Archive For The “News” Category
The Hunts Point Wholesale Terminal in New York City’s South Bronx is the largest produce market in the world, where merchants run 32 companies spread over 113 acres, handling 1 to 3 million boxes of fresh produce at a time.
The gate fee for big rigs is $30.
The complex has gross sales of nearly $2.5 billion a year, supplying over 20 million people within a 50-mile radius of New York City, accounting for about 9 percent of the total U.S. population.
Hunts Point opened in 1967, and has its own public works, security team, with offices on the second floor with fruits and vegetables, union laborers, along with salesmen and buyers on the ground floor.
The handling of fresh fruits and vegetables involves product from 49 states and 55 countries.
Many of the merchants are descendants of the original owners who sold vegetables on push-carts and then at the lower Manhattan Washington Market of 1821 and its northern offshoot, Bronx Terminal Market, which eventually gave way to Hunts Point.
The market gates for big rigs open at 9 p.m. Sundays, and trucks are lined up to enter the market to unload at the docks. About 6,000 people conduct business daily at the market.
Trucks are delivering more of a diversification of product and at any one time there may be 50 different brands of broccoli, for example, on the market. The majority of buyers of produce from Hunts Point are retailers and restaurants.
By Allen Lund Company
Allen Lund Company has kicked off its Christmas in July Toy Drive to benefit the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in downtown Los Angeles. ALC welcomes local communities to donate toys for underserved families at Christmas. Donated toys will be presented to families along with donated baskets of food at Christmas to help families and children who are suffering. The Christmas in July Toy Drive will run from July 1st to July 31st. The Allen Lund Company wants every child to have a very Merry Christmas this year and no donation is too little. We hope the community joins us in collecting toys for the most needful in Los Angeles.
- Toys must be NEW and UNWRAPPED
- Sports equipment (Ages 3-17)
- Gift cards welcomed
Drop Off Location
Allen Lund Company
Marketing Department
4529 Angeles Crest Highway, Suite 101
La Cañada, CA 91011
800.475.5863
About Allen Lund Company:
Specializing as a national third-party transportation broker with nationwide offices and over 500 employees, the Allen Lund Company works with shippers and carriers across the nation to arrange dry, refrigerated (specializing in produce), and flatbed freight; additionally, the Allen Lund Company has a logistics and software division, ALC Logistics, and an International Division licensed by the FMC as an OTI-NVOCC #019872NF. If you are interested in joining the Allen Lund Company team, please click here.
Established in 1976, the Allen Lund Company was recognized by Logistics Tech Outlook for our software division ALC Logistics as a 2018 Top 10 Freight Management Solution Providers, 2018 FL100+ Top Software and Technology Providers, 2017 Supply & Demand Chain Executive Top 100, 2017 Food Logistics 100+ Top Software and Tech Provider, a 2016 Top IT Provider by Inbound Logistics, 2015 Coca-Cola Challenger Carrier of the Year, 2015 Top Private Company in Los Angeles by the Los Angeles Business Journal, 2015 Top 100+ Software and Technology Providers, 2015 Top 100 Logistics IT Provider by Inbound Logistics, a 2014 Great Supply Chain Partner, and was placed in Transport Topics’ “2014 Top 25 Freight Brokerage Firms.” The company manages over 365,000 loads annually, and received the 2013 “Best in Cargo Security Award.” In 2011, the company received the TIA 3PL Samaritan Award, and NASTC (National Association of Small Trucking Companies) named Allen Lund Company the 2010 Best Broker of the Year.
His portrait is on the $2.00 Dollar Bill.
Thomas Jefferson was a very remarkable man who started learning very early in life and never stopped.
At 5, began studying under his cousin’s tutor.
At 9, studied Latin, Greek and French.
At 14, studied classical literature and additional languages.
At 16, entered the College of William and Mary. Also could write in Greek with one hand, while writing the same in Latin with the other.
At 19, studied Law for 5 years starting under George Wythe.
At 23, started his own law practice.
At 25, was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses.
At 31, wrote the widely circulated “Summary View of the Rights of British America,” and retired from his law practice.
At 32, was a delegate to the Second Continental Congress.
At 33, wrote the Declaration of Independence.
At 33, took three years to revise Virginia’s legal code and wrote a Public Education bill and a statute for Religious Freedom.
At 36, was elected the second Governor of Virginia, succeeding Patrick Henry.
At 40, served in Congress for two years.
At 41, was the American minister to France and negotiated commercial treaties with European nations along with
Ben Franklin and John Adams.
At 46, served as the first Secretary of State under George Washington.
At 53, served as Vice President and was elected President of the American Philosophical Society.
