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This is the time of year when shipments of Florida grapefruit gets underway, as 
well as the new crop of sweet potatoes from various states coast-to-coast. It also means shipments of avocados will soon be shipping from California to arrivals of ports of entry from Mexico, as well as at various ocean ports receiving avocados from Chile.
Florida Grapefruit Loads
There was a shortage of California fruit and those shipments the first half of September ended about two weeks earlier than usual. Florida citrus shippers are beginning their new season shipping grapefruit right on schedule. Growers in the Indian River region began harvesting the last week of September. Loading opportunities for Florida grapefruit should start volume in early to mid-October.
Avocado Shipments
Plenty of avocado shipments should be available as California supplies wind down and Mexican and Chilean shipments increase.
California loads will be available longer than usual this fall, and big volumes from Mexico will be crossing the border in the coming weeks. By mid-October, California should be mostly finished for the season.
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potato shipments in the USA may be down slightly this season, which extends through next summer.
As we previously reported, Louisiana and Mississippi were onlyslightly affected by Hurricane Isaac in late August….North Carolina and California are the largest shippers of sweet potatoes.
In 2011, there were 133,600 acres of sweet potatoes planted, while this year an estimated 131,400 acres planted.
While Texans tend to boast about how big everything is in the Lone Star State, it is a major shipper of fresh produce, ranking in the top 10 for its volume with fresh fruits and vegetables. Many Texas produce shippers also have invested in farming operations in Mexico, and a lot of the product crosses the border into the Lower Rio Grande Valley for distribution throughout the USA and Canada.
The valley, and more specifically, Pharr, TX will be even more important in the future as a distribution point for Mexican grown produce. It is located on Highway 281 which runs north all the way into Canada. Also of importance is the 3.2-mile-long Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge connecting Mexico and south Texas. It is the longest port-of-entry bridge.
While Pharr remains relatively small with a population of 75,000 residents, the city has purchased 90 acres just west of the bridge with aim of developing a produce district with warehouses for produce destined for shipping throughout North America.
Pharr also will gain importance with the completion of the Autopista Durango-Mazatlan cross continental Mexican highway. It is a 143-mile-long stretch of highway scheduled for completion by the end of this year. It was built with the intention of trucks hauling West Mexican produce to ports of entry in Texas. The new highway ends very near Pharr.
The new road is supposed to reduce transit times of trucks from West Mexico by a full day to points in the eastern half of the USA and Canada.
The state of Texas, not including Mexico, grows and ships over 70 different fruits, vegetables and nuts. It is the fourth ranking shipper of watermelons in the USA, accounting for 15 percent of the country’s watermelons. This time of the year Lower Rio Grande Valley grapefruit becomes a major item for loads.
The Lone Star State also is a major grower/shipper of onions, cabbage, spinach, and carrots.
It never ceases to amaze me how just when you think it can’t get any worse, it 
invariably does. And there is nothing more frustrating than not being able do anything about it but sit back and watch.
I think that is how most Americans feel when we watch the National Debt Clock just keep on ticking. Recent Congressional wailing and gnashing of teeth has produced nothing tangible about stopping the bleeding. We are at a point now where this nation’s spending so far outstrips our ability to pay the debt off that it is on the verge of being a hopeless case.
If so, that begs the question of when is the best time to default. Do we wait until the debt is much greater and we are forced to default, or do we go ahead and do it now and get it over with. That is what divides our nation. About half of our nation consist of people who cannot mentally force themselves to put aside their emotions and make a pragmatic decision. They want to delay any pain and suffering as long as possible, even if it’s worse when it eventually happens.
And about half of the nation looks at the problem and sees the logical inevitability of the situation. They want to go ahead and get it over with, so the recovery time will be sooner rather than later. It is very hard to accept some facts, but if we are going to survive as a nation, we must. We have grown up with the idea that America can do anything. Our leaders have told us that we are the envy of the world and there is nothing we can’t do if we just put our minds to it. After all, they say, this is America.
Oh yeah, well how come the Chinese are using $100 dollar bills to light their cigars. We need a reality check here. The truth is we have our limitations. There are a lot of things we can’t do. And we need to sit back and learn to deal with it.
We cannot afford to be the policeman for the entire World. We cannot be the World’s sugar daddy either. And we cannot make some people in the world stop their hatred for others. We cannot feed the entire planet. We are out of money, out of energy, and out of patience. There are some of us that think “If we don’t do it nobody will, it’s our moral duty to get involved.” That is a very dangerous and ignorant belief.
