Archive For The “Trucking Reports” Category
Shipments of Michigan vegetables were steady this spring and it appears the heavier volume fruit and vegetable crops coming on in summer should also do well.
Not known for a particularly long growing season anyway, there’s a mindset that if you have a good crop of something, normally the rest of the crops will follow. Heaviest vegetable volume should occur during July and August.
Michigan Vegetable Shipments
Rhubarb got underway in early May, with the radish harvest starting in late May.
Buurma Farms of Willard, OH, grows and ships a full line of vegetables on about 1,000 acres in Gregory, MI. Turnip and mustard greens, cilantro and dill got going the first week of June, and were followed a couple of weeks later by collards, kale and parsley.
In a few days, if not weeks, there will be cucumbers, pumpkins, green peppers, organic kale and ornamentals, as well as acorn squash, sweet corn, carrots and chili peppers. Cabbage and zucchini have just started being shipped, with zucchini finishing in mid September. This is when hard squash takes over, and along with cabbage, which will continue through Thanksgiving., Cucumber loadings will start in early July.
Grape tomatoes should begin around mid-July. Romas and cantaloupes will follow, about July 20, with round tomatoes coming around August 1.
Celery was to start around the end of July, with shipments ending during the first half of October.
Sweet corn loadings begin in late July and continue through September.
Michigan Fruit Shipments
Peach shipments kick off Michigan’s fruit season, starting around the third or fourth week of July.
At Greg Orchards and Produce Inc., of Benton Harbor, MI, a good crop of pie cherries was seen as a sign of positive for blueberry, grape, apple and peach crops to come. Michigan blueberry shipments get underway in late June and run through late September.
F
rom the first arrival of South African citrus this week, to a better than expected loadings of Mexican grapes, here’s a shipping update. It also includes New Jersey blueberry shipments and California strawberry shipments.
The first boat with summer citrus from South Africa is scheduled to arrive at the port of Philadelphia on June 24th, on schedule with past years.
The arrival of South African citrus plays an important role in the availability of easy peelers, Navel oranges and grapefruit during the summer months.
Mexican Grape Shipments
After exporting its 14 millionth box during the week of June 14, Mexico is on track to surpass the initial preseason total estimate of 14,171,000 boxes.
The industry is currently seeing around 15 to 20% extra volume this season, according to a Fresh Produce Association of the Americas press release. The revised crop estimate for the state of Sonora is now in the 16 to 18 million box range. Crossings at Nogales, AZ, are occurring daily, with over 300,000 boxes a day, and are expected to continue for the next two to three weeks.
Mexican grapes crossing at Nogales, AZ – grossing about $3800 to Chicago.
Blueberry Shipments
New Jersey blueberry shipments have started for Atlantic Blueberry Company, a major blueberry shipper in the state.
Established in 1935, Atlantic Blueberry Company, fully owned by the Galletta family, is a local family farm. Art Galletta, president of the blueberry operation, works hand in hand with second, third and now fourth generation Galletta grandchildren too work the farm. “We were taught to always get along with each other and to work hard. With this, good things happen,” says Art.
Total production, volume and shipments out of New Jersey looks to be similar to last year.
Strawberry Shipments
Improved weather conditions over last year has many optimistic California strawberry shipments will be much improved this year.
Strawberry shipments are now consistent with last year even though there was a later start this spring due to rain. While the cumulative volume is below the totals from 2015, the weekly volume shipments are about the same as last year moving heading towards July. This is good news for projected shipments as the season moves further into summer.
Watsonville strawberries and Salinas vegetables – grossing about $7300 to New York City.
by Pear Bureau Northwest
PORTLAND, Ore. – Northwest pear growers are releasing fresh pear harvest projections following their recent annual meetings in Portland. Collectively, Washington’s Wenatchee and Yakima regions and Oregon’s Mid-Columbia and Medford regions estimate a fresh pear harvest of 18.7 million standard box equivalents, or 414,000 tons of fresh pears. These figures are up 2% from 2015 final harvest figures, but represent a 7% decrease from the five-year average.