At 55, drafted the Kentucky Resolutions and became the active head of the Republican Party.
At 57, was elected the third president of the United States.
At 60, obtained the Louisiana Purchase, doubling the nation’s size.
At 61, was elected to a second term as President.
At 65, retired to Monticello.
At 80, helped President Monroe shape the Monroe Doctrine.
At 81, almost single-handedly, created the University of Virginia and served as its first president.
At 83, died on the 50th Anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence, along with John Adams.
Thomas Jefferson knew because he himself studied, the previous failed attempts at government. He understood actual history, the nature of God, His laws and the nature of man. That happens to be way more than what most understand today.
Jefferson really knew his stuff…
A voice from the past to lead us in the future:
John F. Kennedy held a dinner in the White House for a group of the brightest minds in the nation at that time. He made this statement:
“This is perhaps the assembly of the most intelligence ever to gather at one time in the White House, with the exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone”
Traditional stone fruit varieties ranging from peaches to plums and nectarines have been on a steady decline in California over the past 20 years.
The USDA’s 2017 Census of Agriculture provides an interesting comparison on the acreage of major produce crops compared with 2012, 2007 and 2002.
On the bright side, the census reports California plum apricot hybrid acreage has grown from 3,240 in 2012 to 4,583 acres in 2017.
Here are some of the big fruit crop acreage changes since the last census.
- Nectarines: 2017 acres were 17,618 acres, down from 19,555 acres from 2012 and 28,431 in 2007 and 42,532 acres in 2002;
- Peaches: 2017 acres were 24,004 acres, down from 26,082 acres in 2012, 35,499 acres in 2007 and 42,302 acres in 2002; and
- Plums and prunes: 2017 acres 64,702 acres, down from 82,910 acres in 2012 and 102,860 acres in 2007, and 141,494 acres in 2002.
- Apples: 2017 acres were 13,637 acres, down from 18,205 acres in 2012, 22,184 acres in 2007 and 38,268 acres in 2002;
- Avocados: 2017 acres were 57,192 acres, down from 59,814 acres in 2012, 74,767 in 2007 and 67,553 in 2002;
- Sweet cherries: 2017 acres were 36,853 acres, down from 37,944 acres in 2012 but up from 30,433 acres in 2007 and 26,440 acres in 2002;
- Dates: 2017 acres were 11,423 acres, up from 7,257 acres in 2012 and 6,315 acres in 2007 and 6,187 acres in 2002;
- Grapes: 2017 acres were 935,272 acres, down from 940,178 acres in 2012 and 868,330 acres in 2007 and 890,896 aces in 2002;
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For the 15th consecutive year U.S. fresh vegetable imports have increased, according to the latest numbers from the USDA.
Imports accounted for about nearly 32 percent of the total fresh vegetable supply in 2018, up from nearly 30 percent in 2017 and almost 25 percent in 2010.
The vegetable commodity with the highest import share was asparagus, with nearly 99 percent accounted for by imports in 2018. That compares with over 95 percent in 2017 and nearly 90 percent in 2010.
Over 60 percent of U.S. fresh tomato supplies in 2018 were imported, up from 59 percent in 2017 and 53 percent in 2010.
The lowest share of imports for a fresh vegetable commodity was held by spinach, with imports accounting for just over 3 percent of the supply in 2018.
The rising share of imports does illustrate the tough competitive position for U.S. growers, particularly for labor-intensive crops like asparagus. The import share of head lettuce (5 percent) and leaf lettuce (10 percent) are still relatively low, though both broccoli and cauliflower now have 20 percent of supply from imports.
Unless mechanization makes rapid gains in the next decade, the import share of fresh vegetable supply will continue to increase.
The trucking industry lost one of its finest last Friday, June 21st, with the passing of Irwin L. Groff, 78, of Lititz, PA, although he spent most of his life living in New Holland. He passed away following a lengthy illness at Brethren Village.
Irvie was a dear friend of mine and one of the best long haul truckers to ever own a big rig. I often referred to him as Mr. Chairman, because he served as chairman of the non-profit Independent Truckers Association for several years and I had the honor of serving on the board with him.
Irvie was an independent trucker for 46 years, retiring in 2006. He had driven over 5 million millions. I want to say they were accident free, but it seems there was a minor accident at one time along the way.
He was an owner operator, but I remember him more as an independent trucker, because he was truly independent. Not only did he have his own operating authority allowing him to work directly with shippers, but he was a business man.
I first met Irvie in 1980 at a trucking convention. Over the following years we attended many truck shows and conventions together. He knew equipment inside and out and I learned so much from him.
