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The last imports of South African citrus coming into the United States should be arriving this week. Meanwhile, here is an update on Louisiana sweet potato shipments where product still not harvested got pounded by rains last month.
South Africa Citrus
The last boat of the season from South Africa with citrus is scheduled to arrive in Philadelphia the week of Sept. 26th. Steady volumes of navel and midknight oranges from South Africa have been arriving in the U.S.
South Africa ships navels, midknights, mandarins, star ruby grapefruit and cara cara oranges.
Louisiana Sweet Potato Shipments
The nation’s fourth leading sweet potato shipper – Louisiana – was hit hard by heavy rains several weeks ago and we’re now starting to get a clearer picture of how much damage was done.
Torrential rains in southern Louisiana in mid-August caused major damage to the state’s agricultural producers, but the full extent of sweet potato losses remains to be seen. More than 30 inches of rain fell in a 48-hour period in many parts of southern Louisiana in mid-August, and more rain followed.
There’s no question the deluge will reduce the number of sweet potatoes shipped from Louisiana this year, but it is still too early to put a number on it. Sweet potato shipments undoubtedly will be be less because the fields were saturated for days. By mid-September growers had either just started to dig or hadn’t started at all, making it difficult to come up with a good damage estimate.
Louisiana sweet potato growers south of Alexandria appeared to suffer the heaviest losses, but none of the state’s growers totally escaped the storm’s wrath. Luckily, the majority of sweet potato production in the state is found north of Alexandria.
Louisiana shipped about 1.7 million boxes of sweet potatoes last season, fourth behind North Carolina, California and Mississippi. Overall, sweet potato shipments on a national basis probably won’t be down, because North Carolina ships the majority of sweet potatoes, with California a distance second.
Lyons, GA – L.G. Herndon, Jr. Farms, Inc. is announcing the release of its newest line of packaged greens, SuperFit Greens. The launch of SuperFit Greens introduces an innovative concept for Herndon, offering healthy traditional greens in a convenient new package.
Herndon Farms has been the leader in produce categories including Vidalia onions, sweet corn, sweet potatoes, and bunch leafy greens for more than 30 years. As owner Bo Herndon has watched the leafy greens category change recently, he has envisioned creating a line of packaged greens that would engage consumers. “Since we started the farm in the late 70s, we’ve always grown southern, cooking greens. With the rise of items like kale and with consumers looking for more convenience with their greens, we knew it was time to create the right brand for today’s consumers.
The name SuperFit Greens was born out of a passion to inspire consumers to think healthy when deciding what to eat. “‘Eat your greens’ isn’t a passing fad,” remarks John Williams, Sales and Marketing Director for Herndon Farms, “Consumers are more health conscious and we want to support that with our products, to support Americans who are returning to a more nutrient-rich diet.”
The company recently expanded their operation with the construction on a state-of-the-art 44,000 square foot processing plant on their farm in southeast Georgia, to accommodate SuperFit Greens packaging. Williams states that freshness and shelf life were at the forefront of their decision to pack on-site. “The entire process from harvest to packaging will occur at the farm. We’re very confident the quality of our product will stand out because of this,” confirms Williams.
All of Herndon’s items are Primus GFS certified and the new facility will follow these same guidelines. Herndon added, “food safety is an extremely important part of what we do every day and our plans for our company’s future. We have a food safety team in place to help handle all the requirements an operation like ours requires.”
Williams is also confident that their innovative packaging, the SuperFit Greens website, social media channels, and direct marketing efforts will appeal to consumers. “We are focused on inspiring consumers through engagement, education and with the high quality of greens they will see offered under the SuperFit Greens brand,” adds Williams.
The company will begin shipping SuperFit Greens this October from their farm in Lyons, Ga.
About L.G. Herndon Farms, Inc.:
L. G. Herndon Jr. Farms is a family owned and operated business with over 30 years of experience growing Vidalia® sweet onions, Peruvian and Mexican sweet onions, Lil’ Bo’s Petite sweet Vidalia onions, sweet corn, green leafy vegetables, and most recently, sweet potatoes. Herndon Farms strives to maintain a reputation of high-quality and consistency that has come to define the Herndon name. For more information, visit vidaliasfinest.com.
Imports of Argentina blueberries and Mangoes from South America should be very good this season.
Argentina growers should export about 17,500 tons of fresh blueberries this season, of which two-thirds likely will be arrive in the U.S. and Canada. A year ago, the U.S. and Canada received only 10,280 tons of blueberries from Argentina, due to adverse growing conditions. The weather seems to have improved a lot this year.
Light exports were under way to the U.S. Brazil, and Europe in late August, with the first U.S. arrivals taking place in early September. Peak season arrivals will happen in late October, before the season concludes by the end of November.
Mango Imports
A late surge of mango imports from Mexico and an early start in Ecuador should mean a lot of mango imports this fall. Mexico should ship about 74 million boxes of mangoes this season, up from 64 million boxes a year ago.
Peak Brazilian imports have been in September. However, with the heavy volume of Mexican fruit being imported, most Brazilian fruit imports were arriving at ports and being hauled by truck to markets in the eastern half of the country. Meanwhile Mexican mangos are being delivered to in heavy volume to the West Coast.
Even with the record late-season volumes out of Mexico this season, and record volume crops are also possible from Brazil, Ecuador and Peru. In addition to the glut, appearance issues were hurting demand for late-season Mexican fruit, although eating quality has been excellent.
