Archive For The “Trucking Reports” Category
by Joe Zemba, La Junta Tribune-Democrat
The family farmers of the Rocky Ford Growers Association (RFGA) started planting cantaloupe seeds only recently. Those amazingly sweet and juicy Rocky Ford Cantaloupes will start rolling into grocery stores across Colorado and surrounding states in mid-July.
The family farmers of the Rocky Ford Growers Association (RFGA) started planting cantaloupe seeds the week of April 17th. Those amazingly sweet and juicy Rocky Ford Cantaloupes will start rolling into grocery stores across Colorado and surrounding states in mid-July. The ripest cantaloupes are picked daily through the growing season and will go from field to grocery store in about 12 hours.
RFGA members Knapp Farms and Proctor Produce kicked off the planting season during what will be a very busy couple of weeks in Rocky Ford as all eight member farms plant their cantaloupe fields. The farm fields have been prepped with a plastic mulch to reduce evaporation, and to provide a barrier between the moist ground and the cantaloupe to keep them from getting wet and rotting. A planter pokes in cantaloupe seeds about every foot, where they’ll grow into sprawling green vine-like plants that produce those world-famous Rocky Ford melons by late July.
“These amazingly sweet, juicy melons are available for only a couple of months a year. For generations, people have waited each July for the harvest to hit the stores and the farmers markets. It’s great to get started on the 2017 season,” said Rocky Ford Growers Association president Michael Hirakata.
The Rocky Ford region grows the sweetest cantaloupe thanks to a perfect combination of blazing hot days and cool nights, along with the fresh, clear Arkansas River water that irrigates the valley. The Rocky Ford Growers Association members are family-owned farms, several of which are being operated by the 5th and 6th generations.
by CMI Orchards
Wenatchee, WA – CMI Apricot growers have reported this year’s crop will be coming off the trees later than last year due to a colder spring. This year’s crop should be harvested around July 2.
The Washington State apricot season is generally short with shipments ending in July.
Although the highly anticipated Washington State grown season of apricots is short (month of July), consumer interest for this delicious and nutritious treat continues to grow. Versatile and delicious, apricots find many ways into a number of recipes. Whether sliced in a summer salad, breakfast cereal, adding them to pancake batter, preparing an apricot glazed cooked carrots, or numerous apricot/chicken recipes.
According to George Harter, VP of Marketing for CMI Orchards, “the cool nights and warm daytime temperatures in the Columbia River Valley really help bring out the extra sweet flavor or our apricots.”
Nutritionally, apricots are rich in many ways. Apricots are an excellent source of vitamin A, 100g providing 64% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA). Vitamin A plays a critical role in maintaining healthy vision, neurological function, healthy skin, and more. Vitamin A, like all antioxidants, is involved in reducing inflammation through fighting free radical damage. Consuming a diet high in antioxidants is a way to naturally slow aging. Additionally, apricots are an excellent source of vitamin C, potassium, iron, zinc, calcium and manganese.
About CMI Orchards
CMI Orchards is one of Washington State’s largest growers, shippers and packers of premium quality apples, pears, cherries, apricots and organics. Based in Wenatchee, WA, CMI Orchards delivers outstanding fruit across the U.S.A. and exports to over 60 countries worldwide.
Washington Cherry Shipments
Spring bloom for both Washington cherries the fast approaching season and apples in the fall for the 2017-18 season are about 10 days behind normal timing and three weeks behind last year
Cherry harvest is expected to begin for the company in mid June.
California grape shipments should be similar to a year ago despite acreage facing a small decline…..Looking down the road a piece, New Jersey produce shipments should be good if favorable weather continues.
Table grape acreage accounted for 123,000 of California’s 2016 total grape acreage of 897,000 acres, or about 13.7 percent of the total, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture-U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual survey on grape acreage.
Total grape acres were down 2.3 percent from 918,000 in 2015, according to the report, released April 20.
Table grape acreage was down 0.8% from the 124,000 reported in 2015, but it was 2,000 more acres or about 1.7% more than 2014.
Leading varieties, and their acreage in 2016 (and 2015), were:
- Flame seedless, 15,499 acres in 2016 (16,530);
- Crimson seedless, 9,387 acres in 2016 (10,564);
- Red globes, 7,923 acres in 2016 (9,644);
- Scarlett Royal, 7,254 acres in 2016 (6,706);
- Sugraone, 5,069 acres in 2016 (5,108);
- Autumn King, 6,111 acres in 2016 (5,386);
- Autumn Royal, 4,453 acres in 2016 (4,548);
- Cotton Candy, 406 acres in 2016 (54); and
- Sweet Globe, 245 acres in 2016 (78).