As long as we have that attitude nobody will ever step up to the plate. Why would they, when they know America will do it. The phrase “tough love” was coined in 1968 by Bill Milliken when he wrote a book titled Tough Love.
The idea behind tough love is that you treat someone harshly or sternly with the intent to help them in the long run. You inflict pain now so that the pain over the long run will be diminished. That is what the entire world needs at this point in history.
We need to administer a serious dose of tough love across the entire world. Nations that we have been propping up need to learn to stand on their own two feet. Americans who have been living off of others need to take responsibility for their own lives.
We need to understand that we cannot provide everything for everybody. Some will have to shape up or do without. This nation will have to set a stern set of priorities that only provides a limited amount of individual support. And we will have to tell some nations that they are on their own.
Americans have let their lives be consumed with commercialism. We have been obsessed with acquiring gadgets and things. That has led our nation down a path of consumer debt that is based on the desire for instant gratification. We, as a people, need to live a more frugal life, and we must demand that our government do so as well. — Larry Oscar
A recent Stanford University nutritional comparison study has generated intense consumer interest about the differences between conventionally and organically grown fruits and vegetables. But, a website – www.safefruitsandveggies.com – was created specifically for consumers who are interested in science based information and perspectives about the safety of both conventional and organic produce.
“The Alliance for Food and Farming (AFF) wanted to create an information resource for people so that they can make educated shopping decisions for themselves and their families,” says Marilyn Dolan, Executive Director for the AFF. “We think the information presented on www.safefruitsandveggies.com will reassure consumers that they can choose either organic or conventionally grown products with confidence. The science and the facts support that both production systems are very safe,” Dolan explains.
The www.safefruitsandveggies.com website features information from experts in the fields of toxicology, nutrition, risk analysis, consumer attitudes, organic and conventional pesticide usage trends and farming. “One of the most popular features is the calculator function on the website,” Dolan says. This function allows consumers to click on who they are (man, woman, teenager or child) and then select their favorite fruit or vegetable. The tool then calculates the number of servings you would have to eat in a day and still not see any effect from pesticide residues. “The calculations show a consumer would literally have to eat hundreds to thousands of servings – no matter if you are an adult or a child – and still not see any health impact from pesticide residues,” Dolan adds.
The calculator function and corresponding report was developed using information from the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Pesticide Data Program. The USDA’s monitoring data was analyzed by Dr. Robert Krieger, a toxicologist who heads the Personal Chemical Exposure Program at University of California, Riverside. It should be noted that Dr. Krieger was asked to analyze the highest residue levels found by USDA.
Another report “Scared Fat” features new consumer research results concerning how fear based messaging and marketing tactics are actually becoming a barrier to consumption of healthy fruits and vegetables, especially among low income consumers. “The survey showed that almost 10% of low income consumers stated they would reduce consumption of fruits and vegetables after hearing commonly used messaging that calls into question the safety of fruits and vegetables,” Dolan says.
Dolan points out that this month the USDA’s Economic Research Service issued a report that showed 10% of American households were not able to provide their children with “adequate, nutritious” food at times during 2011. “The USDA report illustrates the real issue,” Dolan says. “Low income consumers already struggle to put healthy and nutritious foods on their tables. This is why reassurance that more affordable produce is nutritious and safe is of crucial importance if we are to improve the diets of Americans and lower obesity rates. Misguided safety fears cannot become another barrier to increasing consumption of the very foods that health experts say we should be eating more of,” Dolan explains.
Other popular sections on the website include “Ask the Experts,” which features videos of farmers explaining how they control pests and diseases on their organic and conventional farms, a list of the most popular fruits and veggies with explanations on their nutritional value, regular blog postings and consumer food safety tips.
“These are only a few examples of the information that can be found on www.safefruitsandveggies.com and there is just so much more,” Dolan explains. “We hope safefruitsandveggies.com provides consumers with a place that they can go to read and learn more so they can make educated shopping choices,” Dolan says. “But we also hope that this information helps them to include more fruits and vegetables in their diets with confidence.”
