Rice Fruit Company, based in Gardners, PA is a leading Pennsylvania grower, packer and shipper of apples, which has launched its 2023 apple season. The company is optimistic for a good crop.
In its 110th year of business, the company began apple harvest on early varieties in late July and started shipping in early August.
Rice Fruit reports the new crop is exceeding expectations due to sufficient rain and sunshine, along with cool summer nights, all leading to beautiful apples with great flavor.
The operation started shipping to retailers and distributors with their early apple varieties: Gala, Ginger Gold, and Honeycrisp.
Peruvian fresh blueberry exports reached 34.7 million kilograms in the first half of 2023, reflecting an increase of 42.7 percent compared to the 24.3 million kilos shipped in the same period last year, according to Agraria.
By the end of the year fresh blueberries will be the main agricultural export crop from Peru, surpassing table grapes.
In the first half of this year, shipments of fresh blueberries from Peru were as follows: January, 15,716,388 kilos (11,982,583 kilos in January 2022); February, 9,655,215 kilos (5,707,546 kilos in February 2022); March, 3,827,527 kilos (2,874,230 kilos in March 2022); April, 1,331,768 kilos (976,997 kilos in April 2022); May, 1,551,628 kilos (762,083 kilos in May 2022); and June, 2,603,737 kilos (2,001,985 kilos in June of last year).
Shipments of fresh blueberries every month of this year have been higher compared to the same months in 2022. In addition, the 2023-2024 campaign (which started in May and whose peak is registered in September and October) it is already predicted it will be greater than the 2022-2023 season, and it is expected to grow in volume by 25-30 percent.
The main destination markets for fresh blueberries from Peru are the U.S., the Netherlands, China, the UK, and Hong Kong, among others.
Before diving into this very tenuous subject of immigration, I wanted to share some history to bring us to 2023.
The United States has always been considered the great melting pot, welcoming immigrants from all over the world. From the late 1800s until 1965, immigration was just a matter of something we always had, accepted, and were proud of. We welcomed those from all points in Europe and Russia and then more and more from Asia and Latin America. The early immigrants were attracted by jobs in building and manufacturing industries, and as time went on the needs in agriculture became more obvious for immigrant workers.
The U.S. had allowed immigrants at a large pace, admitting an average of 250,000 immigrants a year in the 1950s, and 330,000 in the 1960s.
Beginning in the early 1960s, immigration became more and more of a talking point, and the idea of establishing a policy to monitor and control entry to the U.S. was on the minds of both sides of the aisle – both in Congress and with the Senate. Quotas that had been established based on census information since the 1920s were out of date, and those quotas were challenged as to their fairness. John F. Kennedy took up immigration reform prior to his assassination.
The Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965
Considered the first legislation of its kind passed after Kennedy’s death, with support and passage by Congress and in the Senate. However, the water-downed version of the legislation was thought to have very little real consequence in immigration reform. In the three decades since its passage, it is estimated that over 18 million legal immigrants entered the U.S., with the highest number from Mexico. The roots of this legislation remain in effect.
The Refugee Act of 1980
This legislation’s focus was on raising the annual admittance of refugees to the U.S. from 17,400 to 50,000. It also created a better process to review and adjust to the huge influx of refugees from war-torn countries where individuals needed to show a “well-founded fear of persecution” if they stayed in their home country. It also provided assistance to immigrants to achieve financial self-sufficiency. This legislation was passed unanimously by the Senate and was signed into law by President Jimmy Carter. Parts of this legislation remain in effect.
The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986
The intention was to create a better way of enforcing immigration and the first amnesty programs, creating more chances for legal immigration. It also made it illegal for employers to knowingly hire or recruit illegal immigrants. This was passed and signed into law by President Ronald Reagan. The effect was specific to a new visa process to allow immigrants to work temporarily in mostly agricultural settings, with some non-agricultural visas extended as well. This Act remains in effect.