Irvie kept detailed records of his operating costs and how much net profit was there. He had a formula for doing it and never operated a year in the red.
Irvie was a smart, caring, loving decent human being and devoted family man. He was a mentor to younger drivers.
Irvie taught Sunday School for 26 years, was a member of Transport for Christ, and managed the Chicken BBQ for the Brethern Disaster Relief auction for several years. He also enjoyed customizing Smith-Miller toy trucks in his retirement.
Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, June 26 at 10 am at Conestoga Church of the Brethren, 141 E. Main St., Leola, PA. Interment will be in the Bareville Cemetery. Viewing will be held on Tuesday from 6-8 pm and on Wednesday from 9-10 am at the Church. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to Transport for Christ, www.transportforchrist.org. To send the family online condolences visit us at www.groffeckenroth.com. Arrangements by Groff-High Funeral Home, New Holland.
Deepest sympathies to his wife Joyce and other family members. RIP Irvie. You will be missed.
Two E. coli outbreak investigations linked to romaine lettuce in 2018 took its toll in overall lettuce per capita availability. One of those probes led to a six-day hiatus of all romaine sales helping lead to a plunge of 20 percent, according to a new report.
Dragged sharply by lower lettuce availability, the latest per capita numbers on fresh vegetables reveal a reduction of 8 percent in 2018 compared with 2017.
Not counting potatoes and melons, the USDA reported 2018 fresh per capita vegetable availability was 144.81 pounds, down from 157.45 pounds a year ago.
The biggest fresh vegetable per capita declines from 2017-18, by percentage, were:
- Squash: 4.43 pounds, down 22 percent.
- Head lettuce: 12.33 pounds, down 19 percent;
- Leaf lettuce: 12.29 pounds, down 19 percent;
- Onions: 20.39 pounds, down 19 percent; and
- Broccoli: 5.93 pounds, down 17 percent.
With the decline in availability — what growers have shipped — and consumer reluctance to purchase romaine the wake of the E. coli outbreaks, romaine sales were down 18 percent by value and 17 percent by volume in 2018, according to IRI/Fresh Look Marketing,
Compared with 2017, the USDA said the top 5 gains in per capita availability for 2018, by percentage, were:
- Carrots: 8.53 pounds, up 16 percent;
- Asparagus: 1.76 pounds, up 9 percent;
- Snap beans: 1.68 pounds, up 8 percent;
- Cucumbers: 7.99 pounds, up 8 percent; and
- Celery: 4.98 pounds, up 5 percent.
The change in per capita consumption over the last decade shows winners and losers in a bigger context. Total fresh vegetable per capita availability in 2018 of 144.81 pounds is 1 percent higher than 2008.
Compared with 2008, the fresh vegetables with the biggest gains in per capita availability in 2018, by percentage, compared to 2008, were:
- Southern greens: 2.89 pounds (2018), up 64 percent;
- Cauliflower: 2.44 pounds (2018), up 55 percent;
- Asparagus: 1.76 pounds (2018), up 48 percent;
- Cucumber: 7.99 pounds (2018), up 25 percent; and
- Bell peppers: 11.16 pounds (2018), up 18 percent.
Biggest reductions in per capita availability over 10 years, from 2008 to 2018, according to the USDA, were:
- Head lettuce: 12.33 pounds, down 27 percent;
- Sweet corn: 6.75 pounds, down 26 percent;
- Cabbage: 5.71 pounds, down 29 percent;
- Celery: 4.98 pounds, down 20 percent; and
- Snap/green beans: 1.68 pounds, down 15 percent.
By Butterfly Equity
LOS ANGELES, CA — Butterfly, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm specializing in the food sector, recently announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Bolthouse Farms from Campbell Soup Company (NYSE:CPB) for $510 million in cash, subject to customary purchase price adjustments.
Founded in 1915 and based in Bakersfield, CA and Santa Monica, CA, Bolthouse Farms is a vertically integrated food and beverage company focused on developing, manufacturing and marketing proprietary, high value-added natural, healthy products. The company has leading market positions in fresh carrots and refrigerated premium beverages in the U.S., along with a strong and growing presence in refrigerated salad dressings. Bolthouse Farms benefits from access to over 65,000 acres of premium growing land, nationwide fresh distribution capabilities, and a state-of-the-art carrot and beverage processing facility. The company has approximately 2,200 employees and operates facilities in Bakersfield, California, Hodgkins, Illinois, Wheatley, Ontario and Prosser, Washington.