Mexican volumes are now finally starting to wind. Brazilian import volumes are expected to start peaking around the second week of October. Brazil is expected to ship about 8 million boxes this year, similar to a year ago. Ecuador should produce about 10.8 million boxes, up slightly from last year.
Peru mango imports to the U.S. should get underway in November, with imported expected to be up about 10 percent from last year’s 9.3 million boxes.
South Texas crossings with Mexican mangoes, other tropical fruit, tomatoes and vegetables – grossing about $2000 to Chicago.
by Biing-Hwan Lin and Rosanna Mentzer Morrison
Despite Federal nutrition guidance, food industry promotional campaigns, and encouragement from parents to “Eat your vegetables,” Americans’ consumption of fruits and, especially, vegetables has declined.
Over the last decade, loss-adjusted supplies of total fruits and vegetables available to consume in the United States have fallen from 299 pounds per person in 2003 to 272 pounds per person in 2013. Not the direction that nutritionists and others interested in the public’s health had hoped for.
However, a deeper look into the overall numbers reveals that three fruits and vegetables—orange juice, potatoes, and head lettuce—account for 22 pounds of this 27-pound decline. And, despite the decline in consumption of some fruits and vegetables, Americans are consuming more of other types of these nutrient-packed foods.
The loss-adjusted food availability data serve as a proxy for consumption by the nation as a whole but do not reveal who eats what foods and how much is eaten by particular demographic groups. A more nuanced analysis of consumption trends—by product and by demographic groups—would identify shortfalls for particular groups and help in targeting nutrition outreach efforts.
In a recent report, Economic Research Service (USDA) researchers linked ERS’s food availability data and food intake survey data, using a USDA database that translates foods into their commodity components. This linkage enabled them to break down ERS’s national consumption estimates by household and personal characteristics, helping to answer the questions: How widespread is the decline in fruit and vegetable consumption? And, is it steeper for some groups than others?
Potatoes Driving Declining Vegetable Consumption
National food intake surveys provide demographic breakdowns of who is eating what foods and how much. However, survey respondents report foods as eaten—such as a slice of apple pie, a cup of applesauce, or a glass of apple juice. A database providing the amount of apple in each food is needed to derive the total amount of apples, or other food commodities, consumed by an individual.
ERS researchers used FICRCDs to disaggregate the thousands of mixed foods recorded in the intake surveys—from apple pie to zucchini lasagna—into 63 foods and beverages, including 11 fruits or fruit groups and 15 vegetables or vegetable groups. Per capita measures of foods and beverages eaten by people in different demographic groups were estimated by taking average consumption patterns from the surveys for different subgroups of the U.S. population and applying these patterns to the loss-adjusted food availability data for the corresponding year.
Consumption of total vegetables fell across the four age and gender groups between 1994-98 and 2007-08. Much of this decline was driven by reduced consumption of potatoes, which includes baked, mashed, french fries, chips, and other forms expressed in fresh-weight equivalents. Boys (age 2 to 19) had the largest drop; their potato consumption fell from 63.7 pounds per person per year in 1994-98 to 45.2 pounds in 2007-08. Potato consumption by non-Hispanic Whites, Hispanics, and other races fell over the period from 63.8 to 55.4, from 52.4 to 38.2, and from 50.5 to 37.1 pounds per person per year, respectively. Throughout the period, non-Hispanic Blacks consumed about 58.1 pounds of potatoes per person per year.
Intake of tomatoes—the second most consumed vegetable—held fairly steady between 1994-98 and 2007-08 for all age groups. When consumption of potatoes and tomatoes is subtracted from the mix, consumption of other vegetables by girls, boys, and men fell, too, but not as sharply as that of potatoes. For women, annual consumption of nonpotato and nontomato vegetables increased slightly (2.2 pounds per person). Some vegetables posting gains in consumption over this period in all age groups include peppers, leafy greens, and broccoli and cauliflower.
Total vegetable consumption declined between 1994 and 2008 across four race/ethnic background groups—non-Hispanic Whites, Non-Hispanic Blacks, Hispanics, and others. The decline was smallest among non-Hispanic Whites (5.5 pounds per person per year), followed by non-Hispanic Blacks (11.9 pounds), Hispanics, (23.0 pounds), and others (27.2 pounds).
Blueberry shipments have definitely hit the big time with increases in plantings on both a domestic and imported basis. Shipments also remain strong for strawberries and raspberries. Here’s a closer look at shipments for domestic and imported berries.
Fresh blueberry loadings are now occurring virtually the year around whether it is from domestic production or from imports involving other countries.
Native to North America, blueberries are in good volume here from April through October. Likewise, with farmers in the Southern Hemisphere, the seasonal swap brings blueberries from South America from November through March.
The U.S. is the world’s largest grower and shipper of berries. In 2014, 667.6 million pounds of blueberries were shipped.
However, the U.S. is also a net importer of fresh and frozen blueberries. Canada supplies nearly 20 percent of fresh product into the U.S., but South America has a very strong U.S. import program.
In 2014, the U.S. imported 234.7 million pounds of fresh blueberries valued at nearly $530.5 million. Over 60 percent of this product came from Chile, which supplies the U.S. market from mid-November through January.
In 2014 the U.S. imported 124.7 million pounds of fresh blackberries.
Mexico supplied nearly all U.S. imported fresh blackberry volumes, representing a four-year annual average market share of 96 percent from 2011 to 2014.
