in flavonols, flavan-3-ols, anthocyanins and flavonoids, all of which are found in apples, was associated with less weight gain among adults and may contribute to the prevention of obesity.
For more information on the health benefits of apples and apple products vist, USApple.org.
By Fresh Solutions Network
San Francisco, CA – Fresh Solutions Network recently announced packaging design award from Graphic Design USA, American Packaging Design Awards. The award celebrates the Side Delights® Flavorables™ fresh potato package design, with its vibrant color palette and bold flavor profiles, encouraging an exciting potato choice.
“Capitalizing on consumer flavor trends that are HOT, HOT, HOT, we challenged the design team to communicate the bold flavor combinations while providing package designs that would be just as stimulating visually on the shelf,” said Kathleen Triou, President and CEO of Fresh Solutions Network, “We designed the packaging for a consumer that wants to be excited about their food choices and who loves the convenience of preparing quick, healthy, flavor forward meals.”
The American Package Design Awards challenge entrants to “convey the message, promote the brand, and close the deal.” Winners are chosen not just on visual design, but how the product and packaging address specific market trends, marketing objectives, and target markets.
Side Delights® Flavorables™ are high quality, triple-washed, Red and Yellow petite potato varieties featuring sachets of delicious, Smokin’ Tomato, Malaysian Curry, and Chimichurri spice blends. These potatoes come in a one-pound microwaveable tray.
The packaging was designed to appeal particularly to the adventurous millennial consumers who are frequently seeking out new and bold flavor experiences. With clearly marked labeling for consumers interested in vegan, non-GMO, gluten-free, alternatives, these side dishes are guaranteed to satisfy consumers looking for a fresh alternative to the same old potato choices.
About Fresh Solutions Network, LLC: Fresh Solutions Network is a group of family owned growers and shippers who choose to work together to make the potato and onion industry better for everyone. FSN helps fresh potato and onion buyers grow their categories, maximize category investment, and increase sales. FSN delivers category insights, collaborative innovation and customized assortment. Fresh Solutions Network, LLC partners are: Sterman Masser, Inc. (Masser Potato Farms and Keystone Potato Products in Sacramento and Hegins, PA), Michael Family Farms, Inc. (Urbana, OH), Basin Gold Cooperative, Inc. (Pasco, WA), Green Thumb Farms, Inc. (Fryeburg, ME), Red Isle Potato Growers, Ltd. (Prince Edward Island, Canada), NoKota Packers, Inc. (Buxton, ND), Sun-Glo of Idaho, Inc. (Sugar City, ID) and Mack Farms (Lake Wales, FL).
Here’s a shipping update ranging from California carrots to Florida citrus and Vidalia onions. There’s also one less major Georgia onion shipper this year.
California carrots may a little roughed up due to record rains and flooded fields during the past several months, but shippers say the quality remains good for hauling despite some blemishes and cosmetic flaws.
Eighty-five percent of the nation’s fresh carrots are grown and shipped from California. It’s believed there are between 40 and 50 carrot growers in the Golden State. Most of those farmers market and ship the product through Grimmway Farms in Bakersfield, Wm. Bolthouse Farms Inc., Bakersfield, or Kern Ridge Growers in Arvin.
Kern County carrots – grossing about $3700 to Chicago.
Florida Citrus
Florida citrus shipments, consisting primarily of grapefruit, tangerines and Valencia oranges, are on a steady seasonal decline. Grapefruit is pretty much finished, while tangerine loadings should continue until mid-April. valencias shipments are expected remain fairly steady through May.
Since 2005, when the first signs of citrus greening was discovered, Florida’s citrus shipments have plummeted by 75 percent.
Florida spring produce – grossing about $1100 to Atlanta.
Vidalia Onion Shipments
Vidalia onion shipments from Southeastern Georgia get underway with the official packing date of April 12th, which is two weeks earlier than last year Favorable winter and spring growing conditions are the reasons for the earlier start. Last season Georgia shipped 268 million pounds of Vidalia onions from 11,200 acres.
Plantation Sweets Bankruptcy, Auction
Vidalia onions has one less grower/shipper this season. Plantation Sweets of Cobbtown, GA filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July 2016 claiming assets of less than $50,000 and liabilities of more than $10 million and listing an estimated 50-99 creditors, according to court documents filed at that time. Plantation Sweets was one of oldest and larger Vidalia onion operations ranking as the second or third largest shipper there.
The packinghouse, land and equipment formerly used in operations for Plantation Sweets will be offered in a bank-ordered auction April 26. Farming equipment and micro-bins used in the operations will be sold April 27 in a separate auction.
While known for its Vidalia onions, Plantation Sweets also had sweet potatoes, watermelon, corn, cabbage and tobacco.
An interactive online game featuring Ernie the Elephant fromWonderful Pistachios, Los Angeles, is launching Destroy Ernie’s Evidence.
Voiced by wrestling celebrity John Cena, players help Ernie destroy incriminating evidence from a party with the Squirrel Sisters the evening before in a series of online games that will be released every two weeks.
“Ernie’s influence has already led to pistachios’ sales volume increasing by more than 35 percent,” Adam Cooper, vice president of marketing at Wonderful Pistachios, said in a news release. “Whether you are throwing an Ernie-sized party to watch your favorite sport or playing our ‘Destroy Ernie’s Evidence’ game, Wonderful Pistachios is the smart snack to satisfy your cravings without compromising your healthy eating goals.”
The company is offering more than $100,000 in prizes, including a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon and a trip for four to the Coachella Music Festival.
“From partying with the Squirrel Sisters to inadvertently trashing a treadmill on Super Bowl Sunday, Ernie the Elephant has won the hearts of pistachio lovers everywhere with his larger-than-life personality,” Michael Perdigao, president at Wonderful Agency, the company’s in-house advertising and communications agency. “Now fans can fully engage with Ernie by joining him on a journey to uncover what actually happened on his wild night through this one-of-a-kind interactive gaming experience.”
