Author Archive
Northwest produce haulers are already looking to fall shipments of several varieties of apples, pears and even apricots as well as some summer tree fruit.
Wenatchee Valley peaches and nectarines will begin in mid-July and run through early September. New crop pear and apple shipments get underway in early August.
Apple loadings will kick off with ginger golds the last week in July, followed by galas. Weather factors have crops coming on about 10 earlier than normal. Remanents of the huge Red Delicious crop from last season continue to be shipped from storage. Improved storage technology has resulted in varieties like granny smith, golden delicious, galas and red delicious to be shipped out of Washington year-round.
Honeycrisp apples will start shipping in late August and continue until the end of May. That variety has really taken off in popularity with consumers and eventually, with added production, it should be available the year-round for hauling.
Apples continue to lead Northwest produce shipments, averaging about 2000 truck load equivalents weekly from the Yakima and Wenatchee Valleys, followed by cherries with about 1500 loads a week. There is moderate volume with onions coming out of Washington’s Columbia Basin and Oregon’s Umatilla Basin.
Yakima Valley fruit – grossing about $5400 to Dallas.
Bland Farms LLC of Glennville, GA, the nation’s largest sweet onion grower and shipper, is appealing the decision of a Georgia appeals court that says Georgia’s agriculture commissioner has the power to set packing and shipping dates for Vidalia onions, overturning a lower court that sided with Bland.
A three-judge panel of the Georgia Court of Appeals issued a unanimous opinion June 30 stating repeatedly that “all authority to regulate packing and shipping rests with the commissioner.”
The case was filed in the fall of 2013, shortly after Commissioner Gary Black put a new shipping rule into effect.
Black said Vidalia growers sought his help to protect the reputation and value of the state’s trademarked onions after consumer and retailer complaints in 2012 and 2013.
About a dozen growers filed a brief with the appeals court supporting Black. They said they asked for the rule because a minority of growers, seeking to be first to market, had been shipping early, although legally. Their brief said early-variety, poor quality onions with short shelf life had sent retailers and consumers to other sources for sweet onions.
Bland Farms opposed the rule, saying only individual growers know when any given field of onions is ready to harvest.
Bland Farms’ legal challenge claimed Black violated the state’s Vidalia Onion Act with the new rule. Such changes would require legislative action, according to Bland Farms’ complaint. The appeals judges said that argument was “misguided.”
“The Act does not afford growers statutory rights with regard to shipping or packing. Rather, the Act gives the commissioner both the authority to determine and announce a shipping date and the authority to promulgate a rule or regulation for packing,” according to the opinion.
The appeal judges noted Black had considered increasing inspections instead of imposing the new rule, which sets Monday of the last full week in April as the shipping start for Vidalia onions. The rule has a provision for the commissioner to change that date at the request of growers in the event of special conditions.
The number of loads for the new season Michigan apple shipments will be down from original estimates, but still good…Meanwhile, here’s an update on shipping opportunities for California avocados.
Depending you who you ask, Michigan apple shipments will be somewhere between 22.5 and 25 million bushels. Last season, crop finished at 27 million bushels.
The Michigan apple industry is still collecting data for the final 2014-15 estimate.
Heading into the 2015 harvest, Michigan growers are expecting similar volumes from the Ridge area, higher volumes from the Southwest, similar volumes from the East and lighter volumes from the Northwest part of Michigan.
Michigan blueberry shipments have just started. We hope to have more info on loading opportunities soon.
Avocado Shipments
Over 70 percent of the California avocado shipments have been completed, with much of the volume now coming out of the Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo areas. California could ship up to 10 million pounds a week through mid-July before volumes begin a gradual decline.
Mexico’s 2014-15 crop is finishing up. However new crop loadings for Mexican avocado shipments are just starting.
Imports of Peruvian avocados began arriving at US ports within the last week or so.
Southern California avocados, tomatoes, vegetables – grossing about $5400 to Cleveland.
Texas appears to be gaining ground on California when it comes to fresh produce shipments…..In Georgia, Vidalia onion shipments apparently will be down overall as product is now coming out of storage.
