Author Archive
Numbers are still vague, but one thing is for certain, California citrus shipments will be down this season. Florida is facing a similar situation, but for different reasons.
San Joaquin Valley citrus packers have hired extra workers for inspecting fruit as they try to separate the good from the bad after a freeze last month. Citrus industry officials are reluctant to put a percentage on the damage from nearly a dozen days of subfreezing temperatures, but some citrus packers are estimating damage at between 30 and 50 percent for the entire industry.
This year’s crop was only 15 percent harvested before the freeze hit. At the time it was estimated to be 88 million cartons, down slightly from the previous year.
California citrus and produce – grossing about $4700 to Chicago.
Florida Citrus Shipments
Florida fresh fruit shipments have declined more than 20 percent so far this season because of crop declines, smaller fruit sizes and a later start to the harvesting season.
Total fresh shipments had fallen 24.5 percent December 15, compared with the same point in the 2012-13 season and almost 30 percent compared with 2011-12. Grapefruit shipments have dropped 23.4 percent since last season, fresh oranges 25 percent and tangerines, tangelos and other specialty varieties by 26 percent.
Fresh citrus represents a much smaller segment of the Florida citrus industry, dominated by juice processing, but it is particularly important in Polk County, the top producer of tangerines and tangelos and home to three of the state’s 10 largest packinghouses in Dundee, Haines City and Lake Wales.
The first breakbulk shipment of Chilean winter fruit to arrived by boat in the U.S at the Port of Wilmington (North Carolina) on December 18th. As we get further into the winter, more frequent arrivals are occurring.
The ship held over 756,000 boxes of fresh cherries, blueberries, stone fruit, and table grapes. The imported fruit is stored in the port’s 800,000 on-dock refrigerated warehouse complex before distribution by truck to Eastern markets.
During the winter fruit season from December through April, the Port of Wilmington expects to receive at least 25 shiploads of fruit from various Chilean ports. Wilmington was the first U.S. port to receive fruit from Chile this winter.
In the 2012-13 season, the Port of Wilmington received about 18 million boxes of Chilean fruit, up 22 percent from the previous season.
Exactly how much fruit from Chile will arrive a U.S. ports, which besides Wilmington, is primarily Philadelphia, PA and Long Beach, CA, depends on a number of factors.
Naturally, Mother Nature plays a critical role and those climate conditions during the growing season in Chile has meant slower development, harvest and ultimately arrivals to the U.S. Some freezing weather at critical times also is expected to reduce total volume. Finally, depending on currency values, Chile will ship to Europe and other global markets if better profits are likely.
If you are under 35 years of age, you are twice as likely to buy more organic over the next year than older counterparts, according to new IGD research.
Some 18 per cent of this age group want to use specialist stores, like butchers and greengrocers, more in the future compared to only nine per cent of the over-35 age group.
Shoppers aged under 35 are also more likely than their older counterparts to shop ethically and cook from scratch.
And almost 30 per cent of under 35s think they will be better off in a year’s time.
Joanne Denney-Finch, chief executive of IGD, said these trends provide opportunities for retailers and food manufacturers to target younger shoppers with marketing and new products that will chime with their more optimistic outlook.
She said: “As well as wanting to do the right thing, younger people are more interested in cooking from scratch, using leftovers to waste less, and spending more on food and drink to make a nice meal if they have spare money at the end of the month.
“It’s encouraging that younger people are so optimistic about the future and also more likely to want to make a difference to the world. Shoppers under 35 are more interested in considering a retailer’s values and approach to sourcing products.”
By The NPD Group
The recently released Harvard study on the health benefits of eating nuts just confirmed what health conscious consumers already know, that nuts are good for you, reports The NPD Group, a leading global information company. NPD’s food market research finds that nuts rank among the top 10 snack-oriented convenience foods for U.S. consumers motivated by health and weight needs.
Nuts are a popular snack for breakfast and morning snack but are eaten throughout the day by health and weight conscious consumers who want a nutritious, natural, better-for-you snack, according to NPD’s Snacking in America report, which examines long-term attitudes and behaviors about snacking as well as snack selection drivers. Consumers who are motivated to choose nuts and other better-for-you snacks based on health and weight needs tend to be seniors and empty nesters, adult females, and higher income households.