Bolthouse Farms is Butterfly’s fourth investment within its “seed to fork” approach to investing in food across agriculture, aquaculture, food and beverage products, food distribution and foodservice. Going forward, Butterfly Operating Partner Jeff Dunn will assume the role of CEO of Bolthouse Farms, where he previously served as President and CEO from 2008 until 2012, when it was acquired by Campbell Soup Company. He continued leading the business for Campbell Soup Company from 2012 until his departure from the company in 2016.
“We are thrilled to partner with a vertically-integrated produce and fresh food leader with a history as rich as Bolthouse Farms, and we believe the company’s future is very bright especially given the continued rise of plant-based food in the diet of today’s consumer,” said Butterfly Co-Founder Adam Waglay.
“We are proud to support Bolthouse Farms in further bolstering its strong positioning within fresh carrots and chilled premium beverages, and are excited to back a group of seasoned operators as passionate about produce as Jeff and his team to lead what is already a strong organization,” said Dustin Beck, Butterfly’s other Co-Founder.
“Bolthouse Farms holds a special place in the produce industry and my team and I are deeply committed to strengthening and broadening Bolthouse Farms’ unique legacy,” said Mr. Dunn. “We can’t wait to get started.”
The closing of the transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions and is expected to occur in summer 2019.
Butterfly was advised by Kirkland & Ellis on legal matters in connection with the transaction. Campbell Soup Company was advised by Centerview Partners, Goldman Sachs and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP.
About Butterfly:
Butterfly Equity (“Butterfly”) is a Los Angeles, California based private equity firm specializing in the food sector, spanning the entire food value chain from “seed to fork” via four target verticals: agriculture & aquaculture, food & beverage products, food distribution and foodservice. Butterfly aims to generate attractive investment returns through deep industry specialization, a unique approach to sourcing transactions, and leveraging an operations-focused and technology-driven approach to value creation. For additional information about Butterfly, please visit its website at www.butterflyequity.com.
By Collaborative for Fresh Producee
DALLAS — Feeding America®, Feeding Texas and the Collaborative for Fresh Produce (Collaborative) have announced an exciting partnership to address hunger and food waste in the Southwest and develop a regional model that can be scaled nationally.
Beginning June 14, 2019, Feeding America, through a grant to Feeding Texas, which launched the Collaborative in 2018, will become the newest investor in the Collaborative for Fresh Produce. Feeding America’s investment will support the Collaborative as it hones a sustainable model to partner with commercial farmers and food banks to efficiently collect and distribute donations of imperfect and surplus produce to hungry families in Texas and across the Southwest region.
“At Feeding America, we are regularly searching for innovative approaches to solve hunger and ensure that more people have access to fresh produce, crucial for a healthy lifestyle,” said Anne Swanson, vice president of fresh produce sourcing at Feeding America. “We believe strongly in the potential of the Collaborative for Fresh Produce and, as a result, are very pleased to provide significant funding and resources to Feeding Texas to support the Collaborative’s great work.”
The Collaborative for Fresh Produce was founded because one in eight Americans struggles with hunger yet an estimated 20 billion pounds of edible fresh produce are wasted each year. To tackle this issue, the Collaborative uses state-of-the-art technology and optimizes supplychain logistics to offer growers, shippers and wholesalers an outlet to address large-scale quantities of surplus produce and to provide a low-cost option to food banks as they source fresh produce for their communities. The Collaborative funds its operations through the generosity of its donors in addition to a 1 cent per pound processing fee paid by food banks.
In fiscal year 2019, the Collaborative for Fresh Produce anticipates distributing approximately 60 million pounds of fresh produce donated by more than 65 growers and shippers, mainly located in Texas. This produce will then be accessed by more than 25 food banks in a six-state region: Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas. These food banks supply thousands of non-profit agencies and pantries serving millions of people struggling with hunger in their communities.
“We’re so pleased that Feeding America has recognized the Collaborative’s pioneering work and wants to take a leadership role in developing a national model for our country’s agricultural community and its nationwide network of food banks,” said Lyda Hill, of Lyda Hill Philanthropies and the founding funder of the Collaborative for Fresh Produce. “Our goal from the outset was to work in tandem with food banks across the nation to create a scalable model, and Feeding America is ideally positioned to do just that.”
To avoid confusion with donors and food banks, the Collaborative for Fresh Produce, in partnership with Feeding America, will now take a supporting rather than a leading role in developing a national model and will continue to operate with a focus on the recovery of Texasgrown produce. Feeding Texas, the statewide network of Feeding America food banks in Texas, will support the Collaborative in developing the model and be its liaison to Feeding America.
“Feeding Texas was very honored to have piloted this program in Texas before spinning it off to become the Collaborative for Fresh Produce,” said Celia Cole, CEO of Feeding Texas. “We are committed to sustaining the long-term health of the organization and are now proud to shepherd it into this growth phase.”