The Alliance for Food and Farming is a non-profit organization formed in 1989 which represents organic and conventional farmers and farms of all sizes. Alliance contributors are limited to farmers of fruits and vegetables, companies that sell, market or ship fruits and vegetables or organizations that represent produce farmers. Our mission is to deliver credible information to consumers about the safety of all fruits and vegetables. We do not engage in lobbying nor do we accept any money or support from the pesticide industry. In the interest of transparency, our entire 2011 tax return is posted on safefruitsandveggies.com.
Source: Alliance for Food and Farming
Record or near record shipments of peanuts, almonds, walnuts, and pistachios 
are predicted by the USDA in the coming months. In fact, most types of nuts are expected to be plentiful for the fall, holiday and winter season, coming off of the 2012 harvest.
For example, record shipments of peanuts are predicted for the top four producing states of Georgia, Florida, Alabama and number four Texas. Georgia has nearly 60 percent more planted acrerage than a year ago and expects to ship over 2.8 million pounds of peanuts. The state accounts for nearly 50 percent of the nation’s peanut shipments.
Total U.S. peanut shipments are projected to be 5.9 million pounds in 2012, up from 3.6 million in 2011.
Almond loadings are expected to be up three percent from last year, totalling 2.1 billion meat pounds for 2012 on some 780,000 acres. California ships about 80 percent of the world’s almonds, with the leaders being Georgia, Texas and New Mexico. Total USA loadings in 2011 amounted to about 270 million pounds, and this is seen as increasing this year.
California also accounts for about 99 percent of the walnut volume in the United States, up two percent from a year ago. It’s not a record, but is close.
Record pistachio shipments are forecast out of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada totalling 550 to 575 million pounds.
A huge Idaho potato on a flat-bed truck is once again hitting the road this year as part of the Idaho Potato Commission’s (IPC) television advertising campaign.
The Kenworth is pulling a giant tator that weighs 12,130 pounds, which the IPC claims equals 32,346 medium sized potatoes.
Additionally, the famous fitness guru Denise Austin will once again be the celebrity spokesperson for Idaho potatoes.
The IPC big Idaho potato truck, on its seven-month national tour will conclude its trip just in time for the Produce Marketing Association’s (PMA)annual convention and trade show in Anaheim, CA late October.
The IPC’s new ad campaign premiered on national television on ESPN during the recent Boise State vs. Michigan State game (MSU won 17-13).
The IPC ad program will be on national cable television beginning in mid-October” and continuing through February. the campaign will be carried on a variety of news programs such ase CNN and FOX News, as well as the Food Network, The Cooking Channel, HGTV, and The History Chanel among others.
By the end of the tour, the truck will have travelled over 15,000 miles, visited some 150 cities in 35 states across the country
In other activities, Denise Austin “will be doing two different public service radio announcements” for the commission.
Thanksgiving will be here before you know it (November 22) and that means a lot of fresh cranberries will be shipped in the weeks ahead.
Wisconsin accounts for about 55 to 60 percent of the nation’s cranberry shipments, which includes not only fresh, but
Ray E. Habelman and Ray J. Habelman
processed, juices, etc. The Badger state has about 20,000 acres of cranberry bogs.
Wisconsin produces over 4.3 million 100-pound barrels, while the nation as whole with produces over 7.2 million 100-pound barrels.
The fresh fruit side of the market is still a relatively small portion of the overall USA shipments, accounting for about 300,000 barrels.
A truckload of fresh cranberries typically amounts to about 42,000 pounds in a 53-foot refrigerated trailer, according to Nate Voit, general manager of Service Trans Inc., of Bancroft, WI.
Service Trans arranges about 7,800 loads per year, with about 99 percent of those loads requiring refrigeration. Nate says the company specializes in time sensitive shipments. Of those 7,800 loads, about 800 are with cranberries. Concerning the transportation of fresh cranberries, he describes it as different from most items.
“The cranberry shipments usually come on short notice, and it is high volume for a short period of time,” Nate says.
There are about a dozen growers in Wisconsin producing cranberries for the fresh market. While cranberry shipments from Wisconsin have been underway for a few weeks, the real push will come about November 1st for Thanksgiving, according to Nigel Cooper, a principal in The Cranberry Network of Wisconsin Rapids, WI, who markets cranberrys for the nation’s largest fresh shipper, Habelman Bros. Co.
Although the big push is before Thanksgiving, the company started the tradition of extending the season to include fruit for the Christmas holidays.
Canadians celebrate their Thanksgiving each year in October (this year its October 8) and cranberry loadings destined for Candian markets are among the first each year.