Warm spring weather and good pollination led to a full bloom, with no significant weather events to hurt the fruit finish. “Growers are reporting beautiful, clean fruit that is filling out nicely in terms of fruit size,” stated Kevin Moffitt, president and CEO of Pear Bureau Northwest (PBNW).
Harvest is expected slightly earlier than historical average, but similar to the last two years, with Starkrimson expected in the last days of July, Bartlett in the first days of August, and Anjou, Bosc, and Comice in the last two weeks of August, across the four growing regions. Concorde, Forelle, and Seckel will be picked from late August through September.
The top three varieties produced by Northwest growers remain the same as in previous years: Green Anjou pears are anticipated to make up 50% of the total 2016 crop, and Bartlett and Bosc pears are expected to yield 23% and 17%, respectively.
Green Anjou pears are showing a projected crop decrease of 3% compared with 2015, and a 13% drop compared to the five-year average. Growers estimate that the Bartlett pear crop yield will increase by 9% compared with last season’s results, matching the five-year average. The Bosc pear crop increase is expected to be 4% over the 2015 harvest, 3% higher than the five-year average. The size of the Red Anjou pear crop is expected to be 3% higher than last year, but down by 3% compared to the five-year average.
Harvest of certified organic pears in the Northwest is projected to make up about 6% of the crop, with 1,103,600 standard boxes (24,279 tons) for 2016, up 14% compared with 2015. The organic Green Anjou crop is expected to be 430,000 standard boxes, while the Green Bartlett and Bosc crop sizes are estimated at 310,000 and 235,000 standard boxes respectively.
Throughout the season the PBNW team is a resource for retailers, sharing cutting-edge consumer and trade research results and trade best practice techniques on the Trade.usapears.org website. The new trade focused site is rich with tools to support pear category sales as well as a section to train produce personnel on handling and merchandising of fresh pears.
Exports remain a vital part of the success of the industry and typically account for around 40% of the total sales in a given season (including Canada), according to Global Trade Atlas. Export activities for PBNW are spread across nearly 30 countries worldwide, supporting a diverse portfolio of markets for greater grower returns.
About Pear Bureau Northwest
Pear Bureau Northwest is a non-profit marketing organization established in 1931 to promote the fresh USA Pears grown in Washington and Oregon, home to 84% of the US fresh pear crop. The Bureau represents nearly 1,600 growers and develops national and international markets for Northwest pear distribution. “The Pear Bureau Knows Pears.” For more information, visit www.usapears.org or www.trade.usapears.org.
Yakima and Wenatchee Valley apples and soft fruit – grossing about $6000 to New York City.
California melon shipments will be ramping up soon from the San Joaquin Valley, while further south in this valley, various colored potato shipments are picking up. Finally, we take a look at the season closing shipments for Florida Valencia oranges.
California’s Westside district of the San Joaquin Valley should have normal shipments this season, with loading underway by the end of June. Most shippers will begin packing between June 20 and July 1. California desert produce shipments are winding down, which means most of the nation will be receiving its supplies of cantaloupe, honeydew and other melons from and the Central San Joaquin Valley.
Consistent shipments of California melons are now expected through Labor Day. This will follow a trend for this year’s spring melon shipments that started from Arizona and California’s Imperial Valley where there good supplies and steady loadings of trucks.
Potato Shipments
Potato shipments have been decent from the Bakersfield (Kern County) area this spring, but are expected to get even better now that loadings out of Florida and Arizona are winding down. This Southern San Joaquin area is shipping primarily yellow and red potatoes, with lesser amounts of white potatoes. Shipments of white potatoes are just finishing, while reds will go through July 4th and yellows through mid-July.
Kern County potatoes, carrots – grossing about $4500 to Chicago.