Acreage of raisin-type grapes totaled 172,000 in 2016, or 7.5 percent lower than 2015’s total of 186,000 acres.
The wine-type grape acreage is estimated at 602,000 acres, with 560,000 bearing and 42,000 non-bearing.
The CDFA works with the Pacific Regional Office of the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service on the annual voluntary acreage survey.
New Jersey Produce Shipments
Everything has lined up about as well as it could have so far this year, as the Garden State has had some nice warm weather. This has resulted in produce crops general being ahead of schedule as the growing season progresses. Growers are “knocking on wood” and keeping fingers crossed regarding the weather.
In only a few weeks there will be shipments of Jersey peaches and Jersey blueberries, two of the states leading produce items. Crops at this point are described as beautiful.”
New Jersey Asparagus cutting has been occurring at a fast and steady clip, leafy greens also are being harvested and shipped. There also are greenhouse tomatoes being harvested, as well as a few strawberries.
by Chilean Fresh Fruit Association
Chile’s first 2017 shipment of clementines to the U.S. departed from the port of Valparaiso in late April, a week earlier than the previous season. This serves as the official start of the Chilean Citrus season, which runs through October.
Roughly 191 tons of clementines (12,260 boxes) departed for the U.S., with 89% destined for the East Coast. This shipment includes 7,940 boxes of Oronules (121 tons) and 4,320 boxes of Clemenules (70 tons). Chilean Clementine volume is expected to be slightly less than 2016, with around 42,000 tons of clementines exported from Chile between April and July. In 2016, 99% of all Chilean clementines were shipped to North America, and the same is anticipated for this season.
Clementines are just one part of Chile’s citrus offerings, which also include mandarins, lemons and navels. In terms of timing, as Clementine shipments start to wind down in July, mandarins will ramp up, with shipments concentrated in the August-September timeframe. Navel oranges will be available from June-October, with lemons boasting the longest season of May through October. With favorable autumn temperatures and sufficient rainfall, the Chilean Citrus Committee anticipates good sizing and flavorful, juicy fruit.
While total citrus volume is expected to increase just three percent, from 247,363 tons in 2016 to 256,000 tons in 2017, a huge increase is once again anticipated for mandarins. On the heels of a 22% volume increase in 2016, the Chilean Citrus Committee foresees another double-digit increase for mandarins this season, jumping from 53,000 tons to 67,000, a 26% increase over 2016. Nearly 100% of all mandarins are destined for North America. Comments Juan Enrique Ortuzar, Chairman of the Chilean Citrus Committee, “In 2014, Chile’s mandarin volume was around 27,000 tons. Here we are in 2017, just 3 years later, and we expect to ship 67,000 tons. This growth is phenomenal, and in direct response to strong demand from our customers in North America. We believe there are still more growth opportunities, and the Chilean Citrus Committee remains committed to supporting market development.”
In 2017, the Chilean Citrus Committee will expand its marketing program from the U.S. into Canada, working with a Toronto-based merchandiser to grow the Eastern Canadian market. The U.S. will remain its primary focus, and programs to promote lemons, easy peelers and navels are currently being discussed with retailers across the country. The Chilean Citrus Committee will launch this season’s marketing program during two May shows: the annual CPMA convention in Toronto and The West Coast Produce Expo in Palm Springs.
Focusing on California, stone fruit volume is building, while strawberry shipments are shifting from Ventura County to Santa Maria.
While there has been light volume of California stone fruits in recent weeks, decent volume is expected to occur with the next 10 days to two weeks.
The state does not have a big crop of stone fruits this year, but shipments should be strong, in large part due to production problems in the SoutheastA.
About 90 percent of the South Carolina peach crop was wiped out by a devastating freeze, while Georgia lost about 40 percent of its peaches.
California stone fruit shipments should be fairly steady by the middle of May.
While heavier shipments have occurred the past couple of season during late April with nectarines and some other stone fruit items, that is about a week earlier than what’s considered normal. More normal is returning this season with the crop a little later.
Strong volume is seen by the third week in May, just in time for deliveries for the Memorial Day weekend May 27 – 29.
West Coast stone fruit shipments used to be much larger, but that has change over the past decade or more with a decline in acreage. Also, a marketing order was eliminated several years ago, resulting in it now being difficult to get a firm handle on acreage totals. However, appears acreage declines have bottomed out. Many stone fruit growers also had shifted to growing other items such as almonds and Mandarins.
California white peaches started in late April, while yellow nectarines and white nectarines, plus apricots got underway in early May. Black and red plums will be starting in the middle of May.
