Archive For The “Trucking Reports” Category
The initial outlook for new season shipments of Washington state apples and North Carolina sweet potatoes are looking good, with increases in loadings expected for both.
Washington apple shipments for the fresh market are expected to hit nearly 133 million carton this season . If you include apples for processing it climbs to 168 million cartons, which was be a massive 15.7 percent increase over last season. This would represent 64 percent of the nation’s apple volume.
Shipped in 40-pound cartons, the fresh crop is up 15 percent from last year’115 million boxes. However this would be down 6 percent from 2014’s record 141.8 million boxes.
Washington growers typically begin harvesting in early August and continues into November, but due to warm growing conditions the crop is coming on a week or two early. The forecast also could be affected as we journey into the season due to several months of variable weather which can affect the final season’s crop total.
The red delicious variety remains the biggest-producer accounting for 25 percent of total production. Galas are at 23 percent fujis at 14 percent,with granny smiths at 13 percent. This season honeycrisps are forecast at 7 percent and cripps pinks — also known as Pink Lady apples — are at 4 percent.
Yakima Valley apples – grossing about $4200 to Dallas.
Sweet Potato Shipments
Depending upon the growing operation, harvest of North Carolina sweet potatoes for the new season will get underway anywhere from August 15th to the 25th. However, the old crop from the 2015-16 season will continue to be shipped into September. However, old crop supplies are dwindling. This will probably result in some shippers shipping uncured sweet potatoes from the new crop. Just make sure your customers are aware you’ll be delivering uncured product, since cured sweet potatoes are preferred. The new season with cured sweet potatoes should be in good volume by early October.
The outlook on size of the North Carolina crop hasn’t been issued yet, but early indications are it will be as large, if not a little larger than last season.
A seasonal shift in watermelon shipments is taking place, plus here’s an update on loadings for California grapes, Florida avocados and Western onion shipments.
Watermelon Shipments Shift
Volume watermelon shipments are making a seasonal shift to new production areas. Loadings are now taking place from fields west of Lubbock, TX. Shipping will continue through September. Both Indiana and Delaware should have watermelon shipments moving into good volume this week….Mexican watermelon shipments through Nogales, AZ are expected by mid October.
Delaware, Maryland and Virginia watermelon shipments – grossing about $1100 to New York City.
California Grape Shipments
In the week ending July 30, about 67 million pounds of California grapes were shipped in the U.S., down from 72.7 million pounds in the same week in 2015. The July 30 total, was however, more than the 61.9 million pounds that shipped in 2014. Year-to-date as of July 30, about 1.47 billion pounds of grapes had shipped in the U.S., down from 1.59 billion pounds last year.
San Joaquin Valley grape shipments – grossing about $6200 to New York City.
Florida Avocado Shipments
Florida avocado grower-shippers expect to ship about one-third less fruit compared to previous seasons. Initially, about 1 million bushels of the green-skinned avocados were expected to be moved. However, that estimate was later reduced to about 800,000 bushels. Following an unfavorable growing season, grower-shippers are now eying 600,000-700,000 bushels, about 35 percent smaller than normal. Typically, shippers such as New Limeco LLC in Princeton, FL as well as Unity Groves Corp. and Brooks Tropicals, both based in Homestead, FL, have peak loadings in July, August and September. Most shipments will be finished in December, although very light volume will extend through March.
Onion Shipments
Washington, Idaho and Oregon account for one-third of the nation’s onion shipments. The primary Pacific Northwest shipping locations for storage onions are in the Treasure Valley in western Idaho and eastern Oregon and in the Columbia Basin in Central Washington and North Central Oregon. Three years ago Northwest onion shipments exceeded 32 million hundredweight.
Northwest onion volume is currently very light, but gradually increasing. Much heavier shipments are taking place from southern New Mexico, averaging about 750 truckloads a week. California’s San Joaquin Valley has over 650 truck loads being shipped weekly.
Southern New Mexico onion shipments – grossing about $3100 to Chicago.
The new U.S. potato shipping season is underway in very light volume. Here is a preview from five states on what to expect.
Indiana Potato Shipments
Here’s one you may not be aware of. The red potato harvest has begun at Black Gold Farms’ operation in Winamac, IN, located about hallway between Chicago and Indianapolis. Red potatoes for the fresh market account for several hundred acres of Norland and Dark Red Norland varieties, which are being shipped through August. The Winamac farm allows Black Gold Farms to ship potatoes the year-round from its own farms. The cycle that starts each year in Texas and then transitions to North Carolina, Arkansas and Missouri before moving up to Indiana and finally to the Red River Valley in North Dakota and Minnesota.