Florida Valencia Shipments
Florida has slightly increased shipments of valencia oranges and honey tangerines. The USDA reports late season valencia oranges increased production by 300,000 equivalent cartons while honey tangerines increased by 10,000 cartons. Grapefruit and non-valencia orange shipments remain unchanged from the previous month’s report. In its June 10 report, the USDA reported all oranges at 81.4 cartons compared to 81 million cartons the previous month and 96.9 million cartons the previous season.
Florida Valencia orange shipments are 97 percent complete, while growers have finished grapefruit and tangerine shipments.
Ohio vegetable shipments have gotten an early start, while Ontario vegetables are building in volume. Eastern peach loadings remain steady.
Vegetable shipments out of Ohio got underway a week to 10 days early this year. For example, Buurma Farms of Williard, OH started with radishes mid-May, and dill, cilantro and turnip and mustard greens by the end of the month. Beets, lettuces, parsley, sweet corn, green onions and celery were to following in short order
Ohio radish loadings started in mid-May and continue to mid-November, with other commodities starting in June and winding down in October. For example, sweet corn, celery and peppers likely will start in mid- to late July and go to the first frost.
Ohio sweet corn and many other vegetables are shipped to destinations in the Midwest, East and South.
In late June, shipments begin for cabbage and green beans and the second week of July for corn.
Ontario Vegetable Shipments
Canada’s Ontario province vegetable shipments are now coming on and will be in full shipping mode in July. While asparagus loading have been occurring since early May, items such as zucchini starts in late June and sweet corn will be available the first half of July. Other items range from eggplant, to red and green peppers, colored potatoes and cluster tomatoes.
Eastern Peach Shipments
South Carolina peach shipments are good and will remain so approaching the 4th of July. Loadings are expected to decrease some after the holiday, but then pick back up the second half of July. Steady shipments are seen through August, before the season winds down in early September.
Georgia peach shipments remain strong, with a season similar to that of South Carolina. Georgia is reporting its finest crop in at least a decade.
Georgia peach shipments – grossing about $2600 to New York City.
Peruvian Avocado Imports
Peru should export about 100 million pounds of hass avocados to the U.S. this season — about the same as a year ago.
However, expect more fruit next season due to newly planted trees starting to bear fruit in 2017. Exports to the U.S. and other parts of the world will increase by 20 percent. About 25 percent of Peru’s avocado exports are destined for the U.S.
Virginia vegetable shipments and Oregon blueberries are about to start, while Salinas lettuce is emerging from a shipping gap.
Virginia potato shipments of round whites in Lower Northampton are scheduled to begin about June 20, while reds, russets and yellows will start approximately one week later. Loadings will be in full force by early July. Virginia growers typically produce between 3,000 to 4,000 acres of potatoes each season.
Most Virginia potato shipments are destined for receivers throughout the Northeast when whose areas are not producing. When the potato season is completed in the south, Virginia spud loadings are redirected there. Some potatoes, depending on market conditions every year, are distributed in Canada.
One of Virginia largest potato shippers is Dublin Farms in Horntown. Founded in 1876, the family operation grows and ships 12 to 15 loads daily from late June through mid August with primarily white, red and yellow potatoes.
Other produce shipments have been increasing in Virginia led by tomatoes and green beans. C&E Farms in Cheriton, VA is one of the nation’s largest shippers of green beans and also has farming operations in Pennsylvania and Florida.
Virginia’s three major tomato operations, Lipman Family Farms, Pacific Tomato Growers and Del Monte are expected to ship about the same volumes of round, Roma, grape, cherry and heirloom tomatoes from late June through September.
Oregon Blueberry Shipments
Oregon blueberry shipments got underway with light volume this week from the Willamette Valley. Good volume is expected the week of June 13th and will continue into the last half of July.
The state of Oregon is one of the largest blueberry shipping states in the country behind Michigan, New Jersey, Georgia, California and Washington.
Salinas Lettuce Shipments
Following a chaotic growing season resulting in shipping gaps, Salinas lettuce shipments are back on track with relatively steady volume from week to week. Head lettuce is averaging more than 1250 truck loads per week, while romaine shipments are exceeding 800 loads.