Strawberry Shipments
While the U.S. is the world’s largest strawberry grower and shipper, it is also a big importer. In 2014, the nation imported 355.9 million pounds of fresh strawberries. The majority of all U.S. strawberry imports come from Mexico, with Canada supplying less than one percent.
Mexican strawberries have overlapping shipping seasons with Florida, but typically fresh strawberries from Mexico are only a supplement to the U.S. domestic supply. Most Mexican strawberries being produced and imported to the U.S. are shipped during the winter.
Raspberry Shipments
The U.S. also imports raspberries from October through May, with most imports originating from Mexico, which ships about 96 percent of the total imports.
In 2014, the U.S. imported a total of almost 96.8 million pounds of fresh raspberries from Mexico, Canada and Chile.
Florida tomato shipments look to be similar to last season, while a big plunge is seen with Florida citrus.
During the 2015-16 season, which ended in June, tomato growers packed 28.2 million 25-pound equivalent cartons of mature greens and vine-ripe tomatoes, down from 36.5 million from the previous season. The decline is attributed primarily to excessive rains during the growing season. Torrential spring rains reduced yields that caused the 8 million carton shortage,
Last year, Mexican tomato imports increased 18 percent from the prior year from October to mid-June. Imported Mexican tomatoes are primarily vine ripes, while Florida’s tomatoes are mostly mature greens.
Fall plantings for this season are expected to be similar to a year ago. Florida tomato shipments will get underway in October. In fact Florida typically is shipping tomatoes most of the year, with the exception being July, August and September.
Florida Citrus Shipments
Florida citrus acreage has declined to its lowest level in nearly three generations.
On September 12th, the USDA reported the Sunshine State’s citrus acreage declined to 480,121 acres for 2015-16, the lowest since the agency began surveying acreage in 1966.
Oranges, which constitute 89 percent of the state’s citrus acreage, is the lowest since that period as are grapefruit and tangerines. In 1970, Florida growers planted 715,806 acres of oranges, 124,050 acres of grapefruit and 101,615 acres of specialty fruit or tangerines and tangelos.
Currently, oranges make up 425,728 acres, grapefruit, 40,316 acres and specialty fruit, 14,077.
Orange production is down 3.7 percent from the 2014-15 season while white grapefruit sustained the biggest loss at 17 percent for the period. Red seedless grapefruit experienced only a 4 percent decline.
Tangerine and tangelo acreage declined 17 percent respectively from the previous year.
Of the 27 citrus-producing counties, 24 recorded acreage declines.
The Indian River region produces the most grapefruit acreage while the central region leads in the production of oranges and specialty fruit.
In terms of total citrus production, the central, southern and western regions represent the biggest acreage.
Florida will have light overall shipments of produce until March or April when spring vegetables get underway. In fact the whole Southeast is pretty “dead” this time of year.
Southern Georgia vegetable shipments – grossing about $800 to Atlanta.
By The Idaho Potato Commission
EAGLE, IDAHO — The world’s largest potato on wheels traded its tires for buoys in celebration of the 2016 Idaho® Potato Harvest. On Wednesday, August 24, the giant spud embarked on her maiden voyage through the New York Harbor – beginning in Brooklyn and passing all the major landmarks in South Manhattan including the Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty and Freedom Tower.
Over the next several weeks 320,000 acres in Idaho will be harvested and yield more than 13 billion pounds of Idaho® potatoes. New York is the largest consumer of Idaho® potatoes, and two iconic New York-based restaurants, Macy’s and Toffenetti’s, were instrumental in establishing Idaho® baked potatoes as a premium menu item back in the 1930’s.
New Yorkers consume more potatoes than any other state. To show its appreciation, the Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) donated 12,000 pounds of Idaho® potatoes (equivalent to the weight of the Big Idaho® Potato on the Truck) to Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen, New York’s largest emergency food program. They’ve consistently served 1,000 homeless and hungry people every weekday for the past 30 years.
“New Yorkers have played a major role in building the Idaho® potato brand and making the baked Idaho® potato one of the most sought after side dishes on the menu,” explained Frank Muir, President & CEO of the IPC. “It was a privilege for us to spend time at Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen and provide and serve healthy Idaho® potatoes to those who are less fortunate.”
The Big Idaho® Potato Truck was built five years ago to celebrate the IPC’s 75th anniversary. The organization wanted to celebrate the milestone in a big way, and more importantly, include the entire country in the celebration. The idea for the Truck was born from a vintage postcard depicting a giant potato on a flatbed trailer with the quote, “We Grow ‘Em Big in Idaho.” To date, the Truck has traveled over 100,000 miles promoting the heart-healthy benefits of the Idaho® potato and donating to local charities through its “A Big Helping” program.
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About The Idaho Potato Commission
Established in 1937, the IPC is a state agency responsible for promoting and protecting the famous “Grown in Idaho®” seal, a federally registered certification mark that assures consumers are purchasing genuine, top-quality Idaho® potatoes. Idaho’s growing season of warm days and cool nights, ample mountain-fed irrigation, and rich volcanic soil give Idaho® potatoes their unique texture, taste and dependable performance, which differentiates them from potatoes grown in other states.
The Big Idaho® Potato Truck travels across the country carrying the world’s largest potato on wheels — a 28 foot long, 12 foot wide, 11.5 foot tall, 6 ton spud. It was built to celebrate the Idaho Potato Commission’s 75th anniversary in 2012 and was intended to be on the road for one year. But it was such a hit the journey continued and today it’s more popular than ever. For more information visit www.bigidahopotato.com.