The California coastal valleys of Salinas and Santa Maria typically remain the 
major sources of supply of lettuce through mid-October. Huron, which is located on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, usually fills the lettuce supply gap in late October through much of November before harvest switches to the desert in California and Arizona. Some of the hardier items, such as broccoli and cauliflower, will continue in the Salinas area until the shift to the desert (California’s Imperial Valley and the Yuma, AZ area) around Thanksgiving.
There has been strong shipments of California vegetables since early summer. A primary reason is the extreme drought in the Midwest and the upper Midwest, which knocked out some home-grown crops.
Additionally, there was the hurricane that hit New Orleans and continued on through the South hitting Kentucky and Tennessee and knocking out some of those local tomato harvests. It all helped to benefit shipments of California tomatoes.
Berries
Blackberry shipments are winding down on California’s Central Coast, but raspberries could go through the end of October.
Blackberries loadings tend to decline by the end of September and are finished by mid-October as the shipments out of Mexico pick up.
California strawberry and raspberry shipments have provided some problems for haulers over the summer. Both are more delicate fruit, especially raspberries. Much of this can be blamed on the horrendous summer heatthan began in June and continued through most of August. Good quality fruit results in more shipments (due to consumer demand), plus truckers deal with fewer rejections. Obviously the quality of the fruit has improved since the heat has subsided. The fruit holds up better when shipped.
Salinas area vegetables and berries – grossing about $4700 to Chicago.
Prince Edward Island (PEI) is a Canadian province consisting of an island of 
the same name, as well as other islands. Before the Confederate Bridge was completed in 1997, big rigs and four wheelers headed to the island, had to use ferry service between the Canadian mainland and the island. The bridge is just under 8 miles in length. PEI is the smallest Canadian province in both land area and population. It’s population is only 145,855 and is evenly divided between urban and rural dwellers.
Although the potato harvest has been under way for a few weeks, it is beginning in earnest in the next couple of weeks. This translates into the best loading opportunities in the weeks and months ahead. The island has over 80,000 acres of potatoes. Overall, yields will likely be slightly below average, with early varieties particularly light, and sizing smaller than normal. So be sure your receiver(s) is aware of this.
Loads are expected to be near normal.
PEI russet potatoes will be shipped into February, goldrushes into April 2013 and burbanks into the summer.
With the big USA crop, Caribbean markets could be more attractive to PEI growers this season.
A strong Canadian dollar presents another hurdle to island growers looking to export to the USA.
For truckers looking to stay in Canada or the East Coast of the USA, lighter crops in eastern Canada and the eastern USA could help offset the expected big volumes out out of Idaho and other western states.
In case you didn’t know, Ontario and Quebec put new laws in place in 2009 that require trucks entering their borders to have their speed limiter set to 105 kph (around 65 mph). There are no exceptions, and the fines can be pretty steep.
Up until now you’ve had two choices: change the speed limiter before you set off (meaning you have to drive slowly all the way to Canada as well as within Canada) or pay someone else to change it for you.
No more! Bully Dog’s Heavy Duty Gauge Tuner (HDGT) is approved by the Canadian government, and with it you can easily change the speed limiter, helping you comply with Canadian laws and saving you time and money!
If you worry about driving into Canada, then worry no more! The HDGT can help you expand your range and your business by giving you the flexibility to drive how you want on either side of the border. The speed limiter is also a game changer for the fleet owner; if you’re worried about fuel economy, the speed limiter gives you the ability to regulate your fleet’s speeds, which can decrease your fuel consumption considerably. You’ll be able to download time-stamped logs upon the unit’s return, which allows you to monitor your employees’ driving habits.
And the HDGT does more than just adjust your speed limiter. You can monitor your rig using its integrated gauges and automatic safety warnings, keeping you informed and preventing expensive damage to your truck. These warnings are also audible so you don’t have to glue your eyes to the screen. Simply set up your warning levels and the HDGT will warn you with an on-screen alert and an audible beep, keeping your truck safe and your eyes on the road!
There are many different reasons why you may want to adjust your rig’s speed limiter, even if it’s just making sure you stay under the speed limit on your regular route, and the HDGT is just the tool for the job. The HDGT comes with so many useful features in addition to the speed limiter, installs easily and quickly and can pay for itself effortlessly in fuel savings alone, so it’s an easy decision to make: get an HDGT and save yourself time and money today!