Salinas lettuce shipments – grossing about $6800 to New York City.
Good volume and produce loading opportunities are expected leading into celebrating our nation’s independence. Here’s a look at a number of fruits and vegetables that are popular Fourth of July items.
Cherry Shipments
A 4 percent drop in cherry shipments is estimated from the previous 19.8 million boxes. Loadings now appear to be more like 18.4 million boxes. About 10 million boxes of cherries will be shipped during June and almost 8 million in July.
The decline is due to a compression with the bloom period, so there will be compression in harvest. This will translate into fewer days for shipments.
Loadings for the East Coast should be especially heavy the week of Father’s Day for July 4 and Canada Day on July 1. Heavy volume will continue the first half of July.
Berry Shipments
Northwest blueberry shipments will be heavy, especially for the Fourth of July. This also in the time with initial loadings will start for Michigan blueberries.
In California’s Watsonville and Salinas district, strawberry shipments were not hurt by the cool weather that resulted in quality issues with some vegetables.
Peak Watsonville strawberry shipments and other berries are occurring and will continue into mid-July. Weekly fresh strawberry volumes exceeded 7 million trays in May, roughly on par with last year.
Blueberry, blackberry and raspberry shipments are a little early out of the Pacific Northwest.
Sweet Corn Shipments
Georgia sweet corn volume should be light through mid-June but begin increasing significantly by June 17th through the Fourth of July. Normal shipments are seen leading into the Fourth of July.
The majority of the nation’s sweet corn shipments leading up the Fourth, originate from Georgia
Watermelon Shipments
Georgia should begin shipping watermelons in big volume by June 15th.
Rain-caused losses in Texas, the end of Nogales, Ariz., (Mexican) season and the tail end of central Florida shipments. All of these factors will mean excellent loading opportunities for Georgia watermelon shipments.
South Carolina should start watermelon loadings by June 24th, while North Carolina will get underway by June 29th.
Chilean citrus imports, primarily through ports at Philadelphia and Los Angeles will be good in June or July, although heaviest imports will occur from mid-August through October with mandarins and navels. South African imports also look good.
Mandarin volume from Chile is expected to be up 39% over last year to 63,267 tons.
That growth will fuel the second half of Chile’s easy peeler export season, which starts in late August.
Clementines, which most retailers start seeing in May, are estimated to be up 13% to 32,816 tons.
Clementines and lemons from the South American nation started about three weeks earlier than last year. Up to the week of May 2, Chile had shipped 102,000 boxes of clementines to the U.S.
In 2015, exports of all citrus items to North America reached record levels of 165,000 tons, or about 81% of all exports.
In easy peelers, Chile surpassed 55% market share last year in the U.S.
Easy peeler volume from Chile should continue to see double-digit growth. Last year, it was estimated that combined clementine and mandarin volume would reach 100,000 tons over the next few years, and the estimate for this year is already very close to that. The Citrus Committee’s official 2016 estimate for easy peelers exceeds 96,000 tons.
Total global citrus exports from Chile climbed 30% in 2015, with the largest increase, 57%, attributed to mandarins.
Imported citrus at Long Beach – grossing about $3700 to Dallas.
South African Imports
The initial container vessel of the season with South African clementines arrived in the U.S. on May 18, two weeks ahead on maturity compared to last year.
South African clementines are expected to peak in June and early July, right around the Independence Day weekend. The season shkould finish a little early due to early maturity. First navel shipments are expected to arrive June 25th with peak volumes hitting the market in July and August.
Availability
South African citrus is available from late May through October. This is a good time frame as it contra-season to the domestic citrus seasons in California, Florida and Texas.
