Author Archive
On any given day there will 100 or more trucks either loading or unloading on the Atlanta State Farmers Market. Most of those loads involve fresh fruits and vegetables.
The original market was actually located on Atlanta’s West End district in 1939 before moving to its current location in 1959. It has since expanded into a 150-acre compound housing everything from cold storages, docks, offices for wholesalers, brokers and others, as well having a resturant, police force and other agencies and facilities.
The Atlanta produce market is owned by the state of Georgia and operated by the Georgia Department of Agriculture Markets Division. It is located a middle-class industrial district about 10 miles south of downtown Atlanta and only a couple of miles from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
Rail lines crisscross the property. The complex is just off the east side of Interstate 75 and only a couple of blocks south of Interstates 85 and 20, providing easy access from the to the Southeastern USA.
The market’s Oak Room restaurant has a large, varied menu with good food, which of course serves produce fresh from the marketplace.
Georgia has about a dozen state farmers scattered around the state, which are home to more than 150 companies employing 3,700 farmers, packers, retailers, receivers, and staff with an estimated payroll over $75 million. The Atlanta market is home to 85 percent of those businesses. In 2009, those markets brought in receipts totaling almost $1 billion. The Atlanta market brought in more than half that amount and operates in the black with revenues of almost $6 million last year.
Potatoes and onions, c
ommonly known as “hardware items” because they are less perishable and generally pose fewer problems when hauling, also normally do not pay as good a freight as most more perishable items. However, the further into fall and the closer to winter, overall fresh fruit and vegetable volume declines, and so do freight rates — and loading opportunties. Therefore, if nothing more than out of necessity potatoes and onions begin looking more attractive if you want or need to haul produce.
Oregon Onions
In the Snake River area of Oregon there is good demand heading into winter for trucks. An early start of the shipping season combined with fewer onions means less product is left for shipping than normal. Truck loads could be down 15-20% for Treasure Valley growers, due to the fourth-hottest summer on record and other weather-related issues. Fewer onions mean shippers are having less difficulty finding enough trucks to move product.
Idaho-Oregon Onions
Around the border area of Western Idaho and Malheur County, OR, nearly 700 truckloads of storage onions are being shipped weekly.
Washington-Oregon Onions and Potatoes
Similar volume with onion shipments are available from the border area of the Columbia Basin in Washington and the Umatilla Basin of Oregon. In Northwest Washington, just north of Seattle is light volume with red and white potatoes from the Skagit Valley.
Idaho Potatoes
The nation’s largest volume potato shipper has another huge crop this year. The state is averaging around 1500 truck load equivalents per week, although a significant amount of these potatoes are loaded in rail cars.
Colorado Potatoes and Onions
Storage onions are being shipped from Colorado’s Western Slope, near Olathe, and will continue well into January. Excellent quality is reported. Loads have been moving out of the area at a brisk pace in part because of Colorado’s freight advantage over western shippers….In south-central Colorado is the San Luis Valley, which is shipping around 750 truck loads of spuds per week.
Colorado potatoes – grossing about $1800 to Dallas.
Idaho potatoes – about $5500 to New York City.
Columbia Basin/Umatilla Basin (Washington and Oregon) potatoes and onions – about $4200 to Chicago.
Eating an apple a day might in fact help keep the cardiologist away, according 
to research from Ohio State University.
In a study of healthy, middle-aged adults, consumption of one apple a day for four weeks lowered by 40 percent blood levels of a substance linked to hardening of the arteries.
Taking capsules containing polyphenols, a type of antioxidant found in apples, had a similar, but not as large, effect.
The study, funded by an apple industry group, found that the apples lowered blood levels of oxidized LDL — low-density lipoprotein, the “bad” cholesterol. When LDL cholesterol interacts with free radicals to become oxidized, the cholesterol is more likely to promote inflammation and can cause tissue damage.
“When LDL becomes oxidized, it takes on a form that begins atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries,” lead researcher Robert DiSilvestro, professor of human nutrition at Ohio State University and a researcher at the university’s Ohio Agricultural Research & Development Center, said in a press release. “We got a tremendous effect against LDL being oxidized with just one apple a day for four weeks.”
The difference was similar to that found between people with normal coronary arteries versus those with coronary artery disease, he said
The study is published online in the Journal of Functional Foods and will appear in a future print edition.
DiSilvestro described daily apple consumption as significantly more effective at lowering oxidized LDL than other antioxidants he has studied, including the spice-based compound curcumin, green tea and tomato extract.