Due to these changes, Simon Powell, president and CEO, and Jim Farley, CFO, of the
Collaborative for Fresh Produce will step down from the day-to-day leadership and operations. Beginning June 14th, Dale Long, currently the Collaborative’s executive vice president of sourcing will become interim executive director. Rhonda Sanders, CEO of the Arkansas Foodbank and board member of the Collaborative, will lead the transition efforts.
“We are delighted to see this effort gather this critical support from Feeding America,” said Jim
Bildner, CEO of Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation and chairman of the board of the Collaborative. “In addition, we would like to thank Simon and Jim who have been so instrumental in the formation of the Collaborative during this first year. Their dedication and passion to solve hunger and address food waste is to be applauded and we are extremely grateful for their service.”
To learn more about how to donate fresh produce to the Collaborative, contact Dale Long at dale@cfproduce.org or 469-858-6190, or to make a financial contribution contact Celia Cole at ccole@feedingtexas.org or 512-527-3624.
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About Feeding America
Feeding America® is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs, Feeding America provides meals to more than 46 million people each year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Individuals, charities, businesses and government all have a role in ending hunger. Donate. Volunteer. Advocate. Educate. Together we can solve hunger. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us onFacebookor follow us onTwitter.
About Feeding Texas
Feeding Texas (www.feedingtexas.org) is the statewide network of food banks. Its mission is to lead a unified effort for a hunger-free Texas. Feeding Texas works collaboratively to ensure adequate nutritious food for communities in Texas, improve the health and financial stability of the people served, and engage all stakeholders in advocating for hunger solutions in support of this mission.
About Collaborative for Fresh Produce
Founded in 2018, the Collaborative for Fresh Produce is a non-profit organization that is partnering with commercial farmers and food banks to fight hunger by fighting food waste. Through the use of state-of-the-art technology and optimized supply-chain logistics, the Collaborative created a sustainable model to efficiently collect and distribute donations of imperfect and surplus produce that can be accessed by our nation’s food banks and the hungry families they serve. Founding funders include Lyda Hill Philanthropies, Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. For more information, go to www.cfproduce.orgor e-mail FreshProduce@cfproduce.org.
By Gladstone Land Corporation
MCLEAN, Va. — Gladstone Land Corporation (NASDAQ: LAND) (“Gladstone Land” or the “Company”) announced that it has acquired approximately 930 gross acres of farmland in Chowchilla, California, for approximately $28.6 million. The farm consists of 852 planted acres of pistachio trees in their 11th leaf. In connection with the acquisition, the Company also entered into a 10-year, triple-net lease with The Specialty Crop Company, Inc., reported to be one of the top nut growers in the world and the largest grower of fresh and dried figs in the world.
“We are delighted to add another large pistachio orchard to our growing number of farms,” said Bill Reiman, Managing Director of Gladstone Land. “This acquisition was driven by one of our strong tenant relationships. There are many opportunities for us to grow our farmland assets by teaming up with great producers, and this acquisition is a prime example of that. This orchard is just coming into peak production, and we expect many years of great production.”
“Pistachios are an exciting growth area for us,” said David Gladstone, President and CEO of Gladstone Land. “This orchard is located in an area with attributes conducive for growing pistachios, such as optimal climate conditions and good access to water. Our tenant, The Specialty Crop Company, is an ideal partner for us as we continue to add farmland growing specialty crops to our farmland holdings. And like most of our tenant-farmers, they are growing foods that are considered to be healthy.”
About Gladstone Land Corporation:
Gladstone Land is a publicly-traded real estate investment trust that invests in and owns U.S. farmland and farm-related properties located in certain major agricultural markets across the U.S., which it leases to third-party farmers. The Company reports the current fair value of its farmland on a quarterly basis; as of December 31, 2018, its estimated net asset value was $12.88 per share. Gladstone Land currently owns 87 farms, comprised of 74,828 acres in 10 different states across the U.S., valued at approximately $649 million. Its acreage is predominantly concentrated in locations where its tenants are able to grow fresh produce annual row crops, such as berries and vegetables, which are generally planted and harvested annually; as well as permanent crops, such as almonds, blueberries, and pistachios, which are planted every 10 to 20-plus years and harvested annually. The Company may also acquire property related to farming, such as cooling facilities, processing buildings, packaging facilities, and distribution centers. Gladstone Land pays monthly distributions to its stockholders and has paid 74 consecutive monthly cash distributions on its common stock since its initial public offering in January 2013. The current per-share distribution rate on its common stock is $0.0445 per month, or $0.534 per year.