Texas produce shipments are becoming ever more important when it comes to spot rates for refrigerated loads. This appears to be due to increased fruit and vegetable production in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, plus more imports than ever from Mexico, as well as shift in demand from California in part because of the prolonged drought.
Although California had regained the top spot in late June, Texas volumes in the spot refrigerated freight market has surpassed California for the first time in early June, according to Mark Montague, manger of industry pricing for DAT Solutions.
Lower Rio Grande Valley watermelons and Mexican produce crossing the border – grossing about $2700 to Chicago.
Vidalia Onion Shipments
Vidalia onion shipments will be down as much as 40 percent this season for some shippers. Whether the reduction is due to excessive rains, or spring weather having too hot of temperatures, opinions vary. But shipments will be down, it’s just a matter of how much, since some shippers appear to have been hit harder than others. Vidalia onions are now being shipped out of storage, which can be “ify” some years when adverse weather or disease creates quality issues.
Southeastern Georgia Vidalia onions, as well as Southern Georgia bell peppers, sweet corn, eggplant, watermelons and squash – grossing about $3000 to New York City.
by Pear Bureau Northwest
PORTLAND, Ore. – The annual meeting of Northwest pear growers was conducted recently in Portland, with anticipated projections on the 2015 fresh pear shipments
set at nearly 20.4 million standard box equivalents which equates to approximately 451,000 tons of fresh pears. The projection is 2% higher than the five-year average, and 2% lower than last year’s crop. The estimate was collected from fresh pear growers in Wenatchee and Yakima, Washington and Mid-Columbia and Medford, Oregon growing districts.
With relatively mild winter and warm spring conditions in the regions, harvest is expected to be five to seven days earlier than last season, beginning in late July with Starkrimson, followed by the Bartlett harvest in early August. Anjou, Red Anjou, Bosc, Comice, Concorde, Forelle, and Seckel will be picked from late August through September. With no major frost issues, crop quality is expected to be excellent with good fruit size for the domestic and export markets.
The top three varieties produced by Northwest growers remain the same as in previous years; Green Anjou pears are anticipated to make up 54% of the total 2015 crop, and Bartlett and Bosc pears are expected to yield 21% and 15%, respectively.
Harvest of certified organic pears in the Northwest is projected to make up about 5% of the total with 974,115 standard boxes (21,430 tons) for the 2015 harvest, a decrease of over 11% when compared with a strong 2014 organic crop, but still a healthy 8% increase over the five-year average. Bartlett and Green Anjou are the two most abundant organic pear varieties, with Bartlett estimated at 301,500 organic standard boxes, and Green Anjou projected yield at 377,000 boxes for 2015.
Washington apples, pears and cherries – grossing about $5900 to Houston.
600 consumers preferred nutrition and sensory over other themes when participating in a Hass Avocado Board marketing study, Engaging and Influencing Shoppers at Shelf.
20 messages were among other themes in the study, which was intended for use on retail display shelves, signs and point-of-sale materials, and were a call to action and usage or occasion.
“Our goal was to ascertain message themes that resonate most with consumers, and in particular, understand which messaging within each theme motivates purchases of hass avocados,” Emiliano Escobedo, executive director of the Irvine, Calif.-based board, said in a news release.
Under the sensory theme, “Naturally Delicious” was the most popular tagline and most likely to motivate purchase. The consumers, all primary shoppers, were drawn by the promise of taste and the sense of “real” food that “may be good for you,” the study cited.
Among the nutrition messages, “Naturally Good Fats” was the top choice, deemed simple, important and believable. Also popular were “Cholesterol Free” and “Good Fat in Avocados Can Replace Saturated Fat.”
It found ratings varied by consumption level, with “super heavy” and heavy users — who buy 120-plus or 37-plus avocados per year, respectively — responding more positively overall to shelf messaging. The study also included medium buyers, who purchase 12 to 36 avocados annually.
Each tagline was tested with identical graphics.
As a second objective, the study measured reactions to everyday category signs. Messages tested were “Fresh Avocados,” “Hass Avocados,” and “Ripe Avocados.” Of those, the former was the most likely to drive purchases.
