November 2022 has been proclaimed as Arizona Leafy Greens month by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, acknowledging the industry’s abundant production in the state.
November also marks the beginning of the lettuce and leafy greens shipments in the state, which considers itself the winter lettuce capital of the U.S., providing lettuce and leafy greens from November to March, according to a news release.
During the 10 years of the annual observance, Arizona farmers have produced more than 90 billion servings of lettuce, the release said. The state’s farmers grow about 25% of the annual U.S. lettuce supply, according to USDA statistics.
Arizona’s leafy greens farming community creates a $2 billion economic impact annually.
The family-owned grower-shipper Fruit World of Reedley, CA has announced several bright spots in their 2022-23 citrus season in a season that has been difficult for many citrus growers,
Fruit World is expecting a large volume of high-quality organic lemons throughout their year-round program, with volumes peaking from mid-October through February. This year’s crop is even stronger than it was in 2021, which was also above average.
To ensure a steady year-round supply, the company grows in California’s desert region through March before transitioning to the Central Valley. This year’s volumes are also supported by several young blocks that kicked into production this season.
Fruit World’s flagship mandarin program started in late October and will continue into early May with organic mandarins available from mid-November through early May.
Conventional and organic mandarin volumes are both up from the 2021 season but are still down from typical yields. Extreme heat and irregular precipitation are the greatest challenges facing the industry this year, and growers have been pivoting as quickly as possible to adapt. Overall quality is strong, and a sizable portion of Fruit World’s conventional crop will be transitioning to organic in the 2023-2024 season.
Stem and leaf mandarins are seeing increasing shipments each year, and Fruit World has been building their program to meet the rush of popularity particularly during the holiday season.
Plentiful supplies are availble including Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Lunar New Year.
The company has also begun shipping the popular organic Rio Red grapefruits, known for their gorgeous interior color, fantastic flavor, and superb quality. Volumes and fruit size are down slightly compared to last season, but supply is still anticipated to be on par with a standard season and able to meet consumer demand into January.
Rounding out the organic specialty citrus program, Fruit World’s Sweet Limes are seeing increased interest.
The classic lime freshness paired with sweetness make this variety perfect for refreshing juices, bright salad dressing, and sweet treats. Good volumes are anticipated through mid-December.
As part of a continued growth strategy for the Fruit World brand, the company has brought several new grower relationships online in the past year, which are expected to make a positive impact on this year’s citrus season.
Navel oranges, which are experiencing 15% to 20% lighter volumes industry-wide will actually end up with an increased supply for Fruit World over last year, thanks to more growers. Likewise, Fruit World welcomed the next generation of growers for Cara Caras from an up-and-coming grower family who are eager to convert the crop to organic.
The brand is also continuing to forge ahead with new product lines—exciting additions like mandarinquats, kumquats, and their newly-planted lemonade lemons.
Blueberries were the most exported agricultural food in Mexico during the first quarter of this year, producing over 70,000 tons and representing 15 percent of Mexican berry exports, according to Horticultivos.
The crop has shown growth exceeding 20 percent in recent years, both in growing area and in production.
Currently, about 97 percent of production is exported, or 68,300 tons, to 31 destinations. The main market is the U.S., but it includes important developing countries such as Japan, Hong Kong, and the UAE, among others.
Organic production has taken great relevance globally, with a 15 percent of the blueberry area in Mexico (around 3,360 acres) currently produced organically. About 10,500 tons of organic blueberries have been exported during the current season.
Idaho-Eastern Oregon onion shippers are comparing this season’s shipments to the short crop of a year ago.
Treasure Valley yields are down due to unfavorable weather conditions during planting as well as continuing heat during the growing season. Still, the trade is report very good quality and sizing with onions now in storage.
Fort Boise Produce in Parma, ID, notes onion sizes have alot of mediums, with fewer jumbos, but the product looks very good. However, yields off by about 20 percent of normal.