The consumption of nuts is not limited to the health and weight conscious. Seventy-seven percent of U.S. households have nuts or seeds on-hand and 19 percent of individuals eat nuts at least once in a two week period, finds NPD. Nuts are consumed primarily as an in-home snack but are often incorporated into morning, lunch, and dinner meals. In addition to its choice as a healthier snack, nuts are also popular among consumers looking for a filling or a quick, convenient snack.
“Whether to meet the needs of the health and weight conscious or as an easy grab-and-go snack, nuts are a popular choice among snackers,” says Darren Seifer, food and beverage industry analyst. “Food manufacturers and retailers have a variety of options and audiences for marketing nuts.”
It’s New Year’s Day and pardon me if I reflect a bit on the past year.
As for this website, HaulProduce.com, I can’t thank each of you enough for visting the website. Apparently you are finding it useful in your business. That was my whole purpose in launcing this site nearly two years ago.
I receive calls on a regular basis, and in many cases when you are looking for produce loads. Some of you call under the impression I am either a carrier, logistics company or a truck broker – none of which I pretend to be. Haul Produce.com, much like the radio reports I did for nearly 20 years (known at the Produce Truckers Network) provided produce reports on loading opportunities, quality of product you’d be hauling and a general idea of what kind of a gross freight rate you should receive.
Our number of visits to the website continue to increase. It has a relatively new feature, where you can subscribe for free, which continues to have more people in the trucking industry signing up. With the free subscription, you receive an e-mail consisting of a paragraph relating to the most recent post. If that bit of information interests you, you can click on the e-mail link and read to the whole story.
Again, thank you for your support. If you know of a fellow trucker or someone in the trucking industry who may benefit from the HaulProduce.com website, please let them know about us.
God bless you, your family and business in the New Year. — Bill and Vivian Martin
“Save the best for last” is not only a good quote, but it is also a very good principle to live by. The idea being that you should always finish with the best. A lot of my friends have commented on how they have had more fun in life as they have gotten older. While engaging in a similar conversation recently, I paused to think a bit more about the recent comments I had heard, and then I wondered why getting older was viewed so differently by so many people.
On one hand, aging brings with it the typical aches and pains of the passing years, and on the other hand it brings with it a freedom of the social pressures that years of living in the rat race has produced. After a decade of retirement I can truly say that it has, so far, been the best years of my life. Maybe it is the freedom to do what you want when you want , or maybe it is the social freedom of not having to care or worry about much of anything, with the exception of a beer shortage of course. And another aging phenomenon is the fact that the older males of our species seem to attract younger women as we age.
Now don’t get me wrong, getting old is not for the faint hearted. It takes some planning and preparation to enter this phase of life properly. Not everybody is cut out to be a senior citizen. The first thing you have to do is deal with the inevitability of it. Regardless of how many face lifts, boob jobs, tummy tucks, butt lifts, or surgery you have, you are still going to age. And if you don’t watch out you can easily end up looking like “The Joker” in the Batman movies. Just ask Joan Rivers. You have to admit that Jack Nicholson looks better as The Joker than Joan does, even with all the help from her surgeon. Somehow I just can’t help think Joan would have been better off learning to deal with getting older.
Getting older has an enormous potential for enjoying life. For one thing, older people can get away with a whole lot more, and nobody knows what you’re really up to. The younger crowd is clueless about your motives and they think you are just senile. One of the best military tactics is to get into a position where your enemy underestimates you. Then you have the advantage.
Being the older person in a younger group commands a bit of respect. When the younger ones get in a pickle you just smile and politely say “been there, done that” and they think you have the wisdom that the years visibly show.
Advanced age provides a new set of social opportunities as well. Younger women don’t view you as a threat. You’re kind of like the old neutered squirrel who lives in the great big pecan tree. You can now hang out with the babes without getting into trouble with your wife. After all, your wife knows you’re harmless, and at your age you deserve a little change in latitude.
I have found it’s always good to take up a little drinking as you get older. This does require that you learn something about booze. For that you should join some social drinking clubs. They provide a knowledge base for social drinking that you can share with the younger folks. This gives you an air of sophistication and class that you probably never had when you were younger. Be creative in your old age. Don’t be afraid to come up with interesting things to do. Party a lot, and never take anything too serious. Nothing is more of a turn-off than a serious old codger carping about some meaningless trivia.