The 1990 Immigration Act
This legislation amended the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965, by raising the total level of immigration. Reportedly 20 million immigrants were permitted over the two decades since its passage to enter the U.S. Additionally, entrants could stay in the U.S. until situations in their home countries improved. A new area addressed in this Act was that employers could contract with foreign laborers to come to the U.S. and pay for their passage in exchange for the worker’s wages (up to one year). What resonates with me specifically about this legislation is the fact that it was introduced by (D) Ted Kennedy and signed into law by (R) President George Herbert Bush. It seems like the last time a bipartisan piece of immigration reform was passed.
There was additional reform passed in 1996, and then after 9/11, the Homeland Security Act of 2002 took over much of the immigration enforcement.
President Biden is trying to push through more immigration reform, however the Republicans currently control the House and the Democrats the Senate. And the divides in this country have never seemed so wide.
Our agricultural businesses need seasonal workers as do other non-agricultural businesses like the hospitality/hotel industry. They rely on immigrants (legal and other) to keep their businesses afloat. I have read and heard the statement “no one wants these low-paying hard-working jobs.” I always thought it would be interesting to require high school students in an agricultural region/state to work in the fields for one week. While I have not done so myself, I understand working in the fields, just as working as a housekeeper at a hotel, is very hard work. So, we Americans won’t fill these jobs? That is another topic altogether to think about.
How do we get our Congress and Senate to work together to bring about humane and fair immigration reform? Where those in the U.S. who are here illegally, but are working and paying taxes have a road to citizenship. Where the Dreamers that are here because their parents wanted a better life for them, may stay and become legal citizens. And the flip side, how do we remove the immigrants that are criminals, prevent entry to those with records of violence and gang affiliations, those that are moving fentanyl through our schools and communities, and those who do not work and expect our government to take care of them?
I do not have answers to all of these questions, but I do know that the transportation and produce industries employ a lot of very smart people. We need to speak up, get involved and be the conduits of change. Let’s have more conversations.
Harvest of peanuts for the new season will be taking place mostly from a have a dozen southern states. Harvesting occurs from September into early November.
USDA statistics show states with the most U.S. peanut production are Georgia, Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas.
According to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, the U.S. peanut crop in 2022 was estimated at 5.57 billion pounds.
This year, the USDA reported on April 30 planting intentions in North Carolina totaled 130,000 acres, up 11% from 2022. For the entire U.S., the report said peanut planting intentions were 1.547 million acres, up 7% from 1.45 million acres in 2022.
Government reports indicate demand for in-shell peanuts produced primarily in the Carolinas is up 9.5% from August 2022 through March 2023.
Hampton Farms, based in Severn, NC has been in business 100 years has grown from a small family business to the leading roaster of in-shell peanuts.
The company has additional plants in Edenton, N.C.; Franklin, Va.; Springfield, Mass.; Lubbock, Texas; and Portales, N.M., Hampton Farms roasts, packs and markets finished nut products direct to customers nationwide.
A reduction in the projection of exports of Peruvian avocados has been lowered to 598,344 tons in 2023. The Hass Avocado Producers Association of Peru (ProHass) reduced the forecast after estimating shipments of more than 630,000 in March, according to La Republica.
This decline is even less than the 624,000 tons that ProHass announced in January and represents only 8 percent more than the 554,299 tons that were shipped in 2022. Until a few months ago, a growth of 14 percent was expected for the current year.
Juan Carlos Paredes, president of ProHass, attributed this setback to a harvest with fruits between 10-15 percent smaller due to the effects of the La Niña phenomenon in 2022. The estimate for shipments to Europe in 2023 had already gone from 358,685 to 341,850 tons.
“During the last few years, we have had a very large growth in avocado exports to the world. This year we expect to close at close to 600,000 tons, an advance of 8 percent compared to 2022,” Paredes said at a press conference.