North Dakota/Minnesota Potato Shipments
Red River Valley red potato shipments out of North Dakota and Minnesota are expected to be off 25 to 30 percent from a year ago due to weather factors. However, shipments, which will begin in mid October, are expected to be normal for 2016-17 until storages start running out of product late in the season (May and June). This will probably mean an earlier than normal end to shipping for most shippers. The Red River Valley is the nation’s largest red potato shipping area. A & L Potato Co. in East Grand Forks, MN is already packing and shipping red potatoes. Big Lake and Long Prairie, MN, along with Wisconsin typically ship the first red potatoes of the new season beginning in August.
Big Lake, MN potatoes – grossing about $1000 to Chicago.
Wisconsin Potato Shipments
Central Wisconsin is now shipping red potatoes, with russets coming soon. The first russets are expected this week in very light volume. The Badger State ranks third in U.S. potato shipments. Normal volume is expected this year.
Idaho Potato Shipments
The nation’s leading potato shipper, Idaho, is expected to get underway for the new season the week of August 15th. Normal volume is expected for the 2016-17 shipping season.
Twin Falls, ID potatoes – grossing about $1450 to L.A.
Now that we are well into summer, here’s a look at California strawberry shipments, blueberries from the Northwest and New Jersey, as well as from Michigan, plus more.
For the 2016 season, California will ship nearly 80 percent of the strawberry volume in the United States.
The 2016 California Strawberry Acreage Survey from the California Strawberry Commission notes 32,515 acres of strawberries were planted in California for the 2016 season. This breaks down to 27,783 acres planted in the fall of last year for production in the winter, spring and summer and then 4,732 acres planted this summer for production in the fall.
California strawberries are shipped year-round in California, with the ‘late-season strawberries’ second planting often referred to as the “summer plant.”
The majority of this acreage is shipped into the fall/early winter, and primarily originates from the Oxnard and Santa Maria areas.
Watsonville strawberries and Salinas vegetables – grossing about $4500 to Chicago.
Blueberry Shipments
Oregon blueberry shipments are now coming out of the Willamette Valley region with mid- to late-season varieties. Fresh shipments have ended a week or so early this year and now loadings are coming with “blues” out of storage. Shipments should continue through September.
Meanwhile, peak blueberry shipments are expected through August from British Columbia and New Jersey, with both areas continuing with lighter volume through September.
Michigan Produce Shipments
Michigan could set record blueberry shipments as loadings continue this season. However, growers are fighting a pest known as the Spotted Wing Drosophila, a nasty invasive fruit fly. It’s requiring close attention with insecticides, are abundant, requiring stringent controls, DeGrandchamp said.
Meanwhile Southwestern Michigan also is shipping peaches and plums (Berrien County), but in much lighter volume. The apricot season has ended.
Berian County apple shipments get underway in September, followed closely by loadings from Allegan County.
Michigan blueberry shipments – grossing about $3500 to Dallas; Michigan vegetable shipments grossing 25 to 30 percent less, depending upon destination.
Georgia peach shipments enter the final weeks of the season, while Vidalia onions continue providing consistent, steady loads. In the Northwest pears, potatoes and onions are in light, but increasing volume.
Following a shipping in late July, Ft. Valley, GA area shippers are expecting a final season surge of peaches before loadings wind down around August 16-17. The first half of the season was off to a slow start until the middle of June, but it has ramped up and should continue for a couple more weeks. Total Georgia peach shipments this year are expected to be up about 25 percent from a year ago. Some shippers have already finished their season, but a couple of larger ones remain in operation.
Meanwhile, sweet onions from the Vidalia district continue to be shipped from storages, averaging about 250 truck loads per week.
Vidalia onion shipments – grossing about $3000 to New York City.
Northwest Pear Shipments
Northwest pear shipments, primarily from Washington state and Oregon should be very similar to the 2015-16 shipping season, with a 2 percent increase in volume being forecast. Growers in Washington and Oregon should produce about 18.7 million boxes of pears this season, The initial estimate was made last spring and a revised shipping estimated is expected soon. Harvest of bartletts and Starkrimson pears was beginning in late July, with winter pears expected to begin in mid-August.
However, apple shipments continue to have the heaviest volume, even though it is late in the season, with a few early varieties already kicking off the start of the 2016-17 shipping season. Rates to the East Coast may vary by as much $500 to a $1000. For example, recent rates to Atlanta have ranged from $4800 to $5800, although the majority of the shipments seem to going for the higher end of this range.
Potato and Onion Shipments
Northwest potato shipments and onion shipments for the new season are increasing in volume. In the Columbia Basin of Washington and the adjacent Umatilla Basin of Oregon potato loadings are expected to have a sharp increase as the old crop has finished and the 2016-17 is now the primary focus. This same area also has very light onion volume, but it will increasing in the weeks to come.