“The information in this study is intended to help retailers enhance their messaging to appeal to their core market,” Escobedo said in the release. “In-store presentation and messaging are important factors influencing the shopper’s decision to purchase hass avocados.”
Chick-fil-A is introducing a new kale-based menu item as it rides the wave of a superfood trend.
Beginning in Southwest Florida last May, chicken sandwich fans were able to get a break from the typical fried foods Chick-fil-A is known for, and try the new 80-calorie Superfood Salad, which includes a blend of kale, broccolini, roasted-nuts, and a maple vinaigrette.
This healthy trial item will be available through July, as well as the slightly less healthy additions of the Smokehouse BBQ Bacon Sandwich and a loaded baked potato side dish, with customer feedback helping to determine whether the dishes are added to menu. Chick-fil-A has over 1,900 restaurants across the U.S. Whether consumers will respond well to this latest addition may be found in the company’s competition. Other chains like sun as McDonald’s and Starbucks have joined the trendy kale craze with similar menu items of their trial items will be available at Chick-fil-A locations across Florida.
Photo Courtesy of The News-Press Chick-fil-A is an American fast food restaurant chain headquartered in the Atanta suburb of College Park specializing in chicken sandwiches. Founded in 1946, it is associated with the Southern United States. Chick-fil-A has restaurants in 41 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
The company’s culture is strongly influenced by its founder’s Southern Baptist beliefs. All Chick-fil-A restaurants are closed for business on Sunday. In 2012, CEO Dan Cathy’s public statements in opposition to same-sex marriage became the subject of public controversy and was praised by Christian conservatives.
Founder Truett Cathy was a devout Southern Baptist; his religious beliefs had a major impact on the company. The company’s official statement of corporate purpose says that the business exists “To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.
Stanley Farms of Vidalia, GA has been placed on one year’s probation by the Georgia Department of Agriculture because it improperly stored other yellow onions at its Vidalia facility. However, it has been cleared by the GDA of accusations that it packed non-Vidalia onions in Vidalia-branded bags.
No evidence was found during its five-week investigation that non-Vidalias were on the packing equipment at Stanley Farms’ facility in Vidalia, Ga., when Vidalia onions were being packed.
“What we did find was improper storage of organic yellow onions in a Vidalia (onion) packing facility,” said Gary Black, GDA commissioner. “We promptly responded with a hold on those onions until all inventory could be traced and accounted for, preventing the onions from entering the retail fresh market.”
The department required Stanley Farms to move 285 field bins of non-Vidalia onions to another facility where they were held under seal. Black said Stanley Farms and members of the Stanley family fully complied with all of the department’s directions and requests during the investigation.
Commissioner Black said the department and the grower-shipper signed a consent agreement that includes a one-year probationary period. If another infraction of the same kind is found during that year, the operation could lose its Vidalia onion license, he said.
Vidalia onions – grossing about $3000 to Chicago; $3300 to New York City.
An 11.3 percent jump in in the organic category has been reported by the organic industry.
The trend is not restricted to any particular region.
“[Organic] doesn’t have any demographic boundaries,” Organic Trade Association (OTA) Chief Executive Laura Batcha said, according to the Washington Business Journal. “This additional new data [shows] it doesn’t have regional or partisan boundaries.”
Leading the organic pack is produce. Organic fruits and vegetables reigned in about $13 billion in 2014, making up more than 36 percent of all organic food sales.
The growth has resulted in the USDA creating a new database to make it possible for sumers to track companies to organic certifications, according to Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack.
“The more diverse type of operations and the more growing market sectors we have in American agriculture, the better off our country’s rural economy will be,” Vilsack said, according to The Times-Picayune,while anticipating a positive impact on agriculture.
The OCT also found that organic produce in stores has doubled in the last decade, now occupying 12 percent of all produce available in the aisles. This could be in direct response to demand, as the association also reported that the majority of American households nationwide now endeavor to make organic food purchases while shopping retail, the Washington Business Journal reports.