As we approach fall, here is a look at the upcoming possibilities for fall loadings for Colorado potatoes, Georgia vegetables and imports of sweet onions from Peru.
Colorado Potato Shipments
Last year San Luis Valley Colorado potatoes were harvested off of 52,000 acres. This year acreage is about 50,900 acres.
Diggings started for some growers in August, with the harvest running into mid-October. There were 2,176 truck loads shipped during the 2015-16 season, down about 400 loads from the previous season. Russets account for nearly 99 percent of the crop last year and 97 percent in 2014-15.
Yellows last year were 0.2 percent, down slightly from 0.3 in 2014-15. Interestingly, yellows have declined since 2013, dropping 0.1percent each year. Red potatoes were 1 percent last year and 2.6 percent the year before, showing an increase of russets in 2015-16.
Shipments are increasing, but currently too light to quote freight rates.
Georgia Vegetable Shipments
While the volume doesn’t match that of spring and summer loadings, fall Georgia vegetable shipments are significant. A drawback may be multiple pick ups for lack of any one shipping having truckload volume at anyone time. Still, it is that time of year. Florida is dead and there’s not a lot of choices in the Southeast.
Generally speaking most fall Georgia vegetables are in the ground and harvest will be starting anytime. Heaviest volumes will be during October, although lighter shipments will be occurring in November and into December.
Among the fall veggie loading available are: bell peppers, squash, cabbage, green beans, sweet corn, cucumbers, eggplant, greens (kale, collard, turnip and mustard), as well as carrots sweet potatoes and hot peppers.
Shipments are too light to get an accurate quote on freight rates.
Peruvian Onion Imports
Onion imports from Peru have started arriving at U.S. ports in light volume, but are increasing. Peru typically follows the Vidalia sweet onion season. The product from Southeastern Georgia enjoyed banner shipments this season and is virtually finished. Meanwhile, it’s making for a good transition to Peruvian imported onions, which will continue through the winter and dovetail into the sweet onion shipments that will be coming next spring out of Mexico and then Texas – and once again back to Vidalia.
Specialized carts designed to keep employees out on the floor culling produce and reducing wastage, is being implemented by Wal Mart Stores Inc., the latest step in a push to improve its fresh food offerings and revive sales growth, according to a recent news story by Reuters.
“Quality carts”, as they are being called by the world’s largest retailer, are being deloyed at 500 stores. There are plans to have them in all of its nearly 5,000 U.S. outlets by the end of the third quarter, Vice President for Central Operations Shana DeSmit told Reuters in an interview.
Equipped with weighing scales and a box to collect the discarded produce, the carts are being equipped weighing scales and a box to help employees carry out tasks that were typically carried out in the back room. With the carts, employees can sort fresh produce by removing items nearing expiration and weighing them to manage inventory counts and help with replenishment.
Wal-Mart’s service levels have suffered due to fewer employees in store interacting with consumers.
The retailer is introducing one such cart per store and will eventually add more, said DeSmit. The produce collected through the carts is either donated or sold through markdowns.
A renewed emphasis on fresh food, which includes produce, deli items, meat and baked goods, has been a crucial turnaround strategy under U.S Chief Executive Officer Greg Foran. Wal-Mart is the largest grocer in the United States, with nationwide sales of $167 billion in 2015.
Wal-Mart has started revamping the layout of the food section at 3,000 stores, in recent months, including supercenters and its smaller Neighborhood Market stores. It has taken steps such as lowering display cases and opening up floor space so that shoppers can see more clearly across the food area. It has replaced black plastic crates with ones that look like wood to give the store more of a farmer’s market feel.
In February, the retailer said it would hire hundreds of fresh food managers to improve its offerings. The company is on schedule to have such managers in a third of its stores nationwide by the end of the year, Wal-Mart spokesman Lorenzo Lopez said.
By The Michigan Apple Committee
CHICAGO – Michigan’s apple growers will harvest approximately 31 million bushels (1.302 billion pounds) of apples this year, according to the official crop estimate announced August 26 at the USApple Outlook meeting in Chicago. This is an increase of 7 million bushels from last year, and would be a record-sized crop for Michigan.
“We have been seeing a steady increase in crop size each year,” said Diane Smith, executive director of the Michigan Apple Committee. “This increase is in large part because of technological advancements, as well as an increase in the number of growers participating in high-density plantings (1,000 or more trees per acre).”
In 2015, Michigan growers harvested an about 24 million bushels of apples. Average Michigan apple harvest is about 22.83 million bushels per year. There are more than 11.3 million apple trees in commercial production, covering 35,500 acres on 825 family-run farms in Michigan.
“Michigan had favorable weather conditions for growing apples during spring and summer 2016. Growers are indicating that the crop is plentiful and looks beautiful as well. Thanks to plenty of heat during the summer, the flavor will be great, too.”
Michigan Apples are typically shipped from mid-August all the way through the following June. Michigan Apple packers and shippers work throughout the year to bring Michigan Apples to 27 states and 18 countries worldwide, according to Smith.
“Michigan Apple growers share a common goal of producing flavorful, high-quality apples,” said Smith. “They work with tree fruit researchers to implement the latest growing techniques and use new technology to monitor growing conditions. Michigan growers are committed to bringing the best quality fruit to the consumer.”
The Michigan Apple Committee is a grower-funded nonprofit organization devoted to marketing, education and research activities to distinguish the Michigan apple and encourage its consumption in Michigan and around the world. For more information, visit MichiganApples.com.
Michigan cucumbers and other vegetables – grossing about $900 to Chicago.