“Not all antioxidants are created equal when it comes to this particular effect,” he said.
DiSilvestro first became interested in studying the health effects of eating an apple a day after reading a Turkish study that found such a regimen increased the amount of a specific antioxidant enzyme in the body.
In the end, his team didn’t find the same effect on the enzyme, but was surprised at the considerable influence the apples had on oxidized LDL.
For the study, the researchers recruited nonsmoking healthy adults between the ages of 40 and 60 who had a history of eating apples less than twice a month and who didn’t take supplements containing polyphenols or other plant-based concentrates.
In all, 16 participants ate a large Red or Golden Delicious apple purchased at a Columbus-area grocery store daily for four weeks; 17 took capsules containing 194 milligrams of polyphenols a day for four weeks; and 18 took a placebo containing no polyphenols. The researchers found no effect on oxidized LDLs in those taking the placebo.
The study also found eating apples had some effects on antioxidants in saliva, which has implications for dental health, DiSilvestro said. He hopes to follow up on that finding in a future study.
The study was conducted as a master’s thesis by graduate student Shi Zhao, and was funded by a grant from the U.S. Apple Association/Apple Product Research and Education Council and a donation from Futureceuticals Inc. of Momence, IL.
Also involved in the study were associate professor Joshua Bomser and research associate Elizabeth Joseph, both in the Department of Human Nutrition, which is housed in the university’s College of Education and Human Ecology.
Produce shipments in the Eastern shipping areas of the USA have entered its lightest volume period of the year. Still there are a number of states that ship produce the year around, although most of it is in light volume.
The New England states, particularly, Massachusetts and Vermont are loading apples destined primarily for markets in the Northeast as well as Eastern Canada….Massachusetts also is providing loading opportunities with cranberries from the Cape Cod area.
New York state probably has the best volume in the Northeast. Apple loadings are occuring in the Hudson Valley. Some other areas of New York have less volume than usual due to weather factors earlier in the year….The Empire State also is a major shipper of storage onions. It is averaging about 250 truckloads per week with volume increasing. Orange County, NY is providing the most shipments….New York also is shipping cabbage, primarily from the Buffalo and Rochester areas.
In the Applachacian districts of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia light to moderate volume of apples are moving. However, all four states combined are averaging only about 125 truckloads per week.
Sweet potatoes from Eastern North Carolina are moving in decent volume.
Southern Georgia has light shipments of cabbage, as well as kale and other greens.
Florida will have limited loading opportunities until spring. Grapefruit and other citrus are being shipped. If for some reason you are stuck in Western Florida, there are limited amounts of mature green tomates, as well as grape tomatoes being loaded.
New York cabbage – grossing about $1700 to New York City.
North Carolina sweet potatoes – about $2200 New York City.
Georgia ranks number on in USA pecan pecan shipments and the loads should just keep increasing in coming years. Georgia 
growers have enough new trees in the ground to increase production by about 50 percent between now and 2020.
The state shipped 125 million pounds last season. This year it was thought volume would be around 70-75 million , but that figure has now been revised to least 100 million pounds. Enough new pecan trees are now planted in Georgia to increase loads to 150 million pounds by 2020.
Shipments this year have started 10 days to two weeks earlier thanks to a mild winter, followed by a mild summer.
In May, Georgia pecans were added to the American Heart Association list of certified heart-healthy foods, earning the right to display the AHA Heart-Check mark
Fall is definately settling in across the USA and autumn produce loads also are increasing.
The biggest indication the new season is gearing up is in the Northwest with shipments of apples from Washington’s Yakima and Wenachee Valleys. Last week the state’s apple volume exceeded 2,200 truckload equivalents and the amount will continue increasing in the weeks ahead. Demand for apples around the country is strong in big part due to Michigan losing most of its crop due to weather, plus significant losses in New York state.
In California, the heaviest volume for produce shipments continues with table grapes from the San Joaquin Valley, averaging about 1,600 truckloads per week. Salinas Valley lettuce is providing the next most available loads averaging about around 1,200 truckloads each week. There also are good loading opportunities with Watsonville area strawberries and with tomatoes from the Central San Joaquin Valley. The valley also is shipping stone fruit, but it is now in a seasonal decline.
In the upper mid-west, central Wisconsin about 400 truckloads of potatoes a week, but this will be increasing. In the same area, fresh cranberry shipments are small compared to potatoes, but still significant and will be increasing, particularly by the end of October as Thanksgiving shipments get underway.