Press Release provided by Bully Dog
This is the time of year when shipments of Florida grapefruit gets underway, as well as the new crop of sweet potatoes from various states coast-to-coast. It also means shipments of avocados will soon be shipping from California to arrivals of ports of entry from Mexico, as well as at various ocean ports receiving avocados from Chile.
Florida Grapefruit Loads
There was a shortage of California fruit and those shipments the first half of September ended about two weeks earlier than usual. Florida citrus shippers are beginning their new season shipping grapefruit right on schedule. Growers in the Indian River region began harvesting the last week of September. Loading opportunities for Florida grapefruit should start volume in early to mid-October.
Avocado Shipments
Plenty of avocado shipments should be available as California supplies wind down and Mexican and Chilean shipments increase.
California loads will be available longer than usual this fall, and big volumes from Mexico will be crossing the border in the coming weeks. By mid-October, California should be mostly finished for the season.
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potato shipments in the USA may be down slightly this season, which extends through next summer.
As we previously reported, Louisiana and Mississippi were onlyslightly affected by Hurricane Isaac in late August….North Carolina and California are the largest shippers of sweet potatoes.
In 2011, there were 133,600 acres of sweet potatoes planted, while this year an estimated 131,400 acres planted.
While Texans tend to boast about how big everything is in the Lone Star State, it is a major shipper of fresh produce, ranking in the top 10 for its volume with fresh fruits and vegetables. Many Texas produce shippers also have invested in farming operations in Mexico, and a lot of the product crosses the border into the Lower Rio Grande Valley for distribution throughout the USA and Canada.
The valley, and more specifically, Pharr, TX will be even more important in the future as a distribution point for Mexican grown produce. It is located on Highway 281 which runs north all the way into Canada. Also of importance is the 3.2-mile-long Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge connecting Mexico and south Texas. It is the longest port-of-entry bridge.
While Pharr remains relatively small with a population of 75,000 residents, the city has purchased 90 acres just west of the bridge with aim of developing a produce district with warehouses for produce destined for shipping throughout North America.
Pharr also will gain importance with the completion of the Autopista Durango-Mazatlan cross continental Mexican highway. It is a 143-mile-long stretch of highway scheduled for completion by the end of this year. It was built with the intention of trucks hauling West Mexican produce to ports of entry in Texas. The new highway ends very near Pharr.
The new road is supposed to reduce transit times of trucks from West Mexico by a full day to points in the eastern half of the USA and Canada.
The state of Texas, not including Mexico, grows and ships over 70 different fruits, vegetables and nuts. It is the fourth ranking shipper of watermelons in the USA, accounting for 15 percent of the country’s watermelons. This time of the year Lower Rio Grande Valley grapefruit becomes a major item for loads.
The Lone Star State also is a major grower/shipper of onions, cabbage, spinach, and carrots.
It never ceases to amaze me how just when you think it can’t get any worse, it invariably does. And there is nothing more frustrating than not being able do anything about it but sit back and watch.
I think that is how most Americans feel when we watch the National Debt Clock just keep on ticking. Recent Congressional wailing and gnashing of teeth has produced nothing tangible about stopping the bleeding. We are at a point now where this nation’s spending so far outstrips our ability to pay the debt off that it is on the verge of being a hopeless case.
If so, that begs the question of when is the best time to default. Do we wait until the debt is much greater and we are forced to default, or do we go ahead and do it now and get it over with. That is what divides our nation. About half of our nation consist of people who cannot mentally force themselves to put aside their emotions and make a pragmatic decision. They want to delay any pain and suffering as long as possible, even if it’s worse when it eventually happens.
And about half of the nation looks at the problem and sees the logical inevitability of the situation. They want to go ahead and get it over with, so the recovery time will be sooner rather than later. It is very hard to accept some facts, but if we are going to survive as a nation, we must. We have grown up with the idea that America can do anything. Our leaders have told us that we are the envy of the world and there is nothing we can’t do if we just put our minds to it. After all, they say, this is America.
Oh yeah, well how come the Chinese are using $100 dollar bills to light their cigars. We need a reality check here. The truth is we have our limitations. There are a lot of things we can’t do. And we need to sit back and learn to deal with it.
We cannot afford to be the policeman for the entire World. We cannot be the World’s sugar daddy either. And we cannot make some people in the world stop their hatred for others. We cannot feed the entire planet. We are out of money, out of energy, and out of patience. There are some of us that think “If we don’t do it nobody will, it’s our moral duty to get involved.” That is a very dangerous and ignorant belief.