Weiser Onion Produce in Weiser, ID, finished putting onions into storage in early October, reporting the short crop affects all varieties.
At Snake River Produce In Nyssa, OR, the company’s growers faced weather challenges of rain, wind, and cool temps from April to June. Then in July Mother Nature hit the area with extreme heat and high winds. Still, the operation maintains growers came through with a manageable crop which has produced great yields and quality.
Eagle Eye of Nyssa, OR reportsadequate supplies of jumbos and mediums. The earlier part of the season was seeing limited volume of colossals and super colossals, but sizing was expected improve as the season continued.
At Owyhee Produce in Nyssa, OR, the operation reports lower yields from a normal year.
Guam is a small island territory, 3,950 miles away from the nearest American state, 5,806 miles away from my office in San Francisco, and the place I call home. I was born and raised on Guam knowing that food was expensive and that if there were supposed to be six variations of one product, we’d only have two of them on the shelves, always marked up 31% or more. I never understood why romaine lettuce was $10 for a bag of three heads or why “real milk” from California was $9 a gallon. I knew fuel for the giant ships that brought them into the port was probably expensive, but I never considered what it took to get that food onto the ships in the first place.
I am brand new to this industry. I’ve been at ALC for only about five months now and I’ve jumped in headfirst working on one of the company’s largest accounts. This has completely shifted my perspective on what it takes, not only to get goods across the country, but whatit must take to get goods 5,000+ miles across the ocean.
Since my first in-person interview, I have been told many times that farmers and truck drivers are the backbone of America. The more time I spend learning about the industry and working with the many people that help move goods across the country, the more I’m discovering just how true that statement is and how many other people it takes to support them, including us here at ALC. During the height of COVID-19, while everyone was panic buying toilet paper and all the flour and sugar off the shelves to support our newfound baking hobbies; farmers, production line workers, truck drivers, and grocery store employees were working hard to keep the shelves stocked at the cost of their health and safety. I’ve heard so many stories about how my co-workers were working hard to find trucks
Whether it was buying pizza for their carriers, or sending candy and thank you cards, anything to show their appreciation for great service during a time when you would expect most people to be looking out for themselves and their families. ALC and their carriers and customers not only survived,
but they also thrived, enough that they could hire me this year! I’m proud that I am now a part of this team. I’m proud to know that the people I work with were a part of the network that helped keep America in business, and helped me perfect my banana bread recipe last year too. I’m proud to know that ALC, our carriers, and our customers were able to pivot and adapt to the circumstances of our world. They’ve proven more than ever that they are smart and hardworking people who are ready to take on tomorrow’s challenges and I am fortunate enough that I get to learn from their experiences and carry them with me towards the future as well. Guam is a faraway land for a mainlander and it’s beginning to make sense why that one bag of romaine and one gallon of milk might set me back $20. But who knows, with the experience I continue to gain at ALC, maybe I could be the one to figure out how to get the romaine and milk for $9 on Guam- or maybe all 15 flavors of Cheerios!
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*****
Shelby Perez graduated from Saint Mary’s College in 2020 with a degree in Business and East Asian Studies. She started at ALC San Francisco in May 2022 as a Broker’s Assistant with the national retail store team.
During the past 10 years, the U.S. has imported $6.05 billion worth of pineapple with 85% of pineapple exports coming from Costa Rica. Colombia was the eighth-largest supplier for this fruit to the U.S. during the same period, according to ProColumbia data.
With industries in constant development and growth, Costa Rica and Colombia are seeking to consolidate pineapple consumption in the U.S. market. At the same time, they are aiming to grow exports to new destinations, such as Israel.
With more than 98,842 acres concentrated in the south and north, Costa Rica produces pineapples all year round. More than 52% of shipments are destined for the U.S., and led by Del Monte company. According to the National Chamber of Pineapple Producers and Exporters (CANAPEP), exports began in the late 1990s with a high quality fruit.
Per capita consumption in the U.S. currently stands at nearly 6 pounds per year. And 84% of pineapples consumed come from Costa Rica.