Northwest produce haulers are already looking to fall shipments of several varieties of apples, pears and even apricots as well as some summer tree fruit.
Wenatchee Valley peaches and nectarines will begin in mid-July and run through early September. New crop pear and apple shipments get underway in early August.
Apple loadings will kick off with ginger golds the last week in July, followed by galas. Weather factors have crops coming on about 10 earlier than normal. Remanents of the huge Red Delicious crop from last season continue to be shipped from storage. Improved storage technology has resulted in varieties like granny smith, golden delicious, galas and red delicious to be shipped out of Washington year-round.
Honeycrisp apples will start shipping in late August and continue until the end of May. That variety has really taken off in popularity with consumers and eventually, with added production, it should be available the year-round for hauling.
Apples continue to lead Northwest produce shipments, averaging about 2000 truck load equivalents weekly from the Yakima and Wenatchee Valleys, followed by cherries with about 1500 loads a week. There is moderate volume with onions coming out of Washington’s Columbia Basin and Oregon’s Umatilla Basin.
Yakima Valley fruit – grossing about $5400 to Dallas.
Bland Farms LLC of Glennville, GA, the nation’s largest sweet onion grower and shipper, is appealing the decision of a Georgia appeals court that says Georgia’s agriculture commissioner has the power to set packing and shipping dates for Vidalia onions, overturning a lower court that sided with Bland.
A three-judge panel of the Georgia Court of Appeals issued a unanimous opinion June 30 stating repeatedly that “all authority to regulate packing and shipping rests with the commissioner.”
The case was filed in the fall of 2013, shortly after Commissioner Gary Black put a new shipping rule into effect.
Black said Vidalia growers sought his help to protect the reputation and value of the state’s trademarked onions after consumer and retailer complaints in 2012 and 2013.
About a dozen growers filed a brief with the appeals court supporting Black. They said they asked for the rule because a minority of growers, seeking to be first to market, had been shipping early, although legally. Their brief said early-variety, poor quality onions with short shelf life had sent retailers and consumers to other sources for sweet onions.
Bland Farms opposed the rule, saying only individual growers know when any given field of onions is ready to harvest.
Bland Farms’ legal challenge claimed Black violated the state’s Vidalia Onion Act with the new rule. Such changes would require legislative action, according to Bland Farms’ complaint. The appeals judges said that argument was “misguided.”
“The Act does not afford growers statutory rights with regard to shipping or packing. Rather, the Act gives the commissioner both the authority to determine and announce a shipping date and the authority to promulgate a rule or regulation for packing,” according to the opinion.
The appeal judges noted Black had considered increasing inspections instead of imposing the new rule, which sets Monday of the last full week in April as the shipping start for Vidalia onions. The rule has a provision for the commissioner to change that date at the request of growers in the event of special conditions.
The number of loads for the new season Michigan apple shipments will be down from original estimates, but still good…Meanwhile, here’s an update on shipping opportunities for California avocados.
Depending you who you ask, Michigan apple shipments will be somewhere between 22.5 and 25 million bushels. Last season, crop finished at 27 million bushels.
The Michigan apple industry is still collecting data for the final 2014-15 estimate.
Heading into the 2015 harvest, Michigan growers are expecting similar volumes from the Ridge area, higher volumes from the Southwest, similar volumes from the East and lighter volumes from the Northwest part of Michigan.
Michigan blueberry shipments have just started. We hope to have more info on loading opportunities soon.
Avocado Shipments
Over 70 percent of the California avocado shipments have been completed, with much of the volume now coming out of the Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo areas. California could ship up to 10 million pounds a week through mid-July before volumes begin a gradual decline.
Mexico’s 2014-15 crop is finishing up. However new crop loadings for Mexican avocado shipments are just starting.
Imports of Peruvian avocados began arriving at US ports within the last week or so.
Southern California avocados, tomatoes, vegetables – grossing about $5400 to Cleveland.
Texas appears to be gaining ground on California when it comes to fresh produce shipments…..In Georgia, Vidalia onion shipments apparently will be down overall as product is now coming out of storage.