A week ago you were presented a smorgasbord of produce hauling opportunities from around the county. Well, here’s Part II ranging from Mexican crossings into the Lower Rio Grand Valley of Texas to Northwest blueberry loadings, Wisconsin potatoes – and more.
South Texas Produce Shipments
Mexican produce shipments crossing the border into Pharr, Tx cover a lot of items ranging from citrus to tropical fruit and vegetables. However, no one item has real heavy volume at this time. Among the heaviest volume commodities are: avocados hitting about 675 truck loads per week, but volume is increasing; mangos with about 500 truck loads a week and limes at about 450 trucks load each week.
Around 550 truck loads of vine ripe, as well roma tomatoes are crossing the border weekly.
There’s also many other products coming into South Texas, but in much lighter volume ranging from lemons to papayas, broccoli, carrots and cucumbers.
Mexican produce crossing into South Texas – grossing about $2400 to Chicago.
Wisconsin Potato Shipments
Loadings of the old 2015-16 russet potato crop had in a fast seasonal decline. Meanwhile, the central part of the state has just started shipping a few of the 2016-17 potato crop, but we’re another month of so away of good volume.
Northwest Blueberry Shipments
Blueberry shipments are increasing from both Oregon and Washington state, as well as from British Columbia.
Washington Apple Shipments
The consistent item in the Northwest is typically apples, especially since Washington easily lead the nation in apple shipments. Even though it is very late in 2015-16 shipping season, Washington is still average over 650 truckloads each week.
Yakima Valley apples – grossing about $4600 to Dallas.
Watermelon Shipments
A week ago we cover Midwest watermelon hauling opportunities, here are some more.
California’s central San Joaquin Valley is moving around 350 truck loads per week. On the east coast, North Carolina may be your best bet loading around 230 trucks loads of watermelons a week.
Both eastern Texas and western Oklahoma combing to ship nearly 500 trucks of watermelons per week.
The Red River Valley of North Dakota and Minnesota historically has been the largest red potato shipping area in the country. However, devastating weather factors may change that for the 2016-17 shipping season.Ted Kreis, editor of Potato Bytes, the weekly online news publication of the Northern Plains Potato Growers Association (NPPGA) reports the heart of “Potato Country” in northeast North Dakota was devastated by baseball size hail that lasted up to 35 minutes on the night of July 19th.
The worst hail damage was along Highway 18 from Mountain to Hoople in Pembina and Walsh Counties but heavy rain, hail and strong winds caused damage to a much larger area extending south into northern Grand Forks County and east to the Red River
Bruce Huffaker, publisher of North American Potato Market News (NAPMN) projects an 8.6 percent jump in red acres for the U.S. fall crop. A small increase was projected for the Red River Valley, but that doesn’t jive with the NPPGA’s own surveys of valley wash plants that showed a small decrease. Weather damaged red potato acres will trim harvest acres even further.
Huffaker’s analysis projects an increase of nearly 5,000 acres in the top ten fall crop states. Most notable is a 1,450 acre increase in Washington and just under 1,000 additional acres in Michigan.
The largest potato shipping state, Idaho, is projected to hold at 9,750 acres. Those are high yielding irrigated acres which mean that Idaho’s red potato production could rival the Red River Valley this year, especially if crop losses are as heavy as projected in northeast North Dakota.
Twin Falls, ID area russet potatoes – grossing about $3800 to Atlanta.
Here’s a round up of opportunities for California produce shipments.
Complaints continue to be heard about the lousy westbound freight rates across the country. There also isn’t a lot of excitement over refrigerated loads for fresh fruits and vegetables. Even California seems subdued this summer, the West Coast is still your best bet.
Salinas Valley Produce Shipments
Adequate truck supplies seem to be the norm anymore in California. The reasons given are numerous, but we won’t dwell on that now.
Head lettuce is accounting for around 1,000 truck loads per week in the Salinas Valley, but volume with other types of lettuce (romaine, leaf) are substantially lower. There’s also the usual suspects in the fields ranging from celery to bell peppers, among many others. In the nearby Watsonville district, strawberries are finally in a consistent mode, with both volume and quality. Over 900 truckloads of strawberries are being shipped each week. The Santa Maria district just to the south of Salinas is shipping similar items, but in much less volume.
Salinas vegetables and Watsonville berries – grossing about $7000 to New York City.
San Joaquin Valley Produce Shipments
The heaviest volume out of the San Joaquin Valley now is probably grapes and cantaloupe. Table grapes are heaviest in the Southern part of the valley closer to the Bakersfield area, but are gaining in volume as the season spreads northward in the valley. Cantaloupe loadings are now good out of the Westside district of the San Joaquin Valley from places such as Firebaugh. Both grapes and cantaloupes are averaging around 1,250 truckloads per week.
Growers in Fresno County ship almost 250,000 tons of cantaloupes from 11,400 acres.