Always smile a lot and try to look empathetic. Women and liberals love empathy. Never mind that empathy never solved any problems in life or put a man on the moon. That’s not the point. Empathy is “in” today, so practice some empathetic facial expressions in the mirror to use when the need arises.
One final note. Always give big tips. You can’t take it with you, and you sure don’t want to leave much for your children. Too much will take away their sense of accomplishment and self worth. If you wake up some day and find yourself feeling sorry for yourself because your getting older, just follow my advise above. And if you get into trouble just remember the disclaimer in fine print….
DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME
Larry Oscar is a graduate from the University of Tulsa and holds a degree in electrical engineering. He is retired and lives with his wife on a lake in Oklahoma where he brews his own beer, sails, and is a member of numerous clubs and organizations.
About halfway through December, California strawberry shipments were already assured of another record-setting season in 2013. Mostly truck loadings have put out more than 193 million trays of berries, up from 191 million in 2012. Thus, with the year ending, California strawberry shipments will definately have its seventh record-setting year in the last eight seasons.
Shippers had loaded over 193 million trays as of December 13, topping the 191 million trays produced in all of 2012. Shipments continued an upward trend that began in 2006 with five straight record-setting seasons. A cold and wet spring in 2011 caused the streak to be broken, but growth in shipments has continued since.
A big reason has been an upsurge in acreage. Growers planted on 40,192 acres this year, up from 37,732 in 2012. Another factor was the use of new University of California-developed varieties that yield more fruit per acre.
However, what California had in quantity this year, too often was lacking in quality.
Strawberries are a year-round fruit in California, as winter harvests move south with the sun. The peak season is in the spring and early summer, when all three of the state’s major growing regions — around Watsonville, Santa Maria and Oxnard — are producing berries. About 85 percent of the nation’s strawberry shipments originate in California.
Some growers are switching to organic production. Organic acreage went from 1,776 in 2012 to 2,532 acres this year.
Most California strawberry shipments are now coming out of Ventura County and Orange County.
Southern California produce shipments, including strawberries – grossing about $6800 to New York City.
Hunts Point Wholesale Produce Market is the largest produce terminal in the world, moving 3 billion pounds of fruits and vegetables from 55 countries and 49 states through its stalls each year. The 113-acre complex has more than 1 million-square-feet of shop and storage space, houses 42 merchants, employs 10,000 people, and generates $2.4 billion in sales annually.
Hunts Point, located in the South Bronx, serves New York City and the tri-state area (New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut), bringing fresh produce to an ethnically diverse population of more than 23 million. The terminal facility sells to retailers, secondary wholesalers, restaurants, and other foodservice outfits.
For over 10 years Hunts Point has faced a challenge due to operating in a 1960s-era facility that’s both in need of repair and has been outgrown.
Storage is limited, and the layout was built for smaller trucks than today’s 53-foot trailers. Infrastructure (including electrical needs) is inadequate, and the cold chain is a challenge. Over the past several years, there’s been questions, if rebuilt, is there enough room on the existing campus to accommodate a new market that will last the next 50-plus years.
PRODUCE FREIGHT RATES
A combination of fewer trucks due to the economy reducing the number of owner-operators and carriers, plus fuel costs led to what wholesalers claim were record freight rates last summer.
“Freight has been very rough,” says Hunts Point wholesaler Jim Hunt. “Up until July Fourth, freight out of California to New York was astronomical, in the $8,500 to $9,000 range. Also, trucks were hard to come by, and this is something we will have to deal with going forward.”
“It gets broken down as a function of the delivered cost,” explains Hunt. Hypothetically, if freight is $8,000 or $9,000 for a 20-pallet truck, the f.o.b. price is $5 per box. And if the freight is another $5, this puts the merchant in at $10. “If you’re trying to make 15 percent, you have to gun for $12 and fall short at $11,” he said.
“If freight were to continue to go up the way it has, it would be unsustainable for the produce industry,” concedes wholesaler Matthew D’Arrigo. “But the beauty of our industry is that we don’t have government regulations setting freight rates; we have the laws of supply and demand.
