Archive For The “Trucking Reports” Category
Spring vegetable shipments are underway from California’s Salinas Valley and volume will be gradually building in the weeks ahead.
Babe’ Farms based in Santa Maria some of its top-selling spring produce includes rainbow root vegetables (baby beets, carrots, specialty radishes), baby head lettuces, its signature Blonde Frisée and the all-new Pink Rhône Little Gem lettuce.. The company is expecting strong shipments for Easter (April 20) and Mother’s Day (May 11)
Tanimura & Antle of Salinas, CA grow and ship a wide variety of premium fresh produce, including iceberg, romaine and romaine hearts, other leafy items, cauliflower, broccoli, celery and its Artisan family of products.
Each spring, Tanimura & Antle transitions from the desert growing regions surrounding Yuma, AZ, to California’s Salinas Valley, one of the most fertile agricultural areas in the world. The company also strategically transitions to Huron, CA, to bridge the gap between seasons.
This year’s California avocado shipments are shaping up to be one of the strongest in recent years, with a projected harvest of 375 million pounds. This is the largest crop since 2020, says the California Avocado Commission of Irvine, CA.
California avocados are most commonly available on the West Coast, though the commission is expanding its marketing program because of the larger harvest this year
Michael J Cavaletto Ranches in Nipomo, CA has seven ranches and expects to generate 9 million to 10 million pounds from all of them this year, a little higher than usual.
The California avocado industry had harvested 8% of its total crop by the second week of March, according to Calavo Growers, Santa Paula, CA.
Index Fresh of Corona, CA reports the 2025 California season started in mid-January, earlier than normal.
Additionally, strong volumes will be available throughout the season, following the spring rains.
Peak loadings of California avocados is expected from spring through summer, and the California Avocado Commission estimates promotable volume will be at least 10 million pounds per week from April through Labor Day weekend, with some weeks reaching significantly higher volumes.
Because of the favorable weather, some growers have been encouraged to start harvesting earlier than usual.
Mission Produce in Oxnard, CA reports supply and demand are synchronized and quality is looking good.
Tomato supplies have been tight due to increased demand and older winter fields finishing in Sinaloa, Mexico, according Markon Cooperative of Salinas, CA
Round
- Florida volumes are light but are increasing going further into April; quality is good
- Mexico has moderate volume due to transitions from winter to spring crops in Sinaloa
- Quality is mixed, but is better out of newer fields
- Water restrictions in Sinaloa are expected to lessen April production
Roma
- East Coast supplies are fair with volume increasing in April
- Volume is moderate in Mexico as spring transitions are underway in Sinaloa
- New crop will bring additional extra-large size availability
- Reduced water allocation will reduce overall supply in April
Grape & Cherry Varieties
- Florida supplies are light but started increasing in early April
- West Mexico supply is steady; recent cooler weather has slowed production
- Central Mexico has light supply; expect increased production in late April when new crops start
U.S. potato growers continue to ship a strong 2024 crop out of storage as the year progresses, and they anticipate an equally solid crop for 2025.
Potatoes USA of Denver, total grocery store fresh potato sales were up 3% last year to about 4.8 billion pounds. Dollar sales were down about 5%, however, to just over $4 billion.
Russet potatoes were the top-selling variety, accounting for 64% of potato sales, followed by yellow (16%), red (11%) and white (4%).
The Idaho Potato Commission of Eagle, ID describes the crop this year a “beautiful.”
Eagle Eye Produce of Idaho Falls, ID reports growing and harvest conditions were excellent. The grower/shipper wrapped up harvest faster than ever, breaking records for acres harvested per day.
The company already is planning for the upcoming 2025 crop saying it should be similar to the current one.
Eagle Eye Produce grows and packs russet, red and yellow potatoes. Norkotah russets are the top sellers followed by Burbanks. Red and yellow potatoes make up about 20% of the company’s volume.
The firm ships potatoes year-round by transitioning through key growing regions across the U.S.
Wada Farms Marketing Group of Idaho Falls, ID, offers primarily russet, red and yellow varieties.
Quality of the current storage supply remains sound, the company notes.
Wada supplies potatoes year-round due to its diverse network of growers and will soon plant its 2025 storage crop.
Volume in 2025 should be similar to the 2024 crop.
In the North Dakota/Minnesota region, red potatoes have been a favorite since they were first planted in 1946, reports the Northland Potato Growers Association, East Grand Forks, MN.
This current crop is a good with the red and yellow fresh market varieties holding up well. The current season is pretty much a mirror what the valley had last year.
A small number of suppliers are now harvesting iceberg and leaf lettuce in the Huron, California growing region, according to a news release from Markon Cooperative of Salinas, CA.
Desert supplies will remain available through the week of April 7, but Salinas will become a bigger player starting next week. Current iceberg supplies in Huron are exhibiting high weights and strong quality.
Markon First Crop (MFC) Premium Iceberg Lettuce is available. Leaf lettuces such as romaine and green leaf are struggling with elevated insects at the base of the heads (mostly small black gnats). Harvesting crews will be trimming heavily to reduce insects but cannot eliminate them all.
Heading towards the final weeks of the Chilean table grape export season of 2024-25, plenty of volume is expected although it appears the market will not be as saturated as it has been in previous weeks.
