Author Archive

Florida tomato shipments from the Homestead area will pretty end this week and will be followed by Immokalee next week.   This is the beginning of a seasonal northward shift in tomato loadings.  Trucks are already loading  grape and cherry tomatoes from the Ruskin, Fla., area. Romas and round tomatoes should get underway about April 20.  However, it will probably be May 1st before there is significant volume.

In Georgia, greens from central and southern areas of the state continue to be shipped. Cumbers and squash shipments get underway around June 1….  Vidalia onions from southeastern Georgia are increasing in volume, and so far no significant quality problems have not been appearing from a lot of rain that fell during March.

North Carolina continues to be the largest shipper of sweet potatoes, and loadings are fairly steady from week to week.  Most shippers are in the eastern part of the state.

New York state continues shipping storage onions, although some shippers have finished up their season….New York’s Hudson Valley is still loading a few apples, and the same can be said for apples coming out of Pennyslvania.

Michigan is shipping about 120 truckloads of potatoes a week.

There is similar potato volume with spuds being loaded for far northern Maine’s Aroostrock County.

Florida mixed veggies – grossing about $2500 to New York City.

Georgia greens  – $2200 to Philly.

North Carolina sweet potatoes – $1500 to Atlanta.

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SALINAS, CA – Royal  Rose Radicchio has officially been certified as an Antioxidant-rich SUPERFOOD TM by SCS Global Services. While radicchio has long been regarded as a “health food,” this official certification elevates Royal Rose Radicchio to a new level, alongside nutritional powerhouses like spinach, blueberries, broccoli, green tea, and pomegranates. Foods are certified as a SUPERFOODS only when they meet or exceed exceptional levels of bioflavonoids, known as Anthocyanidins, that carry amazing health values. An independent lab tested and evaluated Royal Rose Radicchio from several ranches and seed variations. Royal Rose’s signature red vegetable exceeded all USDA Flavonoid averages for Anthocyanidins (Cyanidin) and meets 20% of the daily requirement in just one little serving.

Many of today’s most popular diets that are associated with improved health and longevity, such as the Mediterranean diet, the French diet, and the Japanese diet, emphasize the medicinal properties of food and the importance of heavy vegetable and fruit consumption. These diets rich in fruits, vegetables, and grains contain vital antioxidants that boost health and energy levels. Research surrounding such traditional diets suggests that changes to the American diet could help address obesity, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases currently plaguing the United States today.

“This certification confirms Royal Rose Radicchio’s place among the SUPERFOOD super stars,” said Royal Rose President Dennis Donohue. “Our focus now will shift to helping more health conscious consumers access this delicious, unique, and versatile vegetable.”

Royal Rose Radicchio is healthy for reasons beyond antioxidants as well. The company’s farm-fresh radicchio varietals are high in Vitamin A, B, C, and K, which are most easily absorbed and utilized by the body when consumed through foods, than through supplements.  Royal Rose Radicchio also has exceptionally high dietary fiber levels, allowing you to feel fuller, longer and to effectively remove waste from your body.

Expect more big announcements from Royal Rose in the coming months, as the company’s innovative leadership further explores the company’s signature HOT SALADS, promising to introduce America to a new way to enjoy the fresh, SUPERFOOD certified produce in both organic and conventional lines. Royal Rose is committed to making it easy and tasty to put the healthiest of vegetables at the center of the plate – introducing dishes like crisp Treviso on the grill and hearty red radicchio in the pan. Read more about Royal Rose’s HOT SALADS here.

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by California Walnut Commission
FOLSOM, Calif. — Recent research published online by the Journal of Nutrition, found an inverse relationship between walnut consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes in two large prospective cohorts of U.S. women: the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and NHS II. The researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health followed 58,063 women (52–77 years) in NHS (1998–2008) and 79,893 women (35–52 years) in NHS II (1999–2009) without diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or cancer at baseline. They found two or more servings (1 serving= 28 grams) of walnuts per week to be associated with a 21% and 15% lower risk of incident type 2 diabetes before and after adjusting for body mass index (BMI) respectively.

Diabetes is estimated to affect 12.6 million women in the United States[1] and 366 million people worldwide[2], and the numbers are expected to rise to approximately 552 million globally by 2030[3]. Diet and lifestyle modifications are key components in fighting this epidemic, and recent evidence suggests that the type of fat rather than total fat intake plays an important role in the development of type 2 diabetes. Specifically, a higher level of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), found significantly in walnuts, has been associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.