In New England, there are light amounts of apples being shipped. Massachusetts cranberry shipments from the Cape Cod area also have started, and will increase in a similar fashion to those in Wisconsin.
On New York’s Long Island, about 60 truckloads of potatoes are being shipped weekly from the eastern end of the island.
Looking at North Carolina, the nation’s largest sweet potato shipper, there are about 65,000 acres of the product. Normal volume is expected. Some of the old crop is still being loaded. However, the new sweet potato crop will soon provide most of the shipments. A average amount of about 15 million cartons of sweet potatoes should be shipped from North Carolina over the next 10 or 11 months.
Washington apples – grossing about $4400 to Chicago.
Salinas Valley vegetables and berries – about $7100 to New York City.
Wisconsin potatoes – about $1000 to Chicago.
North Carolina sweet potatoes – about $1500 Atlanta.
WILLCOX, Ariz. — Redi Bits is a new snacking tomato variety from EuroFresh Farms, a year-round producer and marketer of greenhouse grown tomatoes and cucumbers located in Willcox and Snowflake, Ariz., Under the newly created label of ArtiSun™ Farms, Redi Bites are packaged in a greenhouse inspired clam shell that allows consumers to rinse, eat and store these grape-sized tomatoes.
“We are thrilled to introduce Redi Bites and ArtiSun™ Farms,” said Mark Cassius, executive vice president of EuroFresh Farms. “We spent more than a year creating the perfect container to package this distinctive, full-flavor snacking tomato for easy consumption. In addition, we feel the development our new label, ArtiSun™ Farms, reflects our passion for the artistry behind growing the best tasting produce possible, with the help of the bountiful Arizona sun.”
The reviews from the test markets are positive with retailers reporting their preference for the sweet taste of the tomato and attractive and yet functional packaging that easily stacks for display. With fewer than 100 calories per serving, Redi Bites will likely be favored as a healthy, on-the- go snack.
“This product is one of many that EuroFresh is considering for the produce-snacking category,” said Cassius. “We believe the snacking category will represent a growing part of our product line in the next year as we strive to meet our consumer demands for convenient, flavorful and healthy snacking options.””
ABOUT EUROFRESH FARMS
Eurofresh Farms is the leading year-round producer and marketer of greenhouse tomatoes in the United States and employs more than 1,100 Arizonans. A leading innovator in the branded, flavorful fresh tomato and cucumber industry, Eurofresh provides premium quality and certified pesticide-free products grown with care in one of the world’s largest greenhouse complexes with abundant Arizona sunlight. Eurofresh’s two greenhouse facilities span 318 acres in Willcox and Snowflake, Ariz.
Heavenly Villagio Marzano® is an authentic Mini San Marzano tomato originating in Europe and exclusive to Village Farms®, who are the first to offer this new variety to customers in North America. With a better than anticipated response and a sold out season the company is ramping up production for 2013. Sought after by chefs and foodies alike, consumers are also asking grocers for the tomato by name. Heavenly Villagio Marzano® is a great snacking tomato sold in convenient grab and go 1-lb and 10 oz bags. Ideal for the health conscious consumer, it is a versatile tomato wonderful for snacking or salads, stuffed as an appetizer, cooked into a sauce, or try fire roasting to bring out the tomatoes unique flavor.
Part of Village Farms®, “Olde World Flavor™” collection, Heavenly Villagio Marzano®, “Has the authentic tomato flavor experience that is highly desired but generally lacking in many varieties on the market today”, says Helen L. Aquino, Marketing Manager for Village Farms®. Aquino continues, “We hear this over and over again from consumers; Heavenly Villagio Marzano® has Garden Fresh Flavor™.”
Visit Village Farms® at this year’s PMA Fresh Summit in Anaheim at booth number 2510 to see all of the exclusive varieties from the Village Farms® collection or visit us at www.villagefarms.com
About Village Farms:
Village Farms leads the industry as premier grower and marketer in North America of branded, finest quality, hydroponic greenhouse grown produce. Our great tasting fresh vine ripened tomato, bell pepper, and cucumber varieties are handpicked at the peak of flavor. At Village Farms we exceed customer expectations through our unparalleled commitment to quality produce, remarkable food safety standards, and sustainable growing practices utilizing leading edge environmental stewardship principles. Our earth friendly growing methods produce vegetables 365 days a year that are healthier for people and the planet. Village Farms is Good for the Earth®.