The last imports of South African citrus coming into the United States should be arriving this week. Meanwhile, here is an update on Louisiana sweet potato shipments where product still not harvested got pounded by rains last month.
South Africa Citrus
The last boat of the season from South Africa with citrus is scheduled to arrive in Philadelphia the week of Sept. 26th. Steady volumes of navel and midknight oranges from South Africa have been arriving in the U.S.
South Africa ships navels, midknights, mandarins, star ruby grapefruit and cara cara oranges.
Louisiana Sweet Potato Shipments
The nation’s fourth leading sweet potato shipper – Louisiana – was hit hard by heavy rains several weeks ago and we’re now starting to get a clearer picture of how much damage was done.
Torrential rains in southern Louisiana in mid-August caused major damage to the state’s agricultural producers, but the full extent of sweet potato losses remains to be seen. More than 30 inches of rain fell in a 48-hour period in many parts of southern Louisiana in mid-August, and more rain followed.
There’s no question the deluge will reduce the number of sweet potatoes shipped from Louisiana this year, but it is still too early to put a number on it. Sweet potato shipments undoubtedly will be be less because the fields were saturated for days. By mid-September growers had either just started to dig or hadn’t started at all, making it difficult to come up with a good damage estimate.
Louisiana sweet potato growers south of Alexandria appeared to suffer the heaviest losses, but none of the state’s growers totally escaped the storm’s wrath. Luckily, the majority of sweet potato production in the state is found north of Alexandria.
Louisiana shipped about 1.7 million boxes of sweet potatoes last season, fourth behind North Carolina, California and Mississippi. Overall, sweet potato shipments on a national basis probably won’t be down, because North Carolina ships the majority of sweet potatoes, with California a distance second.
Lyons, GA – L.G. Herndon, Jr. Farms, Inc. is announcing the release of its newest line of packaged greens, SuperFit Greens. The launch of SuperFit Greens introduces an innovative concept for Herndon, offering healthy traditional greens in a convenient new package.
Herndon Farms has been the leader in produce categories including Vidalia onions, sweet corn, sweet potatoes, and bunch leafy greens for more than 30 years. As owner Bo Herndon has watched the leafy greens category change recently, he has envisioned creating a line of packaged greens that would engage consumers. “Since we started the farm in the late 70s, we’ve always grown southern, cooking greens. With the rise of items like kale and with consumers looking for more convenience with their greens, we knew it was time to create the right brand for today’s consumers.
The name SuperFit Greens was born out of a passion to inspire consumers to think healthy when deciding what to eat. “‘Eat your greens’ isn’t a passing fad,” remarks John Williams, Sales and Marketing Director for Herndon Farms, “Consumers are more health conscious and we want to support that with our products, to support Americans who are returning to a more nutrient-rich diet.”
The company recently expanded their operation with the construction on a state-of-the-art 44,000 square foot processing plant on their farm in southeast Georgia, to accommodate SuperFit Greens packaging. Williams states that freshness and shelf life were at the forefront of their decision to pack on-site. “The entire process from harvest to packaging will occur at the farm. We’re very confident the quality of our product will stand out because of this,” confirms Williams.
All of Herndon’s items are Primus GFS certified and the new facility will follow these same guidelines. Herndon added, “food safety is an extremely important part of what we do every day and our plans for our company’s future. We have a food safety team in place to help handle all the requirements an operation like ours requires.”
Williams is also confident that their innovative packaging, the SuperFit Greens website, social media channels, and direct marketing efforts will appeal to consumers. “We are focused on inspiring consumers through engagement, education and with the high quality of greens they will see offered under the SuperFit Greens brand,” adds Williams.
The company will begin shipping SuperFit Greens this October from their farm in Lyons, Ga.
About L.G. Herndon Farms, Inc.:
L. G. Herndon Jr. Farms is a family owned and operated business with over 30 years of experience growing Vidalia® sweet onions, Peruvian and Mexican sweet onions, Lil’ Bo’s Petite sweet Vidalia onions, sweet corn, green leafy vegetables, and most recently, sweet potatoes. Herndon Farms strives to maintain a reputation of high-quality and consistency that has come to define the Herndon name. For more information, visit vidaliasfinest.com.
Imports of Argentina blueberries and Mangoes from South America should be very good this season.
Argentina growers should export about 17,500 tons of fresh blueberries this season, of which two-thirds likely will be arrive in the U.S. and Canada. A year ago, the U.S. and Canada received only 10,280 tons of blueberries from Argentina, due to adverse growing conditions. The weather seems to have improved a lot this year.
Light exports were under way to the U.S. Brazil, and Europe in late August, with the first U.S. arrivals taking place in early September. Peak season arrivals will happen in late October, before the season concludes by the end of November.
Mango Imports
A late surge of mango imports from Mexico and an early start in Ecuador should mean a lot of mango imports this fall. Mexico should ship about 74 million boxes of mangoes this season, up from 64 million boxes a year ago.
Peak Brazilian imports have been in September. However, with the heavy volume of Mexican fruit being imported, most Brazilian fruit imports were arriving at ports and being hauled by truck to markets in the eastern half of the country. Meanwhile Mexican mangos are being delivered to in heavy volume to the West Coast.
Even with the record late-season volumes out of Mexico this season, and record volume crops are also possible from Brazil, Ecuador and Peru. In addition to the glut, appearance issues were hurting demand for late-season Mexican fruit, although eating quality has been excellent.