By American Pistachio Association
FRESNO, Calif. —According to a long-term women’s health study recently published, women in the study who ate a one-ounce serving of tree nuts two or more times a week had a reduced risk of pancreatic cancer compared to those studied who did not include nuts in their diet. This is the first study to measure the association between pancreatic cancer risk and nut consumption. Pistachios were among the tree nuts included in the study.
More than 75,600 women were followed in the widely-recognized Nurses’ Health Study. It shows that those who consumed a 28-g (1 oz.) serving of nuts two or more times per week, significantly reduced their risk of developing pancreatic cancer, the fourth most common cause for cancer-related deaths in the U.S.
Results of this large prospective cohort study can be found online in the British Journal of Cancer. The lead author is Ying Bao, MD, ScD, from the Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass. Dr. Bao states these results were independent of established or suspected risk factors for pancreatic cancer including age, height, obesity, physical activity, smoking, diabetes and dietary factors. Also, participants could have no previous history of cancer.
In addition to pistachios, the nuts consumed by the women in the nurses study included almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts and walnuts. Documentation began in 1980 with follow up every four years through 2010. The study also showed that women with more frequent nut consumption were generally leaner, more likely to exercise, and less likely to smoke. Earlier studies have linked tree nut consumption to a reduced risk for diabetes.
The long-running Nurses’ Health Study was funded by research grants from the National Institutes of Health. This study specifically examining the association between tree nut consumption and pancreatic cancer was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and by a grant from the International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research & Education Foundation. It was also supported in part by a micro-grant from the Biomedical Research Institute at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. State cancer registries also helped with the study. The sponsors did not participate in the design and analysis or any other parts of the study or approval of the manuscript.
Pistachio Facts
Pistachios are nutrient rich and full of antioxidants, vitamins, protein and fiber. A one-ounce serving of pistachios equals 49 nuts, more per serving than any other snack nut. They are cholesterol free and contain just 1.5 grams of saturated fat and 13 grams of fat per serving, the majority of which comes from monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat. In addition, they contain a significant amount of potassium, 300-mg per serving.
About American Pistachio Growers
American Pistachio Growers (APG) is a non-profit voluntary agricultural trade association representing more than 550 grower members in California, Arizona and New Mexico. APG is governed by a democratically-elected board of directors and is funded entirely by growers and independent processors with the shared goal of increasing global awareness of nutritious American-grown pistachios. American pistachios are the “Official Snack” of USA Water Polo, big mountain snowboarder and 2013 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year Jeremy Jones, British pro cyclist Mark Cavendish and Miss California. For more information, visit AmericanPistachios.org.
Consumption of wild blueberries can help blood vessel function and health, according to new research conducted by European researchers.
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, in a study supported by the Alpro Foundation Grant and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, published the report last September.
The Wild Blueberry Association of North America in Portland, ME donated blueberry test materials (typically freeze dried powder of whole blueberries) for the study, which was conducted by researchers at the University of Reading in Reading, United Kingdom, University Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf, Germany, and the University of Northumbria, Newcastle upon Tyne, U.K.
The findings are the first to link wild blueberry polyphenols, natural compounds that are present in goods volume in wild blueberries, to improvements in vascular function in healthy men, according to a news release from the WBANA.
“Importantly, even the lowest amount of wild blueberries tested in the study, equivalent to 3/4 cup of wild blueberries, was able to improve endothelial function, which is an amount easy to incorporate into a daily diet,” Ana Rodriguez-Mateos, from the Division of Cardiology, Pulmunology and Vascular Medicine at the University of Dusseldorf, said in the release.
“The simple message is eat your fruits and vegetables in all the colors,” said David Bell, executive director of the Wild Blueberry Commission. Bell said the research on health benefits may perhaps be true for cultivated blueberries, but researchers only studied wild blueberries.
Less than one percent of Maine’s wild blueberries are sold fresh, with nearly all the harvest frozen. Maine’s growers harvest about 86 million pounds of wild blueberries annually.
Bell said there are many more health studies “in the pipeline,” with more studies using clinical human trials and also delving into the “why” behind apparent health benefits.“What I think we are figuring out is that blueberries are up regulating some (positive) genes and down regulating other (negative) genes,” he said.