Source: Village Farms
The on-again, off-again exclusive lease negotiations between the city and the Hunts Point Terminal Produce Market have been extended for the third time, this time through October 31st, according to a recent article on Crain’s New York Business.com.
Hunts Point is the world’s largest wholesale terminal market. Located in New York City’s, South Bronx, it is a cooperative with 115 merchants. Thousands of refrigerated big rigs deliver loads of fresh fruits and vegetables to the market each week from across the USA, as well as from Canada and Mexico.
The extended negotiations are between the Economic Develpment Corp. and the Hunts Point co-op. Hunts Point officials have been threatening to move the humongus facilty to New Jersey for years.
The incentive is a public hearing the merchants requested of city council members to discuss the city’s Business Integrity Commission, which has regulatory authority over the market. The hearing is set for Oct. 23.
Last June the federal government offered $10 million to help modernize Hunts Point. The market, which opened in 1967, faces many challenges ane the one state-of-the-art terminal is now showing its age.
Buildings are in need of renovation and a shortage of cold storage has many companies storing fresh produce in trailers parked in front and/or in back of their units. Loading docks are not refrigerated.
There are complaints trucker access into and out of the market is poor and that roads are in disrepair or just cannot handle the heavy traffic.
Everyone agrees on one thing: something has to be done. Numerous negotiations, talks, meetings, task forces and committees over the years failed to come to a solution. Politics. governments and red tape all contributed to a slow moving process.
New Jersey has aggressively made bids to move Hunts Point to the Garden State. However, the Hunts Point co-op continues negotiating with New York City on rebuilding the facility at its current location. In reality, most Hunts Point tenants prefer remain right where they are.
The current 10-year lease on the market expired in May 2011, and on June 19, 2012, the federal government offered $10 million to help modernize the large market, but first the market’s merchants and the city must agree to a new lease.
The merchants in reality have little use for New York City’s Business Integrity Commission stating the agency is assessing needless fees and penalties for various infractions, including parking violations within the market. The situation reached an impasse in late August when the merchants decided not to renew their exclusivity agreement to negotiate a new lease with the city, citing their differences with the commission as the reason.
But don’t hold your breath, it will probably be a cold day in hell before Hunts Point uproots to New Jersey, or anyplace else.
Yakima, Wash. – With the start of fall, apples are showing up in the produce aisle in a big way. Sweetie™, an intensely sweet and crunchy new apple variety from FirstFruits of Washington, will be making an appearance at retail this September.
First planted in New Zealand, Sweetie™ is now grown in Wash. State by Broetje Orchards and is sold by FirstFruits Marketing. Sweetie™ combines the best attributes of two parents–Gala’s excellent sugars alongside the firm-crisp texture of Braeburn, but with a unique flavor of its own. Characteristic with its name, Sweetie™ leads the pack of varieties when it comes to sweetness.
True to the Broetje growing philosophy, Sweetie™ stands next to Opal® as an example of new variety innovation and top standards for flavor. It was first planted as a 30-acre test block in Prescott, Wash. Over the past two years, additional blocks have been planted as trees have been determined to yield good quality fruit and consumer response for the variety has been positive.
Similar to Opal®, Sweetie™ was released in limited markets where consumer response could be measured. Initial response has been very favorable, especially amongst consumers of Gala or Fuji, whose palate tends to like a sweeter apple.
“We are always looking for new varieties that will resonate with consumers to bring to our customers. After our huge success with Opal® we knew we would have to follow with something great, and I think we have found it in Sweetie™,” remarked Andy Tudor, marketing manager at FirstFruits of Washington.
“Launching a new variety is a very complex process,” continued Tudor. “The fruit needs to be grower friendly, have a good shelf life and appearance, and have some kind of unique quality to get people to try it. Sweetie™ has all of those characteristics and I believe we have a winner once again.”
These apples are full of flavor, highlighted by an intense sweet taste and crunchy texture. It’s not just their great taste, but Sweeties’ beautiful red blush on a golden-green skin, which makes them stand out from other varieties.
Sweetie™ was granted its own PLU #3628, and will be featured in the new product showcase at the PMA Fresh Summit Convention and Expo in October in Anaheim, CA.
FirstFruits Marketing of Washington is a collaborative apple marketing company owned by growers. These growers share a commitment to producing high quality fruit while balancing the demands of purpose, people, planet and profit so that a portion of profits can be donated to non-profit missions supporting the underserved. For more information, visit www.firstfruits.com.