Compared with other nuts, which typically contain a high amount of monounsaturated fats, walnuts are unique because they are rich in PUFAs which may favorably influence insulin resistance and risk of type 2 diabetes. Walnuts are different among nuts specifically in that they are uniquely comprised primarily of PUFAs and are the only nut with a significant amount of alpha-linolenic acid – the plant-based omega-3 fatty acid (2.5 grams of ALA per 1 ounce/ 28 gram serving).

Diabetes and obesity expert David Katz , MD considers walnuts to be a nutritious ingredient that should be a staple in the American diet. “Observational studies can’t prove cause and effect, but when associations are seen in large populations, and occur in a well established context- cause and effect may reliably be inferred,” states Dr. Katz. He continues, “The findings here- the kind often seen with powerful pharmaceuticals- are robust, and remarkable. They strongly indicate the importance of consuming whole foods, such as walnuts, in the fight against diabetes.”

Registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator Andrea Dunn believes this new research is good news especially considering walnuts are tasty and simple to include daily. “In this study two or more servings of walnuts per week seemed to make a difference and is so easy to incorporate,” says Dunn. She suggests adding walnuts to your morning oatmeal or yogurt, grabbing a handful as an afternoon snack or trying them as a coating for fish or as a topping to your vegetable stir-fry.

For more industry information, health research and recipe ideas, visit www.walnuts.org

About California Walnuts:
The California walnut industry is made up of more than 4,000 growers and more than 80 handlers. The growers and handlers are represented by two entities, the California Walnut Board (CWB) and the California Walnut Commission (CWC).

California Walnut Commission
The California Walnut Commission, established in 1987, is funded by mandatory assessments of the growers. The Commission is an agency of the State of California that works in concurrence with the Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). The CWC is mainly involved in health research and export market development activities.

Non-Discrimination Statement
The California Walnut Commission (CWC) prohibits discrimination in all programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance programs. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact the CWC offices at (916) 922-5888. To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). CWC is an equal opportunity employer and provider.

The California Walnut Commission offices are located at 101 Parkshore Dr., Ste. #250, Folsom, CA 95630

[1] http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/diabetes-statistics/
[2] http://www.idf.org/diabetesatlas/5e/diabetes
[3] http://www.idf.org/diabetesatlas/5e/diabetes

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It’s been cold in the southeastern USA.  However, there’s also been periods of warmer weather.  As a result, volume shipments of blueberries from Florida  will probably occur about on schedule, around the middle to late April.  Georgia follows within a week or so.

Florida tomatoes seemed to have dodged the proverbial “weather” bullet more than many produce items this season.  Volume is moderate and increasing with the state averaging about 800 truckloads of tomatoes a week…..Sweet corn shipments, particular the first half of the shipping season will be much lighter than normal, due to weather factors….Citrus shipments have been a disappointment out of Florida this year, but lighter than normal loadings are still taking place.

In Georgia, a freeze in late March is requiring replantings to some items such as watermelons and beans.  However, the damaging frost certainly wasn’t a blanket across the state and some fields went unscathed.   Information on shipments for Georgia peaches should be available soon.

In Southeastern Georgia, a few Vidalia sweet onions are being harvested, but we’re another week away before harvesting really picks up, and probably another two weeks for loading opportunities really increase.  Normal volume is being predicted.  Hopefully, quality problems will not start showing up as result of a lot of rain during March.

Georgia kale and other greens – grossing about $2400 to New York City.

Southern Florida vegetables – about $2000 to Chicago.

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Wm. Consalo & Son Inc. was one of New Jersey’s best known and respected produce companies for over 80 years and has shut down its operations and plans to liquidate assets to satisfy creditors.  The only problem with this is under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA), if truckers are owed any money, there probably won’t be any left by the time produce industry related debts are paid. 

John Molinelli Inc., a freight shipping and trucking company headquarted in Vineland, NJ, is owed $38,000.  The firm filed a lawsuit against Consalo on March 1 and a consent injunction was entered March 26 in U.S. District Court in the District of New Jersey, Camden Vicinage, thus putting in motion the PACA Trust claims procedure. Debt covered by the PACA Trust receives first consideration and will be paid before money owed other creditors, including truckers, are paid.