Mexican volumes are now finally starting to wind. Brazilian import volumes are expected to start peaking around the second week of October. Brazil is expected to ship about 8 million boxes this year, similar to a year ago. Ecuador should produce about 10.8 million boxes, up slightly from last year.
Peru mango imports to the U.S. should get underway in November, with imported expected to be up about 10 percent from last year’s 9.3 million boxes.
South Texas crossings with Mexican mangoes, other tropical fruit, tomatoes and vegetables – grossing about $2000 to Chicago.
by Biing-Hwan Lin and Rosanna Mentzer Morrison
Despite Federal nutrition guidance, food industry promotional campaigns, and encouragement from parents to “Eat your vegetables,” Americans’ consumption of fruits and, especially, vegetables has declined.
Over the last decade, loss-adjusted supplies of total fruits and vegetables available to consume in the United States have fallen from 299 pounds per person in 2003 to 272 pounds per person in 2013. Not the direction that nutritionists and others interested in the public’s health had hoped for.
However, a deeper look into the overall numbers reveals that three fruits and vegetables—orange juice, potatoes, and head lettuce—account for 22 pounds of this 27-pound decline. And, despite the decline in consumption of some fruits and vegetables, Americans are consuming more of other types of these nutrient-packed foods.
The loss-adjusted food availability data serve as a proxy for consumption by the nation as a whole but do not reveal who eats what foods and how much is eaten by particular demographic groups. A more nuanced analysis of consumption trends—by product and by demographic groups—would identify shortfalls for particular groups and help in targeting nutrition outreach efforts.
In a recent report, Economic Research Service (USDA) researchers linked ERS’s food availability data and food intake survey data, using a USDA database that translates foods into their commodity components. This linkage enabled them to break down ERS’s national consumption estimates by household and personal characteristics, helping to answer the questions: How widespread is the decline in fruit and vegetable consumption? And, is it steeper for some groups than others?
Potatoes Driving Declining Vegetable Consumption
National food intake surveys provide demographic breakdowns of who is eating what foods and how much. However, survey respondents report foods as eaten—such as a slice of apple pie, a cup of applesauce, or a glass of apple juice. A database providing the amount of apple in each food is needed to derive the total amount of apples, or other food commodities, consumed by an individual.
ERS researchers used FICRCDs to disaggregate the thousands of mixed foods recorded in the intake surveys—from apple pie to zucchini lasagna—into 63 foods and beverages, including 11 fruits or fruit groups and 15 vegetables or vegetable groups. Per capita measures of foods and beverages eaten by people in different demographic groups were estimated by taking average consumption patterns from the surveys for different subgroups of the U.S. population and applying these patterns to the loss-adjusted food availability data for the corresponding year.
Consumption of total vegetables fell across the four age and gender groups between 1994-98 and 2007-08. Much of this decline was driven by reduced consumption of potatoes, which includes baked, mashed, french fries, chips, and other forms expressed in fresh-weight equivalents. Boys (age 2 to 19) had the largest drop; their potato consumption fell from 63.7 pounds per person per year in 1994-98 to 45.2 pounds in 2007-08. Potato consumption by non-Hispanic Whites, Hispanics, and other races fell over the period from 63.8 to 55.4, from 52.4 to 38.2, and from 50.5 to 37.1 pounds per person per year, respectively. Throughout the period, non-Hispanic Blacks consumed about 58.1 pounds of potatoes per person per year.
Intake of tomatoes—the second most consumed vegetable—held fairly steady between 1994-98 and 2007-08 for all age groups. When consumption of potatoes and tomatoes is subtracted from the mix, consumption of other vegetables by girls, boys, and men fell, too, but not as sharply as that of potatoes. For women, annual consumption of nonpotato and nontomato vegetables increased slightly (2.2 pounds per person). Some vegetables posting gains in consumption over this period in all age groups include peppers, leafy greens, and broccoli and cauliflower.
Total vegetable consumption declined between 1994 and 2008 across four race/ethnic background groups—non-Hispanic Whites, Non-Hispanic Blacks, Hispanics, and others. The decline was smallest among non-Hispanic Whites (5.5 pounds per person per year), followed by non-Hispanic Blacks (11.9 pounds), Hispanics, (23.0 pounds), and others (27.2 pounds).
Blueberry shipments have definitely hit the big time with increases in plantings on both a domestic and imported basis. Shipments also remain strong for strawberries and raspberries. Here’s a closer look at shipments for domestic and imported berries.
Fresh blueberry loadings are now occurring virtually the year around whether it is from domestic production or from imports involving other countries.
Native to North America, blueberries are in good volume here from April through October. Likewise, with farmers in the Southern Hemisphere, the seasonal swap brings blueberries from South America from November through March.
The U.S. is the world’s largest grower and shipper of berries. In 2014, 667.6 million pounds of blueberries were shipped.
However, the U.S. is also a net importer of fresh and frozen blueberries. Canada supplies nearly 20 percent of fresh product into the U.S., but South America has a very strong U.S. import program.
In 2014, the U.S. imported 234.7 million pounds of fresh blueberries valued at nearly $530.5 million. Over 60 percent of this product came from Chile, which supplies the U.S. market from mid-November through January.
In 2014 the U.S. imported 124.7 million pounds of fresh blackberries.
Mexico supplied nearly all U.S. imported fresh blackberry volumes, representing a four-year annual average market share of 96 percent from 2011 to 2014.