Numbers are still vague, but one thing is for certain, California citrus shipments will be down this season. Florida is facing a similar situation, but for different reasons.
San Joaquin Valley citrus packers have hired extra workers for inspecting fruit as they try to separate the good from the bad after a freeze last month. Citrus industry officials are reluctant to put a percentage on the damage from nearly a dozen days of subfreezing temperatures, but some citrus packers are estimating damage at between 30 and 50 percent for the entire industry.
This year’s crop was only 15 percent harvested before the freeze hit. At the time it was estimated to be 88 million cartons, down slightly from the previous year.
California citrus and produce – grossing about $4700 to Chicago.
Florida Citrus Shipments
Florida fresh fruit shipments have declined more than 20 percent so far this season because of crop declines, smaller fruit sizes and a later start to the harvesting season.
Total fresh shipments had fallen 24.5 percent December 15, compared with the same point in the 2012-13 season and almost 30 percent compared with 2011-12. Grapefruit shipments have dropped 23.4 percent since last season, fresh oranges 25 percent and tangerines, tangelos and other specialty varieties by 26 percent.
Fresh citrus represents a much smaller segment of the Florida citrus industry, dominated by juice processing, but it is particularly important in Polk County, the top producer of tangerines and tangelos and home to three of the state’s 10 largest packinghouses in Dundee, Haines City and Lake Wales.
The first breakbulk shipment of Chilean winter fruit to arrived by boat in the U.S at the Port of Wilmington (North Carolina) on December 18th. As we get further into the winter, more frequent arrivals are occurring.
The ship held over 756,000 boxes of fresh cherries, blueberries, stone fruit, and table grapes. The imported fruit is stored in the port’s 800,000 on-dock refrigerated warehouse complex before distribution by truck to Eastern markets.
During the winter fruit season from December through April, the Port of Wilmington expects to receive at least 25 shiploads of fruit from various Chilean ports. Wilmington was the first U.S. port to receive fruit from Chile this winter.
In the 2012-13 season, the Port of Wilmington received about 18 million boxes of Chilean fruit, up 22 percent from the previous season.
Exactly how much fruit from Chile will arrive a U.S. ports, which besides Wilmington, is primarily Philadelphia, PA and Long Beach, CA, depends on a number of factors.
Naturally, Mother Nature plays a critical role and those climate conditions during the growing season in Chile has meant slower development, harvest and ultimately arrivals to the U.S. Some freezing weather at critical times also is expected to reduce total volume. Finally, depending on currency values, Chile will ship to Europe and other global markets if better profits are likely.
If you are under 35 years of age, you are twice as likely to buy more organic over the next year than older counterparts, according to new IGD research.
Some 18 per cent of this age group want to use specialist stores, like butchers and greengrocers, more in the future compared to only nine per cent of the over-35 age group.
Shoppers aged under 35 are also more likely than their older counterparts to shop ethically and cook from scratch.
And almost 30 per cent of under 35s think they will be better off in a year’s time.
Joanne Denney-Finch, chief executive of IGD, said these trends provide opportunities for retailers and food manufacturers to target younger shoppers with marketing and new products that will chime with their more optimistic outlook.
She said: “As well as wanting to do the right thing, younger people are more interested in cooking from scratch, using leftovers to waste less, and spending more on food and drink to make a nice meal if they have spare money at the end of the month.
“It’s encouraging that younger people are so optimistic about the future and also more likely to want to make a difference to the world. Shoppers under 35 are more interested in considering a retailer’s values and approach to sourcing products.”
By The NPD Group
The recently released Harvard study on the health benefits of eating nuts just confirmed what health conscious consumers already know, that nuts are good for you, reports The NPD Group, a leading global information company. NPD’s food market research finds that nuts rank among the top 10 snack-oriented convenience foods for U.S. consumers motivated by health and weight needs.
Nuts are a popular snack for breakfast and morning snack but are eaten throughout the day by health and weight conscious consumers who want a nutritious, natural, better-for-you snack, according to NPD’s Snacking in America report, which examines long-term attitudes and behaviors about snacking as well as snack selection drivers. Consumers who are motivated to choose nuts and other better-for-you snacks based on health and weight needs tend to be seniors and empty nesters, adult females, and higher income households.