As long as we have that attitude nobody will ever step up to the plate. Why would they, when they know America will do it. The phrase “tough love” was coined in 1968 by Bill Milliken when he wrote a book titled Tough Love.
The idea behind tough love is that you treat someone harshly or sternly with the intent to help them in the long run. You inflict pain now so that the pain over the long run will be diminished. That is what the entire world needs at this point in history.
We need to administer a serious dose of tough love across the entire world. Nations that we have been propping up need to learn to stand on their own two feet. Americans who have been living off of others need to take responsibility for their own lives.
We need to understand that we cannot provide everything for everybody. Some will have to shape up or do without. This nation will have to set a stern set of priorities that only provides a limited amount of individual support. And we will have to tell some nations that they are on their own.
Americans have let their lives be consumed with commercialism. We have been obsessed with acquiring gadgets and things. That has led our nation down a path of consumer debt that is based on the desire for instant gratification. We, as a people, need to live a more frugal life, and we must demand that our government do so as well. — Larry Oscar
A recent Stanford University nutritional comparison study has generated intense consumer interest about the differences between conventionally and organically grown fruits and vegetables. But, a website – www.safefruitsandveggies.com – was created specifically for consumers who are interested in science based information and perspectives about the safety of both conventional and organic produce.
“The Alliance for Food and Farming (AFF) wanted to create an information resource for people so that they can make educated shopping decisions for themselves and their families,” says Marilyn Dolan, Executive Director for the AFF. “We think the information presented on www.safefruitsandveggies.com will reassure consumers that they can choose either organic or conventionally grown products with confidence. The science and the facts support that both production systems are very safe,” Dolan explains.
The www.safefruitsandveggies.com website features information from experts in the fields of toxicology, nutrition, risk analysis, consumer attitudes, organic and conventional pesticide usage trends and farming. “One of the most popular features is the calculator function on the website,” Dolan says. This function allows consumers to click on who they are (man, woman, teenager or child) and then select their favorite fruit or vegetable. The tool then calculates the number of servings you would have to eat in a day and still not see any effect from pesticide residues. “The calculations show a consumer would literally have to eat hundreds to thousands of servings – no matter if you are an adult or a child – and still not see any health impact from pesticide residues,” Dolan adds.
The calculator function and corresponding report was developed using information from the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Pesticide Data Program. The USDA’s monitoring data was analyzed by Dr. Robert Krieger, a toxicologist who heads the Personal Chemical Exposure Program at University of California, Riverside. It should be noted that Dr. Krieger was asked to analyze the highest residue levels found by USDA.
Another report “Scared Fat” features new consumer research results concerning how fear based messaging and marketing tactics are actually becoming a barrier to consumption of healthy fruits and vegetables, especially among low income consumers. “The survey showed that almost 10% of low income consumers stated they would reduce consumption of fruits and vegetables after hearing commonly used messaging that calls into question the safety of fruits and vegetables,” Dolan says.
Dolan points out that this month the USDA’s Economic Research Service issued a report that showed 10% of American households were not able to provide their children with “adequate, nutritious” food at times during 2011. “The USDA report illustrates the real issue,” Dolan says. “Low income consumers already struggle to put healthy and nutritious foods on their tables. This is why reassurance that more affordable produce is nutritious and safe is of crucial importance if we are to improve the diets of Americans and lower obesity rates. Misguided safety fears cannot become another barrier to increasing consumption of the very foods that health experts say we should be eating more of,” Dolan explains.
Other popular sections on the website include “Ask the Experts,” which features videos of farmers explaining how they control pests and diseases on their organic and conventional farms, a list of the most popular fruits and veggies with explanations on their nutritional value, regular blog postings and consumer food safety tips.
“These are only a few examples of the information that can be found on www.safefruitsandveggies.com and there is just so much more,” Dolan explains. “We hope safefruitsandveggies.com provides consumers with a place that they can go to read and learn more so they can make educated shopping choices,” Dolan says. “But we also hope that this information helps them to include more fruits and vegetables in their diets with confidence.”