Strawberry Shipments
While the U.S. is the world’s largest strawberry grower and shipper, it is also a big importer. In 2014, the nation imported 355.9 million pounds of fresh strawberries. The majority of all U.S. strawberry imports come from Mexico, with Canada supplying less than one percent.
Mexican strawberries have overlapping shipping seasons with Florida, but typically fresh strawberries from Mexico are only a supplement to the U.S. domestic supply. Most Mexican strawberries being produced and imported to the U.S. are shipped during the winter.
Raspberry Shipments
The U.S. also imports raspberries from October through May, with most imports originating from Mexico, which ships about 96 percent of the total imports.
In 2014, the U.S. imported a total of almost 96.8 million pounds of fresh raspberries from Mexico, Canada and Chile.
Florida tomato shipments look to be similar to last season, while a big plunge is seen with Florida citrus.
During the 2015-16 season, which ended in June, tomato growers packed 28.2 million 25-pound equivalent cartons of mature greens and vine-ripe tomatoes, down from 36.5 million from the previous season. The decline is attributed primarily to excessive rains during the growing season. Torrential spring rains reduced yields that caused the 8 million carton shortage,
Last year, Mexican tomato imports increased 18 percent from the prior year from October to mid-June. Imported Mexican tomatoes are primarily vine ripes, while Florida’s tomatoes are mostly mature greens.
Fall plantings for this season are expected to be similar to a year ago. Florida tomato shipments will get underway in October. In fact Florida typically is shipping tomatoes most of the year, with the exception being July, August and September.
Florida Citrus Shipments
Florida citrus acreage has declined to its lowest level in nearly three generations.
On September 12th, the USDA reported the Sunshine State’s citrus acreage declined to 480,121 acres for 2015-16, the lowest since the agency began surveying acreage in 1966.
Oranges, which constitute 89 percent of the state’s citrus acreage, is the lowest since that period as are grapefruit and tangerines. In 1970, Florida growers planted 715,806 acres of oranges, 124,050 acres of grapefruit and 101,615 acres of specialty fruit or tangerines and tangelos.
Currently, oranges make up 425,728 acres, grapefruit, 40,316 acres and specialty fruit, 14,077.
Orange production is down 3.7 percent from the 2014-15 season while white grapefruit sustained the biggest loss at 17 percent for the period. Red seedless grapefruit experienced only a 4 percent decline.
Tangerine and tangelo acreage declined 17 percent respectively from the previous year.
Of the 27 citrus-producing counties, 24 recorded acreage declines.
The Indian River region produces the most grapefruit acreage while the central region leads in the production of oranges and specialty fruit.
In terms of total citrus production, the central, southern and western regions represent the biggest acreage.
Florida will have light overall shipments of produce until March or April when spring vegetables get underway. In fact the whole Southeast is pretty “dead” this time of year.
Southern Georgia vegetable shipments – grossing about $800 to Atlanta.
By The Idaho Potato Commission
EAGLE, IDAHO — The world’s largest potato on wheels traded its tires for buoys in celebration of the 2016 Idaho® Potato Harvest. On Wednesday, August 24, the giant spud embarked on her maiden voyage through the New York Harbor – beginning in Brooklyn and passing all the major landmarks in South Manhattan including the Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty and Freedom Tower.
Over the next several weeks 320,000 acres in Idaho will be harvested and yield more than 13 billion pounds of Idaho® potatoes. New York is the largest consumer of Idaho® potatoes, and two iconic New York-based restaurants, Macy’s and Toffenetti’s, were instrumental in establishing Idaho® baked potatoes as a premium menu item back in the 1930’s.
New Yorkers consume more potatoes than any other state. To show its appreciation, the Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) donated 12,000 pounds of Idaho® potatoes (equivalent to the weight of the Big Idaho® Potato on the Truck) to Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen, New York’s largest emergency food program. They’ve consistently served 1,000 homeless and hungry people every weekday for the past 30 years.
“New Yorkers have played a major role in building the Idaho® potato brand and making the baked Idaho® potato one of the most sought after side dishes on the menu,” explained Frank Muir, President & CEO of the IPC. “It was a privilege for us to spend time at Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen and provide and serve healthy Idaho® potatoes to those who are less fortunate.”
The Big Idaho® Potato Truck was built five years ago to celebrate the IPC’s 75th anniversary. The organization wanted to celebrate the milestone in a big way, and more importantly, include the entire country in the celebration. The idea for the Truck was born from a vintage postcard depicting a giant potato on a flatbed trailer with the quote, “We Grow ‘Em Big in Idaho.” To date, the Truck has traveled over 100,000 miles promoting the heart-healthy benefits of the Idaho® potato and donating to local charities through its “A Big Helping” program.
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About The Idaho Potato Commission
Established in 1937, the IPC is a state agency responsible for promoting and protecting the famous “Grown in Idaho®” seal, a federally registered certification mark that assures consumers are purchasing genuine, top-quality Idaho® potatoes. Idaho’s growing season of warm days and cool nights, ample mountain-fed irrigation, and rich volcanic soil give Idaho® potatoes their unique texture, taste and dependable performance, which differentiates them from potatoes grown in other states.
The Big Idaho® Potato Truck travels across the country carrying the world’s largest potato on wheels — a 28 foot long, 12 foot wide, 11.5 foot tall, 6 ton spud. It was built to celebrate the Idaho Potato Commission’s 75th anniversary in 2012 and was intended to be on the road for one year. But it was such a hit the journey continued and today it’s more popular than ever. For more information visit www.bigidahopotato.com.