There are nearly 50 creditors owed about $3.3 million.   How much of this debt will be covered by the PACA Trust is not yet known.

Creditors will be notified by May 1 and will have through the month ofl May to file a proof of claim,.  This will be reviewed by attorneys.  Funds are scheduled for distribution to creditors on August 23.

Consalo was founded in 1927 in Vineland, NJ, by William Consalo.

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Shipments are starting a transition period from the deserts of California and Arizona to the San Joaquin Valley’s Huron district, as well as the Salinas Valley for vegetables.  At least for the time being your best loading opportunities for veggies is still the desert.  Like most areas of the country and Mexico, California has had cooler than normal weather, which is slowing down the transistion.  But it will happen, within the next few weeks as we approach the month of May.

Iceberg and leaf lettuce shipments have been going pretty heavy recently from Yuma, while volume is substantially less out of California’s Imperial Valley.  Whether there will be a gap in shipments as the transition to northern growing areas takes place, is still a little hazy.

When loading desert vegetables you still need to watch what’s going into the trailers.  Lettuce in particular continues to be affected from the recent hot weather and there may still be some heat related damages.  Crops suffered some dehydration, and wilting on leafy items. Also look for tip burn, internal burn and even sunscald on the outer leaves of Iceberg and romaine.

Meanwhile, strawberry shipments continue out of Southern California, along with good volume of avocados.

Southern California produce – grossing about $7300 to Boston.

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While Chilean nectarines and peach imports are pretty much finished, there are still some Chilean plums arriving at USA ports – and here is a word of caution.

Late season varieties have been having some quality issues, so you need to use extra care before loading any Chilean stone fruit.

Some bad arrivals at ports have been reported with the fruit having mold, plus being hard with a “blackish” color.  When the product was picked too green, or held too long in storage is up to speculation.

Chilean nectarine and peach volumes are about 10 percent below last season, with plum arrivals up plum volumes were up 10 percent.  This may have compounded the problem  because a lot of  fruit  was being delayed being placed on boats until other fruit arrived to help fill out the ship. 

Some Chilean plums will continue to arrive at USA ports through April.  Just be on the lookout for maturay and decay issues with the fruit.

Grapes

Some laste season Chilean grapes also are showing quality problems.

Grapes arriving after the deadline set by a USDA’s  marketing order must be U.S. grade No. 1, before the product can be sold and transported and sold to the consumers.

After the April 10th marketing order date, the grapes will have to be inspected for U.S. 1.  Since only a very small sampling of grapes are inspected, there is plenty of room for error.

A dock workers strike in Chilean isn’t helping matters eithers and may be contributing to some shipping delays.

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Mexican mixed vegetables such as cucumbers and squash continue into the latter part of the season crossing the border at Nogales, AZ.

Over 600 truckloads per week of Mexican tomatoes, both vine ripes and greenhouse grown, are also crossing the border, and volume is increasing.  Less than 200 truckloads of Mexican watermelons are coming through Nogales each week, but volume also is on the rise.

With the large hispanic population in the USA, a lot of mangoes from Mexico are being shipped to destinations across the USA.  The following figures include Mexico exports not only to the USA, but other desitinations, but you can be this country is one of the largest markets, if not the largest receiver of this tropical fruit.

For the week ending March 30th, Mexico shipped approximately 1.4 million boxes for a total of 7.6 million boxes representing 8% more than the previous week.
•Compared to the same week last year, Mexico shipped approximately 1.4 million boxes for a total of 7.4 million boxes in 2012.
•Projections for the next two weeks are 1.6 million and 2.1 million boxes respectively.

Although we are a month or so away from table grape loadings, the Mexican crop is shaping up as big,  with good quality, although cold and wet weather south of the border has slowed the vineyards by a week to 10 days later than it usually is.  Volume grape shipments are not expected until around  May 22-24, which will be too late for delivery to most buyers for distribution to stores  for the  Memorial Day weekend.  The holiday is Monday May 28th.

In South Texas, a wide variety of Mexican products are crossing the border ranging from tomatoes to potatoes, pineapples, onions, etc.  There are about 750 truckloads of Mexican avocados crossing at McAllen each week.

On this side of the border, shipments of Texas citrus, as well as sweet onions are continuing.   Just south of San Antonio, cabbage is being shipped out of the Winter Garden District.

South Texas produce – grossing about $3000 to Chicago.