The Alliance for Food and Farming is a non-profit organization formed in 1989 which represents organic and conventional farmers and farms of all sizes. Alliance contributors are limited to farmers of fruits and vegetables, companies that sell, market or ship fruits and vegetables or organizations that represent produce farmers. Our mission is to deliver credible information to consumers about the safety of all fruits and vegetables. We do not engage in lobbying nor do we accept any money or support from the pesticide industry. In the interest of transparency, our entire 2011 tax return is posted on safefruitsandveggies.com.
Source: Alliance for Food and Farming
Record or near record shipments of peanuts, almonds, walnuts, and pistachios are predicted by the USDA in the coming months. In fact, most types of nuts are expected to be plentiful for the fall, holiday and winter season, coming off of the 2012 harvest.
For example, record shipments of peanuts are predicted for the top four producing states of Georgia, Florida, Alabama and number four Texas. Georgia has nearly 60 percent more planted acrerage than a year ago and expects to ship over 2.8 million pounds of peanuts. The state accounts for nearly 50 percent of the nation’s peanut shipments.
Total U.S. peanut shipments are projected to be 5.9 million pounds in 2012, up from 3.6 million in 2011.
Almond loadings are expected to be up three percent from last year, totalling 2.1 billion meat pounds for 2012 on some 780,000 acres. California ships about 80 percent of the world’s almonds, with the leaders being Georgia, Texas and New Mexico. Total USA loadings in 2011 amounted to about 270 million pounds, and this is seen as increasing this year.
California also accounts for about 99 percent of the walnut volume in the United States, up two percent from a year ago. It’s not a record, but is close.
Record pistachio shipments are forecast out of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada totalling 550 to 575 million pounds.
A huge Idaho potato on a flat-bed truck is once again hitting the road this year as part of the Idaho Potato Commission’s (IPC) television advertising campaign.
The Kenworth is pulling a giant tator that weighs 12,130 pounds, which the IPC claims equals 32,346 medium sized potatoes.
Additionally, the famous fitness guru Denise Austin will once again be the celebrity spokesperson for Idaho potatoes.
The IPC big Idaho potato truck, on its seven-month national tour will conclude its trip just in time for the Produce Marketing Association’s (PMA)annual convention and trade show in Anaheim, CA late October.
The IPC’s new ad campaign premiered on national television on ESPN during the recent Boise State vs. Michigan State game (MSU won 17-13).
The IPC ad program will be on national cable television beginning in mid-October” and continuing through February. the campaign will be carried on a variety of news programs such ase CNN and FOX News, as well as the Food Network, The Cooking Channel, HGTV, and The History Chanel among others.
By the end of the tour, the truck will have travelled over 15,000 miles, visited some 150 cities in 35 states across the country
In other activities, Denise Austin “will be doing two different public service radio announcements” for the commission.
Thanksgiving will be here before you know it (November 22) and that means a lot of fresh cranberries will be shipped in the weeks ahead.
Wisconsin accounts for about 55 to 60 percent of the nation’s cranberry shipments, which includes not only fresh, but
Ray E. Habelman and Ray J. Habelman
processed, juices, etc. The Badger state has about 20,000 acres of cranberry bogs.
Wisconsin produces over 4.3 million 100-pound barrels, while the nation as whole with produces over 7.2 million 100-pound barrels.
The fresh fruit side of the market is still a relatively small portion of the overall USA shipments, accounting for about 300,000 barrels.
A truckload of fresh cranberries typically amounts to about 42,000 pounds in a 53-foot refrigerated trailer, according to Nate Voit, general manager of Service Trans Inc., of Bancroft, WI.
Service Trans arranges about 7,800 loads per year, with about 99 percent of those loads requiring refrigeration. Nate says the company specializes in time sensitive shipments. Of those 7,800 loads, about 800 are with cranberries. Concerning the transportation of fresh cranberries, he describes it as different from most items.
“The cranberry shipments usually come on short notice, and it is high volume for a short period of time,” Nate says.
There are about a dozen growers in Wisconsin producing cranberries for the fresh market. While cranberry shipments from Wisconsin have been underway for a few weeks, the real push will come about November 1st for Thanksgiving, according to Nigel Cooper, a principal in The Cranberry Network of Wisconsin Rapids, WI, who markets cranberrys for the nation’s largest fresh shipper, Habelman Bros. Co.
Although the big push is before Thanksgiving, the company started the tradition of extending the season to include fruit for the Christmas holidays.
Canadians celebrate their Thanksgiving each year in October (this year its October 8) and cranberry loadings destined for Candian markets are among the first each year.