California Strawberry Shipments
As of April 15th, California strawberry volume was over 5.5 million trays, more than half a million over the projected 4.9 million. Currently, Ventura County strawberry shipments are in a seasonal decline with volume still a little more than a little northward at Santa Mara, where volume is approaching peak loadings. Last week, Santa Maria shipped about 450 loads of strawberries. The Watsonville area near Salinas is shipping strawberries in very light volume, which will be increasing.
Santa Maria strawberries and vegetables – grossing about $6400 to New York City.
One of the larger Vidalia onion shippers, Shuman Produce, has just become significantly larger….On the West Coast, here’s an update on California orange shipments.
Shuman Produce of Reidsville, GA which has grown over the past decade or so to become the second largest Georgia onion shipper, has purchased the Plantation Sweets Vidalia onion operation in Cobbtown, GA.
The 680-acre property includes a 94,000-square foot packing facility, and sold for $5.5 million at a bankruptcy auction April 26.
Shuman Produce plans to use cold storage space on the property in the next couple of weeks for part of its current crop, and the land will be planted this fall for next spring’s onion harvest. The acquisition allows Shuman Produce to add several hundred thousand boxes of production to its Vidalia program.
During the first round of bidding on primarily the land itself the bidding was up to about $2.5 million. Obviously that more than doubled before the bidding concluded.
Plantation Sweets filed for bankruptcy in 2016. Farm equipment and onion bins that belonged to the company were sold in a separate auction April 27.
Another Vidalia onion operation, which previously belonged to Gerrald’s Vidalia Sweet Onions, will be available in a bankruptcy auction later this month. Online bidding on that property begins May 11.
Vidalia onions – grossing about $2000 to Chicago.
California Orange Shipments
An early conclusion to California’s navel orange shipments are expected due to a smaller crop, compared the last two seasons.
Navel shipments will be ending sometime in June. About 75 percent of the navel crop had been picked by early April.
California shippers already were exporting some valencia oranges, which should be available domestically after the navel crop is finished. Most valencias go to foodservice or to schools.
Consumers do not favor valencias as much as they used to, due in part to increased availability of Southern Hemisphere navels.
Southern California citrus, avocados – grossing about $3900 to Chicago.
by Riveridge Produce Marketing
SPARTA, Mich. – As part of an expanded partnership with Ridgeview Orchards, Riveridge Produce Marketing will market a larger share of Michigan asparagus in 2017.
“We’ve worked with Riveridge for a number of years on the apple side and they’ve always been on the forefront of marketing, food safety and quality,” said Al Dietrich, co-owner Ridgeview Orchards. “They have more than 25 years of produce relationships on the apple side and we knew it would be a natural bridge to add our asparagus marketing to their portfolio.”
With this larger volume, Riveridge has added packaging options, revised current packaging and partnered with a Southwest Michigan packer to capture some of the first harvested asparagus of the season.
Shafer Lake, a Riveridge partner for apple packing, has added an asparagus packing line. Based in Southwest Michigan, Shafer Lake will receive and package asparagus directly from that region which harvests sooner than the bulk of Michigan asparagus grown in the Hart region.
At this time, and contingent on the weather, packing of Michigan asparagus is anticipated between May 5-7.
“We didn’t hesitate when Ridgeview asked us to come aboard with asparagus marketing. It gives us an opportunity to expand our Michigan produce offering and create new options for our customers,” said Don Armock, president, Riveridge Produce Marketing. “Ridgeview Orchards has the best in mind for the end customers and are willing to try new things – we’re looking forward to working with them for years to come on asparagus.”
Real-time inventory will be in place thanks to shared software between Ridgeview and Riveridge. As asparagus is packed, the system will be updated and refreshed automatically every five minutes to Riveridge. Sales staff can then see where there may be opportunities to move extra inventory and be ready when buyers have additional needs.
Additionally, as more consumers like to know more where their food comes from, Riveridge has emphasized Michigan grown on packages with a larger outline of the state and created a Michigan-grown tag for the one-pound bundles. MAAB research shows 76 percent* of consumers are more likely to purchase US-grown asparagus over imports and 55 percent* of them are willing to pay more for that option.
It is only days until the first Mexican grapes of the season start crossing the border through Nogales, AZ. Meanwhile, some California vegetables continue to struggle to make volume with a shipping gap continuing.
We’re about a week from the starting of the table grape shipments from the Mexican state of Sonora with both the Hermosillo and Caborca areas reporting good crops heading into the season. A total volume of 19 million cartons is estimated this season for Mexican grapes.
Generally, the Mexican table grape season starts the first week of May lasting all the way through the first or second week of July, with varieties like Red Globe. However, the vast majority of the total volume is quickly declining by the end of June.