Source: FirstFruits Marketing of Washington
On any given day there will 100 or more trucks either loading or unloading on the Atlanta State Farmers Market. Most of those loads involve fresh fruits and vegetables.
The original market was actually located on Atlanta’s West End district in 1939 before moving to its current location in 1959. It has since expanded into a 150-acre compound housing everything from cold storages, docks, offices for wholesalers, brokers and others, as well having a resturant, police force and other agencies and facilities.
The Atlanta produce market is owned by the state of Georgia and operated by the Georgia Department of Agriculture Markets Division. It is located a middle-class industrial district about 10 miles south of downtown Atlanta and only a couple of miles from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
Rail lines crisscross the property. The complex is just off the east side of Interstate 75 and only a couple of blocks south of Interstates 85 and 20, providing easy access from the to the Southeastern USA.
The market’s Oak Room restaurant has a large, varied menu with good food, which of course serves produce fresh from the marketplace.
Georgia has about a dozen state farmers scattered around the state, which are home to more than 150 companies employing 3,700 farmers, packers, retailers, receivers, and staff with an estimated payroll over $75 million. The Atlanta market is home to 85 percent of those businesses. In 2009, those markets brought in receipts totaling almost $1 billion. The Atlanta market brought in more than half that amount and operates in the black with revenues of almost $6 million last year.
Potatoes and onions, commonly known as “hardware items” because they are less perishable and generally pose fewer problems when hauling, also normally do not pay as good a freight as most more perishable items. However, the further into fall and the closer to winter, overall fresh fruit and vegetable volume declines, and so do freight rates — and loading opportunties. Therefore, if nothing more than out of necessity potatoes and onions begin looking more attractive if you want or need to haul produce.
Oregon Onions
In the Snake River area of Oregon there is good demand heading into winter for trucks. An early start of the shipping season combined with fewer onions means less product is left for shipping than normal. Truck loads could be down 15-20% for Treasure Valley growers, due to the fourth-hottest summer on record and other weather-related issues. Fewer onions mean shippers are having less difficulty finding enough trucks to move product.
Idaho-Oregon Onions
Around the border area of Western Idaho and Malheur County, OR, nearly 700 truckloads of storage onions are being shipped weekly.
Washington-Oregon Onions and Potatoes
Similar volume with onion shipments are available from the border area of the Columbia Basin in Washington and the Umatilla Basin of Oregon. In Northwest Washington, just north of Seattle is light volume with red and white potatoes from the Skagit Valley.
Idaho Potatoes
The nation’s largest volume potato shipper has another huge crop this year. The state is averaging around 1500 truck load equivalents per week, although a significant amount of these potatoes are loaded in rail cars.
Colorado Potatoes and Onions
Storage onions are being shipped from Colorado’s Western Slope, near Olathe, and will continue well into January. Excellent quality is reported. Loads have been moving out of the area at a brisk pace in part because of Colorado’s freight advantage over western shippers….In south-central Colorado is the San Luis Valley, which is shipping around 750 truck loads of spuds per week.
Colorado potatoes – grossing about $1800 to Dallas.
Idaho potatoes – about $5500 to New York City.
Columbia Basin/Umatilla Basin (Washington and Oregon) potatoes and onions – about $4200 to Chicago.
Eating an apple a day might in fact help keep the cardiologist away, according to research from Ohio State University.
In a study of healthy, middle-aged adults, consumption of one apple a day for four weeks lowered by 40 percent blood levels of a substance linked to hardening of the arteries.
Taking capsules containing polyphenols, a type of antioxidant found in apples, had a similar, but not as large, effect.
The study, funded by an apple industry group, found that the apples lowered blood levels of oxidized LDL — low-density lipoprotein, the “bad” cholesterol. When LDL cholesterol interacts with free radicals to become oxidized, the cholesterol is more likely to promote inflammation and can cause tissue damage.
“When LDL becomes oxidized, it takes on a form that begins atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries,” lead researcher Robert DiSilvestro, professor of human nutrition at Ohio State University and a researcher at the university’s Ohio Agricultural Research & Development Center, said in a press release. “We got a tremendous effect against LDL being oxidized with just one apple a day for four weeks.”
The difference was similar to that found between people with normal coronary arteries versus those with coronary artery disease, he said
The study is published online in the Journal of Functional Foods and will appear in a future print edition.
DiSilvestro described daily apple consumption as significantly more effective at lowering oxidized LDL than other antioxidants he has studied, including the spice-based compound curcumin, green tea and tomato extract.