The California coastal valleys of Salinas and Santa Maria typically remain the major sources of supply of lettuce through mid-October. Huron, which is located on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, usually fills the lettuce supply gap in late October through much of November before harvest switches to the desert in California and Arizona. Some of the hardier items, such as broccoli and cauliflower, will continue in the Salinas area until the shift to the desert (California’s Imperial Valley and the Yuma, AZ area) around Thanksgiving.
There has been strong shipments of California vegetables since early summer. A primary reason is the extreme drought in the Midwest and the upper Midwest, which knocked out some home-grown crops.
Additionally, there was the hurricane that hit New Orleans and continued on through the South hitting Kentucky and Tennessee and knocking out some of those local tomato harvests. It all helped to benefit shipments of California tomatoes.
Berries
Blackberry shipments are winding down on California’s Central Coast, but raspberries could go through the end of October.
Blackberries loadings tend to decline by the end of September and are finished by mid-October as the shipments out of Mexico pick up.
California strawberry and raspberry shipments have provided some problems for haulers over the summer. Both are more delicate fruit, especially raspberries. Much of this can be blamed on the horrendous summer heatthan began in June and continued through most of August. Good quality fruit results in more shipments (due to consumer demand), plus truckers deal with fewer rejections. Obviously the quality of the fruit has improved since the heat has subsided. The fruit holds up better when shipped.
Salinas area vegetables and berries – grossing about $4700 to Chicago.
Prince Edward Island (PEI) is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. Before the Confederate Bridge was completed in 1997, big rigs and four wheelers headed to the island, had to use ferry service between the Canadian mainland and the island. The bridge is just under 8 miles in length. PEI is the smallest Canadian province in both land area and population. It’s population is only 145,855 and is evenly divided between urban and rural dwellers.
Although the potato harvest has been under way for a few weeks, it is beginning in earnest in the next couple of weeks. This translates into the best loading opportunities in the weeks and months ahead. The island has over 80,000 acres of potatoes. Overall, yields will likely be slightly below average, with early varieties particularly light, and sizing smaller than normal. So be sure your receiver(s) is aware of this.
Loads are expected to be near normal.
PEI russet potatoes will be shipped into February, goldrushes into April 2013 and burbanks into the summer.
With the big USA crop, Caribbean markets could be more attractive to PEI growers this season.
A strong Canadian dollar presents another hurdle to island growers looking to export to the USA.
For truckers looking to stay in Canada or the East Coast of the USA, lighter crops in eastern Canada and the eastern USA could help offset the expected big volumes out out of Idaho and other western states.
In case you didn’t know, Ontario and Quebec put new laws in place in 2009 that require trucks entering their borders to have their speed limiter set to 105 kph (around 65 mph). There are no exceptions, and the fines can be pretty steep.
Up until now you’ve had two choices: change the speed limiter before you set off (meaning you have to drive slowly all the way to Canada as well as within Canada) or pay someone else to change it for you.
No more! Bully Dog’s Heavy Duty Gauge Tuner (HDGT) is approved by the Canadian government, and with it you can easily change the speed limiter, helping you comply with Canadian laws and saving you time and money!
If you worry about driving into Canada, then worry no more! The HDGT can help you expand your range and your business by giving you the flexibility to drive how you want on either side of the border. The speed limiter is also a game changer for the fleet owner; if you’re worried about fuel economy, the speed limiter gives you the ability to regulate your fleet’s speeds, which can decrease your fuel consumption considerably. You’ll be able to download time-stamped logs upon the unit’s return, which allows you to monitor your employees’ driving habits.
And the HDGT does more than just adjust your speed limiter. You can monitor your rig using its integrated gauges and automatic safety warnings, keeping you informed and preventing expensive damage to your truck. These warnings are also audible so you don’t have to glue your eyes to the screen. Simply set up your warning levels and the HDGT will warn you with an on-screen alert and an audible beep, keeping your truck safe and your eyes on the road!
There are many different reasons why you may want to adjust your rig’s speed limiter, even if it’s just making sure you stay under the speed limit on your regular route, and the HDGT is just the tool for the job. The HDGT comes with so many useful features in addition to the speed limiter, installs easily and quickly and can pay for itself effortlessly in fuel savings alone, so it’s an easy decision to make: get an HDGT and save yourself time and money today!
Press Release provided by Bully Dog