Here is an overview of availability of South African citrus varieties:
• Clementines: late May- July
• Navels: July – September
• Midknights: late September through October
• Late season mandarins: late August through Mid- October
Salinas Valley vegetable shipments continue to struggle, while eastern blueberry loadings may finally get going this month.It has been a less than stellar spring for central coast vegetable shipments due mostly to weather conditions. In essence, Salinas Valley vegetable shipments are going to be trying at best heading into summer. You’ll need to be alert when loading product. There is everything from quality issues to inconsistent sizing of lettuce heads.
This situation is expected to continue through June, and perhaps through most of July. Salinas vegetable shippers tend to plant about 40 percent less product for summer because they face so much competition from various home grown season in the U.S. and Canada. Other vegetables ranging from broccoli to cauliflower also are being affected, but to a lesser extent.
Salinas Valley vegetable and berry shipments – grossing about $4600 to Chicago.
Georgia Blueberry Shipments
Warmer weather, poor pollinating conditions and labor issues are all contributing to fewer blueberries currently coming out of the Southeastern U.S. Georgia blueberry shipments will pick up by mid June. The state has shipped nearly 90 million pounds of blueberries per year in the past, but in 2016, it will be well short of that number. The longer growing season in this region may help offset an even greater decline in shipments. Georgia has one of the longest seasons in the U.S., from mid-April to the middle of July.
Georgia’s season nearly mirrors the blueberry shipping seasons in a few other states, such as North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas.
Georgia blueberry shipments grossing about $2600 to Chicago. Georgia vegetables grossing about 15 to 20 percent less.
NJ Fruit Shipments
After fewer blueberry shipments in 2015, New Jersey expects to rebound this year. Initial loadings should get underway around June 10-11. In 2013 New Jersey shipped 65 million pounds of “blues”, followed by 55 million pounds in 2014. During those years (2013 and 2014) the state ranked seventh nationally in total blueberry volume. However, the state slipped to seventh place in 2015 behind shipments from California and North Carolina.
About 87 percent of New Jersey blueberry shipments are delivered for the fresh market.
New Jersey peach shipments should begin around June 18th and continue well into July. Loadings should continue through July and perhaps extend until the middle of August. New Jersey ranks fourth in peach shipments behind California, South Carolina and Georgia. While no forecast is out yet, weather factors are expected to reduce Jersey peach volume this season.
Here’s a shipping update that includes New Jersey vegetables to Georgia onions and avocados from California and Mexico.
Cool spring weather in New Jersey has led to a slow start with vegetables, but warmer weather is resulting in progress. For example, asparagus shipments have been about one-half of what there were this time a year ago – only about 6,000 cartons a week. Asparagus loadings should continue through June.
Over 100 different New Jersey fruits and vegetables are shipping from spring to fall. Among the leading items in the weeks and months ahead are lettuces, parsley, leafy and cilantro, in addition to asparagus. There’s also vegetables ranging from lettuces, to parsley, leafy greens and cilantro.
How availability of peaches will be is still up in the air due to some adverse growing conditions, but initial reports indicate volume will be down this year. Likewise, blueberry volume is still too early to predict, although it sounds as if Jersey “blues” may fare better than peaches.
Much of New Jersey’s produce shipments originate from Southern areas of the state such as Cedarville, Hammonton, and Buena.
Vidalia Onion Shipments
Many are calling the Vidalia sweet onion crop the best in decades. Fresh shipping have been completed and storages in Southeastern Georgia are reported full. Onion shipments from storage should continue through August.
Vidalia onion shipments – grossing about $2800 to New York City.
Avocado Shipments
In late May, those California growers were sending about 18 million pounds per week to the market. Mexico was around 30 million pounds and expected to drop to closer to 25 million pounds per week for much of June. He expects California production to peak at around 19 million to 20 million pounds and stay in that arena through maybe mid-June.
In July, Calavo has estimated that California’s production will drop into the 15 million-pounds-per-week level and August will see a further decline.
By around May 20, California had shipped close to 40 percent of its estimated 2016 volume of 390 million pounds. Another 100 million pounds should be shipped by the end of June, leaving a very manageable volume for the final few months of the season.
Southern California avocados – grossing about $6700 to New York City.