As we approach fall, here is a look at the upcoming possibilities for fall loadings for Colorado potatoes, Georgia vegetables and imports of sweet onions from Peru.
Colorado Potato Shipments
Last year San Luis Valley Colorado potatoes were harvested off of 52,000 acres. This year acreage is about 50,900 acres.
Diggings started for some growers in August, with the harvest running into mid-October. There were 2,176 truck loads shipped during the 2015-16 season, down about 400 loads from the previous season. Russets account for nearly 99 percent of the crop last year and 97 percent in 2014-15.
Yellows last year were 0.2 percent, down slightly from 0.3 in 2014-15. Interestingly, yellows have declined since 2013, dropping 0.1percent each year. Red potatoes were 1 percent last year and 2.6 percent the year before, showing an increase of russets in 2015-16.
Shipments are increasing, but currently too light to quote freight rates.
Georgia Vegetable Shipments
While the volume doesn’t match that of spring and summer loadings, fall Georgia vegetable shipments are significant. A drawback may be multiple pick ups for lack of any one shipping having truckload volume at anyone time. Still, it is that time of year. Florida is dead and there’s not a lot of choices in the Southeast.
Generally speaking most fall Georgia vegetables are in the ground and harvest will be starting anytime. Heaviest volumes will be during October, although lighter shipments will be occurring in November and into December.
Among the fall veggie loading available are: bell peppers, squash, cabbage, green beans, sweet corn, cucumbers, eggplant, greens (kale, collard, turnip and mustard), as well as carrots sweet potatoes and hot peppers.
Shipments are too light to get an accurate quote on freight rates.
Peruvian Onion Imports
Onion imports from Peru have started arriving at U.S. ports in light volume, but are increasing. Peru typically follows the Vidalia sweet onion season. The product from Southeastern Georgia enjoyed banner shipments this season and is virtually finished. Meanwhile, it’s making for a good transition to Peruvian imported onions, which will continue through the winter and dovetail into the sweet onion shipments that will be coming next spring out of Mexico and then Texas – and once again back to Vidalia.
Specialized carts designed to keep employees out on the floor culling produce and reducing wastage, is being implemented by Wal Mart Stores Inc., the latest step in a push to improve its fresh food offerings and revive sales growth, according to a recent news story by Reuters.
“Quality carts”, as they are being called by the world’s largest retailer, are being deloyed at 500 stores. There are plans to have them in all of its nearly 5,000 U.S. outlets by the end of the third quarter, Vice President for Central Operations Shana DeSmit told Reuters in an interview.
Equipped with weighing scales and a box to collect the discarded produce, the carts are being equipped weighing scales and a box to help employees carry out tasks that were typically carried out in the back room. With the carts, employees can sort fresh produce by removing items nearing expiration and weighing them to manage inventory counts and help with replenishment.
Wal-Mart’s service levels have suffered due to fewer employees in store interacting with consumers.
The retailer is introducing one such cart per store and will eventually add more, said DeSmit. The produce collected through the carts is either donated or sold through markdowns.
A renewed emphasis on fresh food, which includes produce, deli items, meat and baked goods, has been a crucial turnaround strategy under U.S Chief Executive Officer Greg Foran. Wal-Mart is the largest grocer in the United States, with nationwide sales of $167 billion in 2015.
Wal-Mart has started revamping the layout of the food section at 3,000 stores, in recent months, including supercenters and its smaller Neighborhood Market stores. It has taken steps such as lowering display cases and opening up floor space so that shoppers can see more clearly across the food area. It has replaced black plastic crates with ones that look like wood to give the store more of a farmer’s market feel.
In February, the retailer said it would hire hundreds of fresh food managers to improve its offerings. The company is on schedule to have such managers in a third of its stores nationwide by the end of the year, Wal-Mart spokesman Lorenzo Lopez said.
By The Michigan Apple Committee
CHICAGO – Michigan’s apple growers will harvest approximately 31 million bushels (1.302 billion pounds) of apples this year, according to the official crop estimate announced August 26 at the USApple Outlook meeting in Chicago. This is an increase of 7 million bushels from last year, and would be a record-sized crop for Michigan.
“We have been seeing a steady increase in crop size each year,” said Diane Smith, executive director of the Michigan Apple Committee. “This increase is in large part because of technological advancements, as well as an increase in the number of growers participating in high-density plantings (1,000 or more trees per acre).”
In 2015, Michigan growers harvested an about 24 million bushels of apples. Average Michigan apple harvest is about 22.83 million bushels per year. There are more than 11.3 million apple trees in commercial production, covering 35,500 acres on 825 family-run farms in Michigan.
“Michigan had favorable weather conditions for growing apples during spring and summer 2016. Growers are indicating that the crop is plentiful and looks beautiful as well. Thanks to plenty of heat during the summer, the flavor will be great, too.”
Michigan Apples are typically shipped from mid-August all the way through the following June. Michigan Apple packers and shippers work throughout the year to bring Michigan Apples to 27 states and 18 countries worldwide, according to Smith.
“Michigan Apple growers share a common goal of producing flavorful, high-quality apples,” said Smith. “They work with tree fruit researchers to implement the latest growing techniques and use new technology to monitor growing conditions. Michigan growers are committed to bringing the best quality fruit to the consumer.”
The Michigan Apple Committee is a grower-funded nonprofit organization devoted to marketing, education and research activities to distinguish the Michigan apple and encourage its consumption in Michigan and around the world. For more information, visit MichiganApples.com.
Michigan cucumbers and other vegetables – grossing about $900 to Chicago.