The consumption of nuts is not limited to the health and weight conscious. Seventy-seven percent of U.S. households have nuts or seeds on-hand and 19 percent of individuals eat nuts at least once in a two week period, finds NPD. Nuts are consumed primarily as an in-home snack but are often incorporated into morning, lunch, and dinner meals. In addition to its choice as a healthier snack, nuts are also popular among consumers looking for a filling or a quick, convenient snack.
“Whether to meet the needs of the health and weight conscious or as an easy grab-and-go snack, nuts are a popular choice among snackers,” says Darren Seifer, food and beverage industry analyst. “Food manufacturers and retailers have a variety of options and audiences for marketing nuts.”
It’s New Year’s Day and pardon me if I reflect a bit on the past year.
As for this website, HaulProduce.com, I can’t thank each of you enough for visting the website. Apparently you are finding it useful in your business. That was my whole purpose in launcing this site nearly two years ago.
I receive calls on a regular basis, and in many cases when you are looking for produce loads. Some of you call under the impression I am either a carrier, logistics company or a truck broker – none of which I pretend to be. Haul Produce.com, much like the radio reports I did for nearly 20 years (known at the Produce Truckers Network) provided produce reports on loading opportunities, quality of product you’d be hauling and a general idea of what kind of a gross freight rate you should receive.
Our number of visits to the website continue to increase. It has a relatively new feature, where you can subscribe for free, which continues to have more people in the trucking industry signing up. With the free subscription, you receive an e-mail consisting of a paragraph relating to the most recent post. If that bit of information interests you, you can click on the e-mail link and read to the whole story.
Again, thank you for your support. If you know of a fellow trucker or someone in the trucking industry who may benefit from the HaulProduce.com website, please let them know about us.
God bless you, your family and business in the New Year. — Bill and Vivian Martin
“Save the best for last” is not only a good quote, but it is also a very good principle to live by. The idea being that you should always finish with the best. A lot of my friends have commented on how they have had more fun in life as they have gotten older. While engaging in a similar conversation recently, I paused to think a bit more about the recent comments I had heard, and then I wondered why getting older was viewed so differently by so many people.
On one hand, aging brings with it the typical aches and pains of the passing years, and on the other hand it brings with it a freedom of the social pressures that years of living in the rat race has produced. After a decade of retirement I can truly say that it has, so far, been the best years of my life. Maybe it is the freedom to do what you want when you want , or maybe it is the social freedom of not having to care or worry about much of anything, with the exception of a beer shortage of course. And another aging phenomenon is the fact that the older males of our species seem to attract younger women as we age.
Now don’t get me wrong, getting old is not for the faint hearted. It takes some planning and preparation to enter this phase of life properly. Not everybody is cut out to be a senior citizen. The first thing you have to do is deal with the inevitability of it. Regardless of how many face lifts, boob jobs, tummy tucks, butt lifts, or surgery you have, you are still going to age. And if you don’t watch out you can easily end up looking like “The Joker” in the Batman movies. Just ask Joan Rivers. You have to admit that Jack Nicholson looks better as The Joker than Joan does, even with all the help from her surgeon. Somehow I just can’t help think Joan would have been better off learning to deal with getting older.
Getting older has an enormous potential for enjoying life. For one thing, older people can get away with a whole lot more, and nobody knows what you’re really up to. The younger crowd is clueless about your motives and they think you are just senile. One of the best military tactics is to get into a position where your enemy underestimates you. Then you have the advantage.
Being the older person in a younger group commands a bit of respect. When the younger ones get in a pickle you just smile and politely say “been there, done that” and they think you have the wisdom that the years visibly show.
Advanced age provides a new set of social opportunities as well. Younger women don’t view you as a threat. You’re kind of like the old neutered squirrel who lives in the great big pecan tree. You can now hang out with the babes without getting into trouble with your wife. After all, your wife knows you’re harmless, and at your age you deserve a little change in latitude.
I have found it’s always good to take up a little drinking as you get older. This does require that you learn something about booze. For that you should join some social drinking clubs. They provide a knowledge base for social drinking that you can share with the younger folks. This gives you an air of sophistication and class that you probably never had when you were younger. Be creative in your old age. Don’t be afraid to come up with interesting things to do. Party a lot, and never take anything too serious. Nothing is more of a turn-off than a serious old codger carping about some meaningless trivia.