Consumers can visit helpernie.com for more information on the game and prizes.
About Wonder Pistachios
The Wonderful Company is a privately held $4 billion company committed to offering high-quality, healthy brands and helping consumers make better choices, every day.
We grow, harvest, bottle, package, and market a diverse range of healthy products, including fruits, nuts, flowers, water, wines and juices. The Wonderful Company’s diverse holdings make it the world’s largest grower of tree nuts, America’s largest citrus grower, and the world’s largest flower delivery service with the Teleflora network of florists.
We believe there is incredible power in the Wonderful family of brands to inspire healthier choices and to support our communities. By helping nourish our neighbors with high-quality, healthy products, we believe we can grow a better worl
Loxahatchee, FL – J&J Family of Farms® is always looking for ways to attract and bring value to its customers. This season, J&J is doing just that, with the introduction of its Field-Grown Colored Pepper program. The company plans to keep fulfilling consumer demand in new and innovative ways with the new product line.
J&J Family of Farms worked closely with Seminis® in order to bring customers and consumers a unique Field-Grown Colored Pepper that has thick walls and a long shelf life. Seminis is known to bring the latest product offerings to the market.
This growing season has resulted in good crops and excellent yields in Florida. The new Field-Grown red and yellow pepper are available now.
“We are constantly looking to perfect our produce year after year, and we are confident that we have the best colored pepper variety in the market.” said Chris Coffman, Sr. VP, Marketing and Strategy for J&J. “We are excited to bring our Field-Grown Colored Peppers to the market. It’s dense and yields a higher net weight, making it excellent for processors. We believe it’s going to take time to educate our customers about this new Field-Grown Colored Pepper, but once they have it in their hands, they will experience the quality and great taste for themselves.”
About J&J Family of Farms:
Established in 1983, J&J Family of Farms specializes in growing cucumbers, bell peppers, squash, green beans and eggplant. J&J manages over 14,000 acres of production from its own farms and partners, and has operations in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Arizona and Mexico.
About Seminis Vegetable Seeds:
For over 150 years, the Seminis legacy has focused on producing the best vegetable seed varieties for growers to use in farming operations around the world. We are proud to support our grower partners by continuously developing new seed varieties through our global research and development team and specialty breeders, and by providing ongoing agronomic solutions to unique farming challenges.
Shipments of Southeastern blueberries are coming, while imported Mexican avocados are expected to cover the lighter volume expected out of California.
Southeastern blueberry shipments from Florida get underway in mid- to late March, while Georgia blueberry shipments starts with its southern highbush harvests in mid- to late April. This is followed by rabbiteyes in late May.
North Carolina blueberry shipments round out the region’s production with loadings in mid- to late May.
The Southeast was expected to increases in volume in Florida and Georgia, but we are now awaiting the results of how much damage following freezes March 15-6. Meanwhile there’s some debate whether North Carolina will be up or down from a year ago, but again, we’re waiting on freeze results. Cold weather wasn’t as severe in Florida which has been talking about double the shipments of 2016. Georgia was hoping for up to a 30 percent increase from last year. While some observes see a small decline from North Carolina, others see as much as a 20 percent increase. Some feel Carolina could be down from last year due to Hurricane Matthew’s strong storm surge, which pushed water up into the blueberry growing regions close to the coast.
California Avocados
California growers expect to ship about 200 million pounds of avocados between now and August, about half as much as they moved in 2016. Shipments will be increase into April and before peaking from May into August. California avocado shipment should account for about 10 percent of the total volume this year.
Mexican Avocado Imports
Imported Mexican avocado shipments a seen as being less than last year, although Mexican shippers seem confident they can fill any void caused by the shortfall of California fruit. The initial estimate for Mexico is for 2.1 billion pounds to be shipped, although some observers see volume coming in as low as 1.6 billion pounds.
Instead of Mexico shipping 40 million pounds per week, there could be around 30 million, over the next four months.
Imported Mexican tropical fruits and vegetables crossing border in South Texas – grossing about $2500 to Atlanta.
If great spring weather for growing vegetables, combined with optimism by Florida shippers mean anything, this should be one of the better years in a while for hauling produce from the Sunshine state.
Dozens of mixed vegetables are now being shipped, or will soon get underway. Similar to the strawberry crop that got an early start this season from the Plant City area (and is now finished), one would think Florida vegetable shipments would follow a similar path of earlier than usual volume.
April and May are typically the heaviest volume months, so we’ll see. The biggest movers currently are mature green, plum and grape tomatoes averaging over 350 truck loads a week. Other leading items are cabbage, sweet corn, potatoes (red, white and yellow), bell peppers and green beans. Very light volume is with numerous veggies ranging from cucumbers to lettuce, radish, and celery to eggplant.
Keep in mind, Florida isn’t Mexico or California when it comes to volume. There’s a reason so many multiple pick ups and drops are associated with hauling produce out of Florida.
Spring watermelons are heavy volume in season, but the first melons from Florida will not start until around the middle of April from the Immokalee area. In fact, most loadings of Florida produce for the next several weeks will occur in Southern and Central areas of the state.
Another significant item is Florida blueberry shipments, which have been increasing in volume in recent years. “Blues” will be starting in April.
Although Florida doesn’t compare to South Carolina, Georgia, or certainly not California, it does ship peaches as far north as Canada and across the Mississippi River. Operations such as Florida Sweet Peaches in Arcadia and Florida Classic Growers in Dundee have been expanding. Peach shipments should get underway in late March and continue through April and possibly early May.
Florida vegetable shipments – grossing about $2400 to Philadelphia.