Texas produce shipments are becoming ever more important when it comes to spot rates for refrigerated loads. This appears to be due to increased fruit and vegetable production in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, plus more imports than ever from Mexico, as well as shift in demand from California in part because of the prolonged drought.
Although California had regained the top spot in late June, Texas volumes in the spot refrigerated freight market has surpassed California for the first time in early June, according to Mark Montague, manger of industry pricing for DAT Solutions.
Lower Rio Grande Valley watermelons and Mexican produce crossing the border – grossing about $2700 to Chicago.
Vidalia Onion Shipments
Vidalia onion shipments will be down as much as 40 percent this season for some shippers. Whether the reduction is due to excessive rains, or spring weather having too hot of temperatures, opinions vary. But shipments will be down, it’s just a matter of how much, since some shippers appear to have been hit harder than others. Vidalia onions are now being shipped out of storage, which can be “ify” some years when adverse weather or disease creates quality issues.
Southeastern Georgia Vidalia onions, as well as Southern Georgia bell peppers, sweet corn, eggplant, watermelons and squash – grossing about $3000 to New York City.
by Pear Bureau Northwest
PORTLAND, Ore. – The annual meeting of Northwest pear growers was conducted recently in Portland, with anticipated projections on the 2015 fresh pear shipments
set at nearly 20.4 million standard box equivalents which equates to approximately 451,000 tons of fresh pears. The projection is 2% higher than the five-year average, and 2% lower than last year’s crop. The estimate was collected from fresh pear growers in Wenatchee and Yakima, Washington and Mid-Columbia and Medford, Oregon growing districts.
With relatively mild winter and warm spring conditions in the regions, harvest is expected to be five to seven days earlier than last season, beginning in late July with Starkrimson, followed by the Bartlett harvest in early August. Anjou, Red Anjou, Bosc, Comice, Concorde, Forelle, and Seckel will be picked from late August through September. With no major frost issues, crop quality is expected to be excellent with good fruit size for the domestic and export markets.
The top three varieties produced by Northwest growers remain the same as in previous years; Green Anjou pears are anticipated to make up 54% of the total 2015 crop, and Bartlett and Bosc pears are expected to yield 21% and 15%, respectively.
Harvest of certified organic pears in the Northwest is projected to make up about 5% of the total with 974,115 standard boxes (21,430 tons) for the 2015 harvest, a decrease of over 11% when compared with a strong 2014 organic crop, but still a healthy 8% increase over the five-year average. Bartlett and Green Anjou are the two most abundant organic pear varieties, with Bartlett estimated at 301,500 organic standard boxes, and Green Anjou projected yield at 377,000 boxes for 2015.
Washington apples, pears and cherries – grossing about $5900 to Houston.
600 consumers preferred nutrition and sensory over other themes when participating in a Hass Avocado Board marketing study, Engaging and Influencing Shoppers at Shelf.
20 messages were among other themes in the study, which was intended for use on retail display shelves, signs and point-of-sale materials, and were a call to action and usage or occasion.
“Our goal was to ascertain message themes that resonate most with consumers, and in particular, understand which messaging within each theme motivates purchases of hass avocados,” Emiliano Escobedo, executive director of the Irvine, Calif.-based board, said in a news release.
Under the sensory theme, “Naturally Delicious” was the most popular tagline and most likely to motivate purchase. The consumers, all primary shoppers, were drawn by the promise of taste and the sense of “real” food that “may be good for you,” the study cited.
Among the nutrition messages, “Naturally Good Fats” was the top choice, deemed simple, important and believable. Also popular were “Cholesterol Free” and “Good Fat in Avocados Can Replace Saturated Fat.”
It found ratings varied by consumption level, with “super heavy” and heavy users — who buy 120-plus or 37-plus avocados per year, respectively — responding more positively overall to shelf messaging. The study also included medium buyers, who purchase 12 to 36 avocados annually.
Each tagline was tested with identical graphics.
As a second objective, the study measured reactions to everyday category signs. Messages tested were “Fresh Avocados,” “Hass Avocados,” and “Ripe Avocados.” Of those, the former was the most likely to drive purchases.