Nogales, AZ produce – about $4000 to Atlanta.

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For those of you hauling Chilean table grapes from distribution centers located near several USA ports, a somewhat dicey situation will probably become a littler dicer.

The problem is late season Chilean grape quality is already becoming suspect.  Not only are importers acknowledging this, but I’ve witness it in my purchases at my local supermarket.

There a  strike at a major Chilean port  and it will likely delay the arrival of late-season grapes in the U.S. beyond the deadline for shipping fruit of a certain quality.

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(This is an editorial from the California Construction Trucking Association.  Although the group represents truckers such as dump truck haulers and others, these rules will also adversely affect produce truckers and most other types of haulers.)

Based on the December 19^th decision from the U.S. Circuit Court in our case “CDTOA(CCTA) v. CARB” (22 months after we filed our original suit), we now have to include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a defendant if we choose to appeal our case. EPA approved the California Air Resources Board (CARB) state implementation plan (SIP) during our suit and it apparently changes the dynamics of the case – that’s at least what the judge said.

We’ve discussed various legal strategies with our attorneys and, on January 10, 2013, told them to proceed and file the Notice of Appeal with the 9^th Circuit Court in our legal action against the CARB heavy-duty on-road truck and bus regulation. The Notice of Appeal was officially filed on January 16.

Our case is the only active legal challenge to the truck and bus rule, which threatens the future of all small and medium-sized motor carriers and bus company owners in the state – and the rule will be adopted by other states if our case is unsuccessful.  If we are successful in this litigation, it will open the door to challenges of all the other California diesel regulations, so the stakes are too high to be ignored.

This is why we can’t just forget all the reasons behind our litigation and let CARB and EPA keep taking our equipment based on junk “science” claims. The statement below succinctly explains what we are facing and why we should not let this happen. We have continually exposed the fraud and corruption within the academic and public agency health community and their “science” that is the justification behind this government taking of our once-valuable equipment; it defines our struggle:

“The Clean Air Act charges the EPA with setting air pollution health standards and subsequent enforcement of those standards. But this means that federal and state regulators decide when their own jobs are finished as those standards are met. Not surprisingly, no matter how clean the air, the EPA and CARB continues to find ‘unacceptable risks.’  The EPA and state regulators’ powers and budgets, as well as most environmental groups like the NRDC, depend on a continued public perception that there is a serious problem to solve with our air and environment. These same regulators are the major funders of the health effects research intended to demonstrate the need for more regulation. They provide millions of dollars (public funds) each year to environmental groups and unfortunately, corrupt academic researchers who then use the money to augment public fear of every imaginable pollutant (real or not) and then seek increases in regulators’ powers – especially through our court system. These conflicts of interest largely explain the ubiquitous exaggeration of air pollution levels and risks, even as air quality and related public health has dramatically improved.”

We firmly believe, as this statement accurately explains, there will never be an end to claims of “unacceptable” health effects, environmental risks and unsubstantiated claims of premature deaths, even if diesel engines are 100% clean. The “science” behind all of this has been propagated in secret; some by a CARB employee who lied about his academic credentials, the underlying report data was never allowed to be examined by objective third-party reviewers and is now mostly propaganda perpetuating a huge deception – a deception that now threatens the existence of many small business owners, many of which are minorities within the transportation industry.

Given the perpetual motion of this scientific scare machine, the regulatory justification for more regulations will move from diesel and PM2.5 to natural gas and its unique emissions, to CO₂ and global warming as environmental activists in and out of government struggle to perpetuate their cause. More absurd health claims will become their justification to further regulate, holding the trucker, bus owner and small business equipment owner as the sole party responsible for equipment upgrades even though they complied with U.S. EPA standards at time of sale.

The proponents of these regulations often justify their over-regulation by citing the availability of special public funding to subsidize equipment replacement, but there are two things wrong with this claim. First, there may be millions in the funding basket, but the replacement costs will run into the tens of billions, just in California. Second, virtually all of the money given for subsidies so far has actually gone to large-scale operators who naturally turn over their trucks on a regular three-to-five year cycle and thus will never be faced with the forced elimination of their vehicles like vocational and small businesses owners are. These small business owners ironically were the primary “recyclers” of these commercial vehicles sold or traded by the same large carriers.