Tomato shipments are now originating out of the central valley. There’s also is moderate loadings with peaches. Both items are averaging around 500 truck loads each per week. Nectarines and plums also are being shipped, but in relatively light volume.
San Joaquin Valley produce – grossing about $4100 to Dallas.
American citrus shipments are expected to be down this season. Meanwhile, off the radar a bit, might be loading opportunities in Maine for – of all things – broccoli.
U.S. growers are expected to produce about 138 million boxes of oranges this season, down from 147 million boxes in 2014-15.
The drop continues a years-long trend in U.S. orange production, according to the July citrus forecast from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
About 156 million boxes of oranges were produced in the U.S. in 2013-14, 190 million boxes in 2012-13.
By state, Florida orange shipments should hit about 81.5 million boxes this season, up from the June estimate of 81.4 million boxes but down from 97 million boxes last season, 105 million boxes in 2013-14 and 134 million boxes in 2012-13.
California’s orange shipments are projected to be 55 million boxes and Texas orange shipments are estimated at 1.7 million boxes in 2015-16.
About 19.6 million boxes of U.S. grapefruit are expected this season, down from the June estimate of 20 million boxes. It’s also fewer boxes than the 2014-15 total of 21.5 million boxes, the 2013-14 total of 25.2 million boxes and the 2012-13 total of 29 million boxes.
U.S. growers should ship about 23.4 million boxes of lemons this season, up from the June estimate of 22.5 million boxes, 22.6 million boxes in 2014-15, 20.6 million boxes in 2013-14 and 22.8 million boxes in 2012-13.
U.S. tangerine production also continues its upward trend. About 23.4 million boxes are expected in 2015-16, comparable to the June estimate and up from 20.9 million boxes last season, 17.8 million boxes in 2013-14 and 16.4 million boxes in 2012-13.
Southern California citrus and avocados – grossing about $5600 to Atlanta.
Maine Broccoli Shipments
Shipper Fresh from the Start expects to start shipping Maine broccoli anytime and continue through October out of Fort Kent Mills, Me.
Once the Maine broccoli is harvested, it is boxed and packed in the field. The product is then pre-cooled with a Slush Ice Injection System and the vast majority is shipped the same day. The company ships broccoli year-round between its broccoli crop in California and Maine program. The company is part of Hapco Farms LLC, headquartered in Riverhead, NY.
Hapco also ships potatoes year-round, as well as watermelons, vegetables and fruit year-round from all production areas, including California, Florida, Canada and offshore imported produce.
Here are shipping updates on for Northwest potato shipments starting soon, as well as U.S apple shipments that are winding down before the new crop is ready.
Potato shipments from the Northwest could get underway a week or more earlier than usual this season.
Unlike a year ago when drought and triple digit heat was hitting potato fields, weather this year has been much more favorable. Columbia Basin potato shipments from Washington and Oregon should get underway in late July. That’s a significant change from last year when both potatoes and tree fruits suffered from heat stress.
While estimates have not yet been released on projected volume many see similar volume to last year and probably more. Because of great growing conditions there are concerns of oversupply as shipments take off in August and September.
The great growing conditions in the Northwest includes Idaho, easily the nation’s largest potato shipper.
For Washington’s Skagit Valley potatoes, one of the later starting regions in the Pacific Northwest, is expected to start earlier this year. Harvesting could begin as early as August 15th. For the past few years, Labor Day has been a more typical kickoff.
Apple Shipments
About 238 million bushels of U.S.-grown apples were grown in the U.S. in 2015, 12% fewer the current season that is winding down in the next month or so.
The July estimate, the last one of the 2015-16 season from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, was also 1% lower than the five-year average and 2% lower than a preseason estimate, according to an analysis of the data by the Vienna, Va.-based U.S. Apple Association.
The estimate was higher, however, than the 235 million bushels forecasted at U.S. Apple’s 2015 annual marketing conference.
Shipments by industry leader Washington fell from 174 million last season to 142 million bushels this season.
Washington’s 2015 total was also 4% below the five-year average, and 8.3 million bushels lower than the 2015 USDA preseason estimate.
Shipments from industry No. 3 Michigan also fell, from 24.4 million to 23.7 million bushels. That was 3% less than last year but 14% above the five-year average and comparable to the preseason USDA estimate.
The second and fourth largest U.S. shippers, New York and Pennsylvania, both saw volumes increase in 2015.
New York jumped from 30.8 million to 32.4 million bushels, Pennsylvania from 11.7 million to 12.4 million bushels.
New York’s total was 5% above last season and 13% above the five-year average, Pennsylvania’s 5% above last season and 7% above the five-year average.
The final USDA estimate for New York was 6.2 million bushels, or 24%, higher than its 2015 preseason estimate.
Washington apple shipments – grossing about $4000 to Chicago.