Abel Chaves, president of CANAPEP’s Board of Directors, says: “Since we started with exports and the development of MD2 pineapple along with phytosanitary work, we are the number one supplier in the U.S.
“In fact, in supermarket chains, consumers seek Costa Rican pineapple, which has led to an annual average shipment of 170 million boxes of 12 kilos (26.4 pounds), which is why there is such a large consumption in the U.S”. The association seeks to position Costa Rica as the leading pineapple supplier for global markets.
Colombian market
Along the same lines, Colombia has increased its pineapple production. ProColombia data in 2021, reveals national pineapple production closed at 927,050 tons, with a 3% growth over the previous year.
In 1989, the first pineapple exports to the United States began with a value of $122,191, equivalent to 388 tons. Since then, per capita consumption in the country has remained constant, creating annual increases of 9% in imports.
Colombia has the possibility of supplying pineapple all year round, as does Costa Rica. Between January and July this year, Colombia shipped 1.1 million dollars to the US, representing a 27% growth compared to the same period in 2021.
2022 Season
With a season marked by the logistics crisis, the pandemic and the increase in fertilizer prices in both countries, the Costa Rican pineapple industry is conservative when making projections. It predicts an average shipment of 190 million boxes for the entire industry, a figure that remains the same compared to 2021.
Of that percentage, 50% of the national industry is destined to the U.S. While between 40 to 43% is sent to Europe, with the rest of the exports destined to Chile and Asia.
According to figures from the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE) and analysis by ProColombia, Colombia exported more than 3 million net kilos of pineapple between January and July 2022. This represented 1.3% more than in the same period of 2021. In total, last year closed at 6.6 million net kilos.
Shipments similar to a year ago are seen by observers Maine’s 2022-23 potato crop. Good quality also has been seen based on early harvests.
The Maine Farmers Exchange of Presque Isle, ME describes the crop as “beautiful.”
Despite weather delaying spring planting a little, growers to completed harvest by mid-October.
The size of the spud are a little bit smaller than last year, but still described as good-size potato.
Shipments of table stock and seed potatoes are just getting underway and will continue until June.
Maine’s potato growers typically offer russet, white, yellow and red potatoes during the fall/winter season.
USDA reported 53,300 harvested acres of potatoes in Maine last season with total production of about 18.4 million cwt. Harvested acreage for the previous season was 50,800 acres with production of 13.4 million cwt.
Green Thumb Farms Inc., Fryeburg, ME, has been shipping since the third week of August. It reports growers were able to irrigate enough to achieve decent yields, but production of some varieties will be less this season.
SWORDS, Ireland–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Thermo King®, a leader in transport temperature control solutions and a brand of Trane Technologies (NYSE: TT), has completed initial testing of its innovative evolve™ electric trailer with retailers Walmart and Loblaws, and Martin Brower, a leading supply chain solutions provider for restaurants around the world. During more than 2,500 hours of operation, the battery-powered refrigerated trailer unit delivered excellent performance, ensuring high quality climate control to keep food and other goods fresh. With zero direct emissions, Thermo King’s electric trailer technology can help to significantly decarbonize the cold chain.
“By partnering with our customers, we can help accelerate the industry’s transformation to electrification by applying valuable insights from data collected during these trials,” said Karin De Bondt, president of Thermo King Americas. “With more than 2,500 hours of operation, the learnings bring us closer to a commercialized all-electric trailer unit, help our customers prepare their operations, an ultimately, together we can advance the industry forward.”
“With thousands of refrigerated trailers using diesel fuel today, we have the ability to make a meaningful difference when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said Fernando Cortes, senior vice president of transportation, Walmart U.S. “We were pleased to work with Thermo King on the testing of our first-ever refrigerated trailer operated primarily on battery electricity in the U.S. as we look for solutions to achieve zero emissions by 2040.”