Portal Agro Chile reports about 66 million boxes will be exported, a growth of 2.3 percent compared to the previous season. By week 6 of the current season, exports had already reached 14 million boxes, driven by the implementation of the “System Approach” in the regions of Atacama, Coquimbo, and Valparaíso, which has allowed for more efficient delivery of fruit to destination markets, according to Trading Logistics Management (TLM).
There was an increase in volume resulting in the accumulation of 8 million boxes due to fear of a port strike resulting in market saturation. Additionally, there was strong competition from Peru, South Africa, and India, whose harvests have flooded both the North American and European markets with fruit.
Grape volumes are expected to be more down and more manageable in April 2025, as arrival volumes make possible better management of supply and demand.
California Giant Berry Farms of Watsonville, CA is ramping up its domestic blueberry shipments.
A promising start to the domestic blueberry season has come with early season harvests underway, the company said in a news release.
Conventional blueberry production is ramping up, with the Florida season commencing the week of March 17th and Georgia is anticipated to begin the first week of April. California’s Central Valley will follow suit, with harvests expected to begin in early May, ensuring a consistent supply of fresh, conventional blueberries, the company said.
On the organic front, Oxnard, CA, is currently experiencing peak production, yielding high-quality fruit, said California Giant, adding that these supplies will be supplemented by organic harvests from the Central Valley beginning in early April.
California Giant also said it will highlight the availability of its premium Giant Blueberries. These large (20-millimeter-plus) berries are now available in a new label design, selected by California Giant’s consumer audience.
The Giant Blueberries, known for their size and flavor, undergo rigorous sorting on a Unitec sorting line at California Giant’s Santa Maria, Calif., packing facility, the company said. The company said this process ensures that only the highest-quality berries, selected for color, firmness, size and other quality indicators, are packaged into each clamshell.
California Giant said it continues to deliver on its mission to provide the best berry experience by offering a year-round supply of fresh berries that represent the highest standards for quality and consistency.
The Vidalia onion season is set to begin, as Georgia’s agriculture commissioner and the Vidalia Onion Committee say the sweet onions will start shipping to grocery stores April 15, Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper said in a news release.
With nearly 10,000 acres planted in Southeastern Georgia, which is considered normal, Vidalia Onion Committee of Vidalia, GA is expecting an average crop with both yields and quality. This is despite weather issues ranging from Hurricane Helen to receiving five to six inches of snow.
In 2024, 6.5 million 40-pound boxes were collected thanks to near perfect weather and exceptional yields, VOC reported. That was up from 4.3 million boxes in 2023, when the onions endured freezing temperatures and reduced acreage.
Bland Farms of Glennville, GA is ready to start shipping Vidalia onions as soon as the official pack date is announced by the Vidalia Onion Advisory Panel, which should be in mid-April.
The company sees this year’s crop being a bit smaller in volume due to some colder, rainy weather during the growing season. However, it should be a solid crop in line with a typical season.
Growers generally ship Vidalias through Labor Day.
G&R Farms of Glennville, GA will be ready to start shipping Vidalia onions in mid-April as the crop is progressing well. The size and quality of this year’s Vidalia onion crop are reported as excellent.
Shuman Farms of Reidsville, GA has expanded its operations following the Generation Farms acquisition.
The acquisition in 2024 has given the company the ability to increase its storage, packing capacity and overall efficiency.
Vidalia onions are grown in a unique region spanning 20 counties in south Georgia.
Avocado shipments remain limited. Harvesting was curtailed in Mexico last week due to Benito Juarez Day. Expect elevated prices for the next three weeks as Mexican growers are uncertain about the potential tariffs scheduled to begin April 2, 2025, according to a news release by Markon Cooperative of Salinas, CA.
Mexico
- All sizes are tight; the Benito Juarez holiday is limiting production
- Size and grade substitutions may be requested to fill orders
- Quality is good; checkerboarding (uneven ripening within a case) has been reported
- Expect elevated markets and tight supplies for the next four weeks
California
- New crop production is in full swing
- California supplies will help fill the void from Mexican-grown product
- Supplies are dominated by medium sizes (48- through 60-count fruit)
- Quality is good; firm fruit has been reported even when ripe
- Expect high prices; demand is strong due to Mexican shortages
Colombia
- Imports will ship into the East Coast through May; these supplies only account for 5% of U.S. demand
- The crop is currently dominated by small sizes (60- to 84-count fruit)
- Quality is comparable to that in Mexico; texture is creamy and oil content is high
Blueberry shipments in the United States typically occur from spring to late September and Florida kickoffs off the nation’s first fruit.
Florida is the eighth-largest blueberry-growing state, alongside Oregon, Washington, Georgia, New Jersey, and Michigan, Maine, North Carolina and California. Depending on the weather, growers typically begin harvesting in late March.
Observers of Florida blueberries are generally seeing a crop of 20 million pounds, which is considered normal.
The Florida Blueberry Growers Association expects lower than last year, with more normal tonnage after last year’s oversupply.
FBGA optimism is boosted since Georgia’s blueberry season seems to be a little later than usual this year, not starting until late April, early May.
Although Mexican production is seen for April, it is believed volume will be light at that point.