“The information in this study is intended to help retailers enhance their messaging to appeal to their core market,” Escobedo said in the release. “In-store presentation and messaging are important factors influencing the shopper’s decision to purchase hass avocados.”
Chick-fil-A is introducing a new kale-based menu item as it rides the wave of a superfood trend.
Beginning in Southwest Florida last May, chicken sandwich fans were able to get a break from the typical fried foods Chick-fil-A is known for, and try the new 80-calorie Superfood Salad, which includes a blend of kale, broccolini, roasted-nuts, and a maple vinaigrette.
This healthy trial item will be available through July, as well as the slightly less healthy additions of the Smokehouse BBQ Bacon Sandwich and a loaded baked potato side dish, with customer feedback helping to determine whether the dishes are added to menu. Chick-fil-A has over 1,900 restaurants across the U.S. Whether consumers will respond well to this latest addition may be found in the company’s competition. Other chains like sun as McDonald’s and Starbucks have joined the trendy kale craze with similar menu items of their trial items will be available at Chick-fil-A locations across Florida.
Photo Courtesy of The News-Press Chick-fil-A is an American fast food restaurant chain headquartered in the Atanta suburb of College Park specializing in chicken sandwiches. Founded in 1946, it is associated with the Southern United States. Chick-fil-A has restaurants in 41 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
The company’s culture is strongly influenced by its founder’s Southern Baptist beliefs. All Chick-fil-A restaurants are closed for business on Sunday. In 2012, CEO Dan Cathy’s public statements in opposition to same-sex marriage became the subject of public controversy and was praised by Christian conservatives.
Founder Truett Cathy was a devout Southern Baptist; his religious beliefs had a major impact on the company. The company’s official statement of corporate purpose says that the business exists “To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.
Stanley Farms of Vidalia, GA has been placed on one year’s probation by the Georgia Department of Agriculture because it improperly stored other yellow onions at its Vidalia facility. However, it has been cleared by the GDA of accusations that it packed non-Vidalia onions in Vidalia-branded bags.
No evidence was found during its five-week investigation that non-Vidalias were on the packing equipment at Stanley Farms’ facility in Vidalia, Ga., when Vidalia onions were being packed.
“What we did find was improper storage of organic yellow onions in a Vidalia (onion) packing facility,” said Gary Black, GDA commissioner. “We promptly responded with a hold on those onions until all inventory could be traced and accounted for, preventing the onions from entering the retail fresh market.”
The department required Stanley Farms to move 285 field bins of non-Vidalia onions to another facility where they were held under seal. Black said Stanley Farms and members of the Stanley family fully complied with all of the department’s directions and requests during the investigation.
Commissioner Black said the department and the grower-shipper signed a consent agreement that includes a one-year probationary period. If another infraction of the same kind is found during that year, the operation could lose its Vidalia onion license, he said.
Vidalia onions – grossing about $3000 to Chicago; $3300 to New York City.
An 11.3 percent jump in in the organic category has been reported by the organic industry.
The trend is not restricted to any particular region.
“[Organic] doesn’t have any demographic boundaries,” Organic Trade Association (OTA) Chief Executive Laura Batcha said, according to the Washington Business Journal. “This additional new data [shows] it doesn’t have regional or partisan boundaries.”
Leading the organic pack is produce. Organic fruits and vegetables reigned in about $13 billion in 2014, making up more than 36 percent of all organic food sales.
The growth has resulted in the USDA creating a new database to make it possible for sumers to track companies to organic certifications, according to Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack.
“The more diverse type of operations and the more growing market sectors we have in American agriculture, the better off our country’s rural economy will be,” Vilsack said, according to The Times-Picayune,while anticipating a positive impact on agriculture.
The OCT also found that organic produce in stores has doubled in the last decade, now occupying 12 percent of all produce available in the aisles. This could be in direct response to demand, as the association also reported that the majority of American households nationwide now endeavor to make organic food purchases while shopping retail, the Washington Business Journal reports.