“Not all antioxidants are created equal when it comes to this particular effect,” he said.
DiSilvestro first became interested in studying the health effects of eating an apple a day after reading a Turkish study that found such a regimen increased the amount of a specific antioxidant enzyme in the body.
In the end, his team didn’t find the same effect on the enzyme, but was surprised at the considerable influence the apples had on oxidized LDL.
For the study, the researchers recruited nonsmoking healthy adults between the ages of 40 and 60 who had a history of eating apples less than twice a month and who didn’t take supplements containing polyphenols or other plant-based concentrates.
In all, 16 participants ate a large Red or Golden Delicious apple purchased at a Columbus-area grocery store daily for four weeks; 17 took capsules containing 194 milligrams of polyphenols a day for four weeks; and 18 took a placebo containing no polyphenols. The researchers found no effect on oxidized LDLs in those taking the placebo.
The study also found eating apples had some effects on antioxidants in saliva, which has implications for dental health, DiSilvestro said. He hopes to follow up on that finding in a future study.
The study was conducted as a master’s thesis by graduate student Shi Zhao, and was funded by a grant from the U.S. Apple Association/Apple Product Research and Education Council and a donation from Futureceuticals Inc. of Momence, IL.
Also involved in the study were associate professor Joshua Bomser and research associate Elizabeth Joseph, both in the Department of Human Nutrition, which is housed in the university’s College of Education and Human Ecology.
Produce shipments in the Eastern shipping areas of the USA have entered its lightest volume period of the year. Still there are a number of states that ship produce the year around, although most of it is in light volume.
The New England states, particularly, Massachusetts and Vermont are loading apples destined primarily for markets in the Northeast as well as Eastern Canada….Massachusetts also is providing loading opportunities with cranberries from the Cape Cod area.
New York state probably has the best volume in the Northeast. Apple loadings are occuring in the Hudson Valley. Some other areas of New York have less volume than usual due to weather factors earlier in the year….The Empire State also is a major shipper of storage onions. It is averaging about 250 truckloads per week with volume increasing. Orange County, NY is providing the most shipments….New York also is shipping cabbage, primarily from the Buffalo and Rochester areas.
In the Applachacian districts of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia light to moderate volume of apples are moving. However, all four states combined are averaging only about 125 truckloads per week.
Sweet potatoes from Eastern North Carolina are moving in decent volume.
Southern Georgia has light shipments of cabbage, as well as kale and other greens.
Florida will have limited loading opportunities until spring. Grapefruit and other citrus are being shipped. If for some reason you are stuck in Western Florida, there are limited amounts of mature green tomates, as well as grape tomatoes being loaded.
New York cabbage – grossing about $1700 to New York City.
North Carolina sweet potatoes – about $2200 New York City.
Georgia ranks number on in USA pecan pecan shipments and the loads should just keep increasing in coming years. Georgia growers have enough new trees in the ground to increase production by about 50 percent between now and 2020.
The state shipped 125 million pounds last season. This year it was thought volume would be around 70-75 million , but that figure has now been revised to least 100 million pounds. Enough new pecan trees are now planted in Georgia to increase loads to 150 million pounds by 2020.
Shipments this year have started 10 days to two weeks earlier thanks to a mild winter, followed by a mild summer.
In May, Georgia pecans were added to the American Heart Association list of certified heart-healthy foods, earning the right to display the AHA Heart-Check mark
Fall is definately settling in across the USA and autumn produce loads also are increasing.
The biggest indication the new season is gearing up is in the Northwest with shipments of apples from Washington’s Yakima and Wenachee Valleys. Last week the state’s apple volume exceeded 2,200 truckload equivalents and the amount will continue increasing in the weeks ahead. Demand for apples around the country is strong in big part due to Michigan losing most of its crop due to weather, plus significant losses in New York state.
In California, the heaviest volume for produce shipments continues with table grapes from the San Joaquin Valley, averaging about 1,600 truckloads per week. Salinas Valley lettuce is providing the next most available loads averaging about around 1,200 truckloads each week. There also are good loading opportunities with Watsonville area strawberries and with tomatoes from the Central San Joaquin Valley. The valley also is shipping stone fruit, but it is now in a seasonal decline.
In the upper mid-west, central Wisconsin about 400 truckloads of potatoes a week, but this will be increasing. In the same area, fresh cranberry shipments are small compared to potatoes, but still significant and will be increasing, particularly by the end of October as Thanksgiving shipments get underway.