We believe that as soon as 2018, EPA and CARB will be establishing new regulations, which will cause those involved with commercial transportation to again have to replace their “new” diesel trucks and buses with natural gas powered vehicles. Interestingly, natural gas has its own problems with “different” and allegedly “more dangerous” vapor emissions versus diesel. Also, depending upon the source of the natural gas and the liquefaction efficiency rate, natural gas can reduce CO₂ emissions by about 20 percent, but methane can be a by-product of its use and might be 20-times more potent than CO₂ as a greenhouse gas. As LNG in fuel tanks warms, methane is released to the environment through a pressure relief valve. In fact, depending upon ambient temperatures, a parked LNG truck could vent most of its fuel over a 7-10 day period. The venting of methane from trucks parked over a short period could result in a net increase in greenhouse gas emissions compared to diesel fuel. Compressed natural gas (CNG) is not practical in a weight sensitive and efficient business environment.

From what we have seen dating back as far as 1998, new studies from the UC Schools of Public Health and those academics within that depend on grants will come pouring out, claiming that natural gas combustion vapors (even filtered), methane and CO₂ are also deadly and will call for new technology replacements within 10 years or less. Assuming technology is available, there will likely be requirements for hydrogen/electric hybrids and then the “battery recycling crisis” will be upon us due to “heavy metal pollution.” There will be no end to this – ever.

CCTA members are all for clean air; we all breathe, have kids and grandkids and wish for them a safe environment. In fact, CCTA is, arguably one of the most proactive transportation associations in California working with CARB. We have pushed extensively for logical regulations and reasonable enforcement. On December 8, 2008, during the regulatory hearings to adopt these on-road diesel engine regulations, we provided a thoughtful and well-reasoned eight page report containing 15 unique suggestions that CARB should have considered in implementing these regulations (http://www.arb.ca.gov/lispub/comm/bccomdisp.php?listname=truckbus08&comment_num=921&virt_num=435). Sadly and telling, not one was even considered – proving the agency’s total lack of reasonableness and commitment to actually working with small businesses in our industry.

We agree with those who believe CARB’s regulatory over-reach has allowed them to “take” our vehicles through fines and regulatory requirements. The Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prohibits, “private property” (including personal property like a vehicle) from being taken for public use without just compensation. We believe the loss of use through forced replacement is identical to taking “for public use.” The loss of value of this equipment can be measured in terms of hundreds of millions of dollars due to these regulations. One would be hard pressed to say this has no effect on a motor carriers costs, services and routes.

By enforcing rules and regulations instituted against vehicles operated in the state, after being approved as compliant with all existing environmental regulatory standards when they were built and sold, also constitutes an ex post facto law, which is a law that retroactively changes the legal consequences (or status) of actions committed or relationships that existed prior to the enactment of the law. The federal government, including the EPA, is prohibited from passing ex post facto laws by Clause 3, Article I, Section 9 of the U.S. Constitution and the states are prohibited from the same by Clause 1, Article I, Section 10. We believe that the CARB diesel engine regulations are also a violation of the sovereign rights of other states and even businesses based in foreign countries that may operate within this state.

Another problem is that instead of the engine and truck manufacturers (billion dollar businesses) being held responsible for their diesel engines, the person (mostly small business owners) in this equation who can least afford it, are solely responsible for this retroactive compliance regulation. When the health claims behind all of these regulations are based on secret junk science and are clearly a lie, as is the case today, this government taking of our equipment needs to be stopped.

Unfortunately, our counsel suggests that cases associated with “taking” heard by the courts involving government regulations are extremely difficult to win even though there is a clear and well-reasoned argument. Therefore, we believe we have a stronger case, based on existing federal laws including the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act of 1994 (FAAAA) and the Commerce Clause (U. S. Constitution Article I, Section 8, Clause 3) and related Supreme Court decisions. We intend to use these existing federal laws to push our challenges forward.

This may be the last opportunity for our industry to ever challenge the EPA/CARB diesel engine regulations in a meaningful way as time, money and regulatory “winner and loser” politics whittle away at our industry’s capacity to fight it. For these and other reasons, it is our intent to proceed with legal actions as suggested by counsel.

We hope this message resonates with the construction and commercial transportation industries within California, the rest of the U.S., Canada and Mexico and those with the will and vision, will play a supporting role in this historic effort.

 Lee Brown
Executive Director
California Construction Trucking Association

(Note: The California Dump Truck Owners Association name was changed to the California Construction Trucking Association on January 1, 2012)

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