“Our goal is to deliver innovative and meaningful solutions that help restaurants and our business create a more globally sustainable, ethical, and responsible future,”, said Danny Fahey, Martin Brower’s vice president of US strategy and sustainability. “Piloting the Thermo King® electric trailer allows us to support new technologies, which is an essential step toward achieving our ambitious, long-term goal — significantly reducing our carbon emissions per ton and limiting our environmental impact.”
Leveraging Thermo King TracKing® telematics, customer operations data and learnings have been documented with each evolve™ trailer demonstration, directly contributing to future product optimization and innovation. In addition to its current portfolio of products, Thermo King has committed to delivering all-electric, zero-emission solutions for every segment of the end-to-end cold chain by 2023 in Europe and 2025 in the Americas. Through its evolve™ all-electric portfolio, the business will help advance Trane Technologies’ 2030 Sustainability Commitments, including its Gigaton Challenge to reduce customer greenhouse gas emissions by 1 billion metric tons.
About Trane Technologies
Trane Technologies is a global climate innovator. Through our strategic brands Trane® and Thermo King®, and our environmentally responsible portfolio of products and services, we bring efficient and sustainable climate solutions to buildings, homes, and transportation. Learn more at tranetechologies.com.
About Thermo King
Thermo King – by Trane Technologies (NYSE: TT), a global climate innovator – is a worldwide leader in sustainable transport temperature control solutions. Thermo King has been providing transport temperature control solutions for a variety of applications, including trailers, truck bodies, buses, air, shipboard containers, and railway cars since 1938. For more information, visit www.thermoking.com or www.europe.thermoking.com.
This news release includes “forward-looking statements” which are statements that are not historical facts, including statements that relate to our commitment to deliver fully electric products in every segment of the cold chain and our other sustainability commitments and the impact of these commitments. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to differ materially from our current expectations. Such factors include, but are not limited to, changes in laws and regulation, global economic conditions, the outcome of any litigation, our ability to develop new products and services and the acceptance of these products in the markets that we serve. Additional factors that could cause such differences can be found in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, as well as our
North Carolina’s sweet potato harvest season is nearing completion with fresh pricing up substantially compared with a year ago.
The transition between old-crop and new-crop sweet potatoes was apparently lending support to pricing in early September. Harvest in North Carolina should continue to be active into November, and prices should ease with expanding supply and shipments.
USDA shipment statistics indicated that North Carolina accounted for two-thirds of total U.S fresh sweet potato shipments of 272 (40,000 truckloads) for the week ending Sept. 17
As of Sept. 3, the average fob price for U.S. fresh sweet potatoes was $60.56 per cwt (hundredweight), up 20.6% compared with the same time a year ago, according to numbers collected by the USDA. The Sept. 3 fob price of for sweet potatoes of $60.56 per cwt was nearly 30% higher than the $46.70 per cwt price in early August.
The USDA reported the average advertised retail price for fresh sweet potatoes was 94 cents per pound, down 8.7% from the same week a year ago.
Corey Produce of Bethel, N.C. reports increased moisture this year, should result in a slightly bigger sweet potato crop in 2022.
The company grows sweet potatoes in Martin, Pitt and Edgecombe counties in North Carolina, with its packinghouse located in Bethel N.C..
The company report this year’s crop looks a little better than last year’s crop, because last year was extremely dry in Martin County.
Corey Produce acreage is about the same as last year.
The operation began harvest September 12 and will be finishing harvest any day now.
Lancaster Farms of Wilson, N.C.-based reports a strong, quality sweet potato harvest. While acreage for the company is down, yields may be up 10%.
R.B. Lancaster and Sons Inc. family has lived and farmed in Wilson County, N.C., and the surrounding counties for seven generations, since the late 1700s.
The company has a four-year crop rotation, farming between 1,400 and 1,800 acres annually.
Harvest for Lancaster Farms started harvest Aug. 26 for early plantings and began harvest again Sept. 16, and wrapped up the harvest expected in late October.