In New England, there are light amounts of apples being shipped. Massachusetts cranberry shipments from the Cape Cod area also have started, and will increase in a similar fashion to those in Wisconsin.
On New York’s Long Island, about 60 truckloads of potatoes are being shipped weekly from the eastern end of the island.
Looking at North Carolina, the nation’s largest sweet potato shipper, there are about 65,000 acres of the product. Normal volume is expected. Some of the old crop is still being loaded. However, the new sweet potato crop will soon provide most of the shipments. A average amount of about 15 million cartons of sweet potatoes should be shipped from North Carolina over the next 10 or 11 months.
Washington apples – grossing about $4400 to Chicago.
Salinas Valley vegetables and berries – about $7100 to New York City.
Wisconsin potatoes – about $1000 to Chicago.
North Carolina sweet potatoes – about $1500 Atlanta.
WILLCOX, Ariz. — Redi Bits is a new snacking tomato variety from EuroFresh Farms, a year-round producer and marketer of greenhouse grown tomatoes and cucumbers located in Willcox and Snowflake, Ariz., Under the newly created label of ArtiSun™ Farms, Redi Bites are packaged in a greenhouse inspired clam shell that allows consumers to rinse, eat and store these grape-sized tomatoes.
“We are thrilled to introduce Redi Bites and ArtiSun™ Farms,” said Mark Cassius, executive vice president of EuroFresh Farms. “We spent more than a year creating the perfect container to package this distinctive, full-flavor snacking tomato for easy consumption. In addition, we feel the development our new label, ArtiSun™ Farms, reflects our passion for the artistry behind growing the best tasting produce possible, with the help of the bountiful Arizona sun.”
The reviews from the test markets are positive with retailers reporting their preference for the sweet taste of the tomato and attractive and yet functional packaging that easily stacks for display. With fewer than 100 calories per serving, Redi Bites will likely be favored as a healthy, on-the- go snack.
“This product is one of many that EuroFresh is considering for the produce-snacking category,” said Cassius. “We believe the snacking category will represent a growing part of our product line in the next year as we strive to meet our consumer demands for convenient, flavorful and healthy snacking options.””
ABOUT EUROFRESH FARMS
Eurofresh Farms is the leading year-round producer and marketer of greenhouse tomatoes in the United States and employs more than 1,100 Arizonans. A leading innovator in the branded, flavorful fresh tomato and cucumber industry, Eurofresh provides premium quality and certified pesticide-free products grown with care in one of the world’s largest greenhouse complexes with abundant Arizona sunlight. Eurofresh’s two greenhouse facilities span 318 acres in Willcox and Snowflake, Ariz.
Heavenly Villagio Marzano® is an authentic Mini San Marzano tomato originating in Europe and exclusive to Village Farms®, who are the first to offer this new variety to customers in North America. With a better than anticipated response and a sold out season the company is ramping up production for 2013. Sought after by chefs and foodies alike, consumers are also asking grocers for the tomato by name. Heavenly Villagio Marzano® is a great snacking tomato sold in convenient grab and go 1-lb and 10 oz bags. Ideal for the health conscious consumer, it is a versatile tomato wonderful for snacking or salads, stuffed as an appetizer, cooked into a sauce, or try fire roasting to bring out the tomatoes unique flavor.
Part of Village Farms®, “Olde World Flavor™” collection, Heavenly Villagio Marzano®, “Has the authentic tomato flavor experience that is highly desired but generally lacking in many varieties on the market today”, says Helen L. Aquino, Marketing Manager for Village Farms®. Aquino continues, “We hear this over and over again from consumers; Heavenly Villagio Marzano® has Garden Fresh Flavor™.”
Visit Village Farms® at this year’s PMA Fresh Summit in Anaheim at booth number 2510 to see all of the exclusive varieties from the Village Farms® collection or visit us at www.villagefarms.com
About Village Farms:
Village Farms leads the industry as premier grower and marketer in North America of branded, finest quality, hydroponic greenhouse grown produce. Our great tasting fresh vine ripened tomato, bell pepper, and cucumber varieties are handpicked at the peak of flavor. At Village Farms we exceed customer expectations through our unparalleled commitment to quality produce, remarkable food safety standards, and sustainable growing practices utilizing leading edge environmental stewardship principles. Our earth friendly growing methods produce vegetables 365 days a year that are healthier for people and the planet. Village Farms is Good for the Earth®.