Always smile a lot and try to look empathetic. Women and liberals love empathy. Never mind that empathy never solved any problems in life or put a man on the moon. That’s not the point. Empathy is “in” today, so practice some empathetic facial expressions in the mirror to use when the need arises.
One final note. Always give big tips. You can’t take it with you, and you sure don’t want to leave much for your children. Too much will take away their sense of accomplishment and self worth. If you wake up some day and find yourself feeling sorry for yourself because your getting older, just follow my advise above. And if you get into trouble just remember the disclaimer in fine print….
DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME
Larry Oscar is a graduate from the University of Tulsa and holds a degree in electrical engineering. He is retired and lives with his wife on a lake in Oklahoma where he brews his own beer, sails, and is a member of numerous clubs and organizations.
About halfway through December, California strawberry shipments were already assured of another record-setting season in 2013. Mostly truck loadings have put out more than 193 million trays of berries, up from 191 million in 2012. Thus, with the year ending, California strawberry shipments will definately have its seventh record-setting year in the last eight seasons.Shippers had loaded over 193 million trays as of December 13, topping the 191 million trays produced in all of 2012. Shipments continued an upward trend that began in 2006 with five straight record-setting seasons. A cold and wet spring in 2011 caused the streak to be broken, but growth in shipments has continued since.
A big reason has been an upsurge in acreage. Growers planted on 40,192 acres this year, up from 37,732 in 2012. Another factor was the use of new University of California-developed varieties that yield more fruit per acre.
However, what California had in quantity this year, too often was lacking in quality.
Strawberries are a year-round fruit in California, as winter harvests move south with the sun. The peak season is in the spring and early summer, when all three of the state’s major growing regions — around Watsonville, Santa Maria and Oxnard — are producing berries. About 85 percent of the nation’s strawberry shipments originate in California.
Some growers are switching to organic production. Organic acreage went from 1,776 in 2012 to 2,532 acres this year.
Most California strawberry shipments are now coming out of Ventura County and Orange County.
Southern California produce shipments, including strawberries – grossing about $6800 to New York City.
Hunts Point Wholesale Produce Market is the largest produce terminal in the world, moving 3 billion pounds of fruits and vegetables from 55 countries and 49 states through its stalls each year. The 113-acre complex has more than 1 million-square-feet of shop and storage space, houses 42 merchants, employs 10,000 people, and generates $2.4 billion in sales annually.
Hunts Point, located in the South Bronx, serves New York City and the tri-state area (New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut), bringing fresh produce to an ethnically diverse population of more than 23 million. The terminal facility sells to retailers, secondary wholesalers, restaurants, and other foodservice outfits.
For over 10 years Hunts Point has faced a challenge due to operating in a 1960s-era facility that’s both in need of repair and has been outgrown.
Storage is limited, and the layout was built for smaller trucks than today’s 53-foot trailers. Infrastructure (including electrical needs) is inadequate, and the cold chain is a challenge. Over the past several years, there’s been questions, if rebuilt, is there enough room on the existing campus to accommodate a new market that will last the next 50-plus years.
PRODUCE FREIGHT RATES
A combination of fewer trucks due to the economy reducing the number of owner-operators and carriers, plus fuel costs led to what wholesalers claim were record freight rates last summer.
“Freight has been very rough,” says Hunts Point wholesaler Jim Hunt. “Up until July Fourth, freight out of California to New York was astronomical, in the $8,500 to $9,000 range. Also, trucks were hard to come by, and this is something we will have to deal with going forward.”
“It gets broken down as a function of the delivered cost,” explains Hunt. Hypothetically, if freight is $8,000 or $9,000 for a 20-pallet truck, the f.o.b. price is $5 per box. And if the freight is another $5, this puts the merchant in at $10. “If you’re trying to make 15 percent, you have to gun for $12 and fall short at $11,” he said.
“If freight were to continue to go up the way it has, it would be unsustainable for the produce industry,” concedes wholesaler Matthew D’Arrigo. “But the beauty of our industry is that we don’t have government regulations setting freight rates; we have the laws of supply and demand.