ProHass expects export growth in the order of 10 percent by 2024. By 2023, it anticipates that demand growth will remain between 6-8 percent per year nationally and internationally.
“Initially, growth was projected at 14 percent, but we have reduced the figure due to a smaller fruit size. It is equally important, with Peru being the second exporter worldwide,” said Paredes.
It is not the only obstacle that the sector has encountered this year. The transit time to Asian countries –one of the markets most sought after by producers — has not yet recovered its pre-pandemic levels. Insurers also do not cover port diversion delays.
Consequently, the avocado is no longer exported to prevent it from spoiling along the way, and with this, the entry with larger volumes to still incipient markets for the Peruvian Hass avocado such as India, Japan, Korea, and China is lost. The latter has been multiplying the number of containers it receives.
“Transit times are long, which makes trade with countries on this continent difficult,” Paredes added.
Currently, Peru has around 60,000 hectares of Hass avocado, managed by a total of 23,675 producers. It is the second largest global exporter, only behind Mexico, to the point that 80 percent of the avocado consumed in the countries of Europe in summer is Peruvian.
Mexico exports nearly one-half of the world’s avocado exports, amounting to a record of $3.495 billion in 2022. More and more in these exports are going to the U.S. and less in the rest of the world, according to El Economista.
Of all overseas shipments of Mexican avocados in the past year, 86.1 percent went to the U.S. market, in value terms, a share that exceeded the previous all-time high of 80.2 percent in 2014.
The growing avocado exports from Mexico are based on purchases by American consumers, but at the same time this explains the decreasing geographical diversification of Mexican external sales of this fruit.
Of all world avocado exports in the past year, Mexico had a 47.5 percent share in 2022, with sales of $3.008 billion to the U.S.
The market value of the other destinations for avocado exporters from Mexico is substantially lower: Canada ($287 million), Japan ($87 million), Spain ($41 million), El Salvador ($26 million), Honduras ($11 million), and the rest of the nations reach less than $10 million each.
The U.S. began the gradual opening of its market in 1997, after having applied an embargo on Mexican avocados for 83 years. The last stage occurred on January 31, 2007, when it allowed imports to California,
In 2003, the U.S. only represented 30.2 percent of Mexican avocado exports. Then sales were diversified to destinations such as Japan (20.5 percent), France (14.9 percent) and Canada (9.7 percent).
The USDA July 12 crop production report showed reductions in 2022-23 estimates for oranges, grapefruit and lemons but an increase for tangerines.
The July report said the U.S. all-orange forecast for the 2022-23 season is 2.52 million tons, down 1% from the previous forecast and down 26% from the 2021-22 final utilization. The Florida all-orange forecast, at 15.9 million boxes (714,000 tons), is up 1% from the previous forecast but down 62% from last season’s final utilization.
In Florida, early, midseason and navel varieties are forecast at 6.15 million boxes (277,000 tons), unchanged from the previous forecast but down 66% from last season’s final utilization. The Florida valencia orange forecast, at 9.70 million boxes (437,000 tons), is up 1% from the previous forecast but down 58% from last season’s final utilization.
The California all-orange forecast is 44 million boxes (1.76 million tons), down 2% from the previous forecast but up 13% from last season’s utilization, the report said. The California navel orange forecast is 37 million boxes (1.48 million tons), unchanged from the previous forecast but up 17% from last season’s utilization. The USDA said the California valencia orange forecast is 7 million boxes (280,000 tons), down 14% from the previous forecast and down 8% from last season’s utilization.
The Texas all-orange forecast, at 1.13 million boxes (48,000 tons), is up 8% from the previous forecast and “up significantly from last season’s utilization,” the report said.
The USDA reports that raspberry retail per capita consumption rose from 0.2 pounds in 2010 to 0.8 pounds in 2021.
The total domestic and imported raspberry supply increased from just 111 million pounds in 2010 to 352 million pounds in 2021.