Source: Village Farms
The on-again, off-again exclusive lease negotiations between the city and the Hunts Point Terminal Produce Market have been extended for the third time, this time through October 31st, according to a recent article on Crain’s New York Business.com.
Hunts Point is the world’s largest wholesale terminal market. Located in New York City’s, South Bronx, it is a cooperative with 115 merchants. Thousands of refrigerated big rigs deliver loads of fresh fruits and vegetables to the market each week from across the USA, as well as from Canada and Mexico.
The extended negotiations are between the Economic Develpment Corp. and the Hunts Point co-op. Hunts Point officials have been threatening to move the humongus facilty to New Jersey for years.
The incentive is a public hearing the merchants requested of city council members to discuss the city’s Business Integrity Commission, which has regulatory authority over the market. The hearing is set for Oct. 23.
Last June the federal government offered $10 million to help modernize Hunts Point. The market, which opened in 1967, faces many challenges ane the one state-of-the-art terminal is now showing its age.
Buildings are in need of renovation and a shortage of cold storage has many companies storing fresh produce in trailers parked in front and/or in back of their units. Loading docks are not refrigerated.
There are complaints trucker access into and out of the market is poor and that roads are in disrepair or just cannot handle the heavy traffic.
Everyone agrees on one thing: something has to be done. Numerous negotiations, talks, meetings, task forces and committees over the years failed to come to a solution. Politics. governments and red tape all contributed to a slow moving process.
New Jersey has aggressively made bids to move Hunts Point to the Garden State. However, the Hunts Point co-op continues negotiating with New York City on rebuilding the facility at its current location. In reality, most Hunts Point tenants prefer remain right where they are.
The current 10-year lease on the market expired in May 2011, and on June 19, 2012, the federal government offered $10 million to help modernize the large market, but first the market’s merchants and the city must agree to a new lease.
The merchants in reality have little use for New York City’s Business Integrity Commission stating the agency is assessing needless fees and penalties for various infractions, including parking violations within the market. The situation reached an impasse in late August when the merchants decided not to renew their exclusivity agreement to negotiate a new lease with the city, citing their differences with the commission as the reason.
But don’t hold your breath, it will probably be a cold day in hell before Hunts Point uproots to New Jersey, or anyplace else.
Yakima, Wash. – With the start of fall, apples are showing up in the produce aisle in a big way. Sweetie™, an intensely sweet and crunchy new apple variety from FirstFruits of Washington, will be making an appearance at retail this September.
First planted in New Zealand, Sweetie™ is now grown in Wash. State by Broetje Orchards and is sold by FirstFruits Marketing. Sweetie™ combines the best attributes of two parents–Gala’s excellent sugars alongside the firm-crisp texture of Braeburn, but with a unique flavor of its own. Characteristic with its name, Sweetie™ leads the pack of varieties when it comes to sweetness.
True to the Broetje growing philosophy, Sweetie™ stands next to Opal® as an example of new variety innovation and top standards for flavor. It was first planted as a 30-acre test block in Prescott, Wash. Over the past two years, additional blocks have been planted as trees have been determined to yield good quality fruit and consumer response for the variety has been positive.
Similar to Opal®, Sweetie™ was released in limited markets where consumer response could be measured. Initial response has been very favorable, especially amongst consumers of Gala or Fuji, whose palate tends to like a sweeter apple.
“We are always looking for new varieties that will resonate with consumers to bring to our customers. After our huge success with Opal® we knew we would have to follow with something great, and I think we have found it in Sweetie™,” remarked Andy Tudor, marketing manager at FirstFruits of Washington.
“Launching a new variety is a very complex process,” continued Tudor. “The fruit needs to be grower friendly, have a good shelf life and appearance, and have some kind of unique quality to get people to try it. Sweetie™ has all of those characteristics and I believe we have a winner once again.”
These apples are full of flavor, highlighted by an intense sweet taste and crunchy texture. It’s not just their great taste, but Sweeties’ beautiful red blush on a golden-green skin, which makes them stand out from other varieties.
Sweetie™ was granted its own PLU #3628, and will be featured in the new product showcase at the PMA Fresh Summit Convention and Expo in October in Anaheim, CA.
FirstFruits Marketing of Washington is a collaborative apple marketing company owned by growers. These growers share a commitment to producing high quality fruit while balancing the demands of purpose, people, planet and profit so that a portion of profits can be donated to non-profit missions supporting the underserved. For more information, visit www.firstfruits.com.
Source: FirstFruits Marketing of Washington