By American Pistachio Association
FRESNO, Calif. —According to a long-term women’s health study recently published, women in the study who ate a one-ounce serving of tree nuts two or more times a week had a reduced risk of pancreatic cancer compared to those studied who did not include nuts in their diet. This is the first study to measure the association between pancreatic cancer risk and nut consumption. Pistachios were among the tree nuts included in the study.
More than 75,600 women were followed in the widely-recognized Nurses’ Health Study. It shows that those who consumed a 28-g (1 oz.) serving of nuts two or more times per week, significantly reduced their risk of developing pancreatic cancer, the fourth most common cause for cancer-related deaths in the U.S.
Results of this large prospective cohort study can be found online in the British Journal of Cancer. The lead author is Ying Bao, MD, ScD, from the Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass. Dr. Bao states these results were independent of established or suspected risk factors for pancreatic cancer including age, height, obesity, physical activity, smoking, diabetes and dietary factors. Also, participants could have no previous history of cancer.
In addition to pistachios, the nuts consumed by the women in the nurses study included almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts and walnuts. Documentation began in 1980 with follow up every four years through 2010. The study also showed that women with more frequent nut consumption were generally leaner, more likely to exercise, and less likely to smoke. Earlier studies have linked tree nut consumption to a reduced risk for diabetes.
The long-running Nurses’ Health Study was funded by research grants from the National Institutes of Health. This study specifically examining the association between tree nut consumption and pancreatic cancer was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and by a grant from the International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research & Education Foundation. It was also supported in part by a micro-grant from the Biomedical Research Institute at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. State cancer registries also helped with the study. The sponsors did not participate in the design and analysis or any other parts of the study or approval of the manuscript.
Pistachio Facts
Pistachios are nutrient rich and full of antioxidants, vitamins, protein and fiber. A one-ounce serving of pistachios equals 49 nuts, more per serving than any other snack nut. They are cholesterol free and contain just 1.5 grams of saturated fat and 13 grams of fat per serving, the majority of which comes from monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat. In addition, they contain a significant amount of potassium, 300-mg per serving.
About American Pistachio Growers
American Pistachio Growers (APG) is a non-profit voluntary agricultural trade association representing more than 550 grower members in California, Arizona and New Mexico. APG is governed by a democratically-elected board of directors and is funded entirely by growers and independent processors with the shared goal of increasing global awareness of nutritious American-grown pistachios. American pistachios are the “Official Snack” of USA Water Polo, big mountain snowboarder and 2013 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year Jeremy Jones, British pro cyclist Mark Cavendish and Miss California. For more information, visit AmericanPistachios.org.
Consumption of wild blueberries can help blood vessel function and health, according to new research conducted by European researchers.
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, in a study supported by the Alpro Foundation Grant and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, published the report last September.
The Wild Blueberry Association of North America in Portland, ME donated blueberry test materials (typically freeze dried powder of whole blueberries) for the study, which was conducted by researchers at the University of Reading in Reading, United Kingdom, University Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf, Germany, and the University of Northumbria, Newcastle upon Tyne, U.K.
The findings are the first to link wild blueberry polyphenols, natural compounds that are present in goods volume in wild blueberries, to improvements in vascular function in healthy men, according to a news release from the WBANA.
“Importantly, even the lowest amount of wild blueberries tested in the study, equivalent to 3/4 cup of wild blueberries, was able to improve endothelial function, which is an amount easy to incorporate into a daily diet,” Ana Rodriguez-Mateos, from the Division of Cardiology, Pulmunology and Vascular Medicine at the University of Dusseldorf, said in the release.
“The simple message is eat your fruits and vegetables in all the colors,” said David Bell, executive director of the Wild Blueberry Commission. Bell said the research on health benefits may perhaps be true for cultivated blueberries, but researchers only studied wild blueberries.
Less than one percent of Maine’s wild blueberries are sold fresh, with nearly all the harvest frozen. Maine’s growers harvest about 86 million pounds of wild blueberries annually.
Bell said there are many more health studies “in the pipeline,” with more studies using clinical human trials and also delving into the “why” behind apparent health benefits.“What I think we are figuring out is that blueberries are up regulating some (positive) genes and down regulating other (negative) genes,” he said.