Sonora’s table grape shipments are extremely important for the fresh produce industry as it happens right between the end of the South American season, mainly from Chile and Peru, countries with the highest exports to the United States, and the beginning of the California season, mostly from the San Joaquin Valley.
Mexican vegetables, tomatoes and melons crossing through Nogales – grossing about $3200 to Chicago.
California Lettuce Shipments
Farmers in California have been plagued by drought for several years, but the problem in 2017 is too much rain. That has limited shipments of vegetable items for salads and it may be weeks before shipments show any semblance of normal.
Warmer than usual weather brought an early end to the growing season in Southern California and western Arizona. That was followed by heavy rain, pushing back planting in coastal regions of California, which is the largest U.S. fruit and vegetable producer. The is primarily the Salinas Valley and to a lesser extend the Santa Maria area.
The delays have led to shortfalls of crops including lettuce and broccoli and sent wholesale prices soaring. The cost of a carton of 30 celery heads has almost tripled since early February to $25 f.o.b.
Assuming the California weather cooperates, shipments of lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower and some other items should eventually become more consistent. However, shipping gaps will be occurring and we’ll be well into May before the situation show substantial improvement.
Meanwhile, lettuce from the Huron area in the San Joaquin Valley is about finished.
Salinas Valley vegetables – grossing about $6400 to New York City.
Here’s a spotlight on Georgia with some good and some not so good. A glimpse of the Georgia spring vegetable shipments is made. There’s also news on two auctions of assets of former Vidalia onion shippers
Georgia vegetable shipments are getting underway in very light volume for the summer shipping season. Warm growing conditions is resulting in one of the earliest starts in memory. For example Southern Valley at Norman Park is now loading cabbage, yellow squash and zucchini. These items will be soon be followed by vegetables in the first half of May ranging from eggplant, to cucumbers and peppers and later, sweet corn.
2 Vidalia Bankruptcies Ending in Auctions
Gerrald’s Vidalia Sweet Onions of Stateboro, GA will be for sale in May at a bank-ordered auction, which includes the land, facilities and equipment. Online bidding starts May 11, with bidding on the real estate closing May 25 and bidding on equipment closing May 26.
Included in the auction will be 323 acres of farmland, about 150 acres of which is irrigated. An 85,000-square foot packing facility, late-model John Deere equipment, row crop implements, packing equipment and more than 3,500 produce field bins will also be for sale, according to Weeks Auction Group of Moultrie, GA.
The property was last planted in 2016, though not with onions because it was a rotation year. The land is also suitable for growing carrots, watermelon, cotton, peanuts and other crops. The property also includes a 27-acre pecan orchard. The auction comes as a result of bankruptcy and subsequent foreclosure.
The auction will be the second of a Vidalia onion operation in the span of a month.
Plantation Sweets of Cobbtown, GA will be sold in a bank-ordered auction today, which includes the land, facilities and equipment. Plantation Sweets filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July 2016. In response to a motion to convert to Chapter 7 or dismiss the case, a judge ruled in December to dismiss. The case was terminated March 29.
Assets up for sale in that auction will include about 567 acres of farmland. Equipment and micro-bins used by the operation will be sold April 27 in a separate auction.
Coachella Valley grape shipments start soon, kicking off the domestic grape season for the United States.
Nestled just outside of Palm Springs are California’s first grape shipments each year. Coachella Valley grape loadings will get underway in early May, but it will be at least mid May, if not a little later before there is good volume.
In its prime, the Coachella Valley routinely shipped in excess of 10 million cartons per season. Even a decade ago, volume ranged from 7 million to 9 million cartons for the season. Today, 4 million to 5 million cartons is more typical as acreage has declined over the years for a variety of reasons, with nothing being a greater factor than soaring real estate prices for both commercial and residential demands. But that decline may have reached a plateau, according to some. There are now fewer, but larger growing/shipping operations and new varieties of grapes are being introduced to make the Coachella Valley more competitive, especially with Mexican grapes. The latter now has production about double or more what Coachella used to have in its heyday.
The two regions have very similar grape seasons, although Mexico typically starts shipping a few days to a week or so earlier than Coachella. Both Coachella and Mexico serve as a bridge from the end of the imported Chilean grape season and when Arvin District grapes (Bakersfield) gets underway in late June. Arvin and other production areas in the San Joaquin Valley provide the vast majority of California grape shipments.
There still remain a number of old time, well established grape shippers either based in the Coachella Valley, or which have operations there. For example, there is Anthony Vineyards, Inc., Sun World International LLC.; and Stevco, all in Coachella; Richard Bagdasarian, Inc., and Tudor Ranch, Inc., are both in Mecca.