The share of supply provided by imports also has increased sharply in the past decade. Imports only accounted for 29% of total supply in 2010 but increased to 68% in 2021, according to the USDA.
California was the only source of domestic raspberry truck shipments reported by the USDA. California raspberry shipments are most active from May through October.
The USDA reported raspberry imports in 2022 from Canada, Guatemala and Mexico — with Mexico accounting for more than 99% of total imports.
Good quality and volume are being predicted by California strawberry grower-shippers through summer and into fall despite an unfavorable start to the season.
The California Strawberry Commission of Watsonville, CA reported as of the week ending July 8, the state’s growers had produced about 109 million trays of strawberries this season, down from last year’s 128 million trays to date because of a slow start caused by cool weather and an unusually wet winter and spring.
In fact, Bobalu Berries of Oxnard, CA has called it one of the worst starts in a long time.
However, conditions have improved significantly as the season progressed.
Bobalu reports it has been able to harvest much longer than usual in Oxnard. Historically, the Oxnard strawberry harvest is over by Mother’s Day. This year, the company was able to ship fresh fruit all the way through Memorial Day.
By July, weekly strawberry shipments were comparable to last year’s volume at Bobalu. However, it is unlikely total volume for the season will equal last year.
Seven Seas, of Visalia, CA is part of the Tom Lange Co. Inc., of St. Louis, which believes its volume should be up slightly this summer,
The company produces late-summer and early-fall strawberry crops in Santa Maria, Calif., and Lompoc, Calif., and transitions to Mexico in November for year-round production.
Gem-Pack Berries LLC, of Irvine, CA, which recently partnered withWell-Pict Berries, of Watsonville, CA grows most of its late-summer strawberries in Watsonville, with some fruit coming from Santa Maria. A fall crop is scheduled for the Oxnard district.
Gem-Pack ships strawberries year-round, with volume tapering off in late fall in the northern district just as Oxnard and central Mexico start to increase. Strawberry seasons in Florida and Irvine come into play in early winter.
Naturipe Farms LLC of Salinas, CA will have summer strawberries from the Watsonville/Salinas area and will transition in the fall to its Santa Maria and Oxnard operations.
Shipments are expected to be good for apples, sweet corn, squash, onions, snap beans and many other items from New York state this summer, according to grower-shippers.
The New York State Vegetables Growers Association reports has production for the fresh market and the processors. Vegetables for processing are grown by operations with thousands of acres , but also includes small organic, niche growers, plus everything in between.
Most of the state’s farms are within four hours of many major metropolitan areas and distribute produce to a number of East Coast cities.
Eden Valley Growers Inc., Eden, N.Y., began harvesting green squash, cabbage and cucumbers in June, and corn by the second week of July. It had variety peppers by the end of July.
Reeves Farms of Baldwinville, NY reports good quality on its conventional sweet corn, tomatoes, peppers, winter squashes, zucchini, summer squash, cucumbers, cabbage, pumpkins, peas and eggplant.
About 15% of the company’s production is organic grape tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, blueberries, zucchini, yellow squash and winter squash.
When it comes to fruit, the New York Apple Association notes apple harvesting typically begins in mid-August with Paula Red and ginger gold apple varieties. The Paula Red is a tart tasting apple and is one of the earliest varieties to be harvested.
The fresh-picked ginger gold is considered a great snacking apple in late summer.
The state produces over 250 apple varieties, 30 of which are available in commercial volumes.
Other favorites include jonamac, SweeTango, mcintosh, gala, Honeycrisp, SnapDragon, cortland, macoun, empire, red delicious, fuji, RubyFrost, Crispin, golden delicious and EverCrisp.
The state produced 32.2 million bushels of apples last season.
Eden Valley Growers plans to expand its value-added product offerings by increasing its production of packaged corn this summer, Walczak said.
Overall, volume for the 10-member co-op, many of whom are fifth- or sixth-generation growers, should be about the same as last year or possibly up slightly.
