Archive For The “Trucking Reports” Category
California grape shipments should remain in good volume, providing steady loading opportunities through the end of the year. Meanwhile, the state’s citrus shipments will be picking up soon, while vegetable loadings will be limited as volume gradually shifts to the the desert areas.
Grape shipments at this point in the season are right on the heels of last year’s record loadings of 116 million, 19-pound boxes. If this year’s grape shipments don’t break last year’s volume, at the least it will be the second largest on record. About 70 percent of the total crop has been shipped .
Citrus Shipments
It is estimated California will ship 81 million, 40-pound cartons of navel oranges this season. Of that total, 78 million cartons will be shipped from California’s Central San Joaquin Valley. Shipments are modest, but will be increasing in the weeks ahead.
Mandrian orange shipments are also on the rise, with greater volume than a year ago being forecast.
Vegetable shipments
Salinas vegetables ranging from broccoli to cauliflower, among others, will be shifting from the Salinas Valley to the desert areas. The shift to California’s Imperial Valley and the Yuma District in Arizona will be taking place around the third to fourth week of November. Head lettuce from the Huron District is winding down and also will be shifting the desert areas.
Central San Joaquin Valley grapes and other fruit – grossing about $7100 to New York City.
Since our initial report October 27th on a devastating freeze in Chile, it is now appearing the damage was not nearly as serious as initially thought.
A highly damaging freeze could drastically reduce imported Chilean winter produce — and hauling opportunities for American produce haulers.
Chile was hit hard a year ago by freezing temperatures, and this time around it doesn’t seem as bad.
While limited volume of Chilean blueberries have been arriving in the U.S. by air since early October, it will be early December when “blues” begin arriving by boat and significant volume will occur.
Besides blueberries, kiwifruit, cherries and apples had been cited as being adversely affected by the cold. The freeze occurred October 8-9.
Chile is perhaps been known for its table grapes, which normally arrive in good volume at U.S. ports during January, February and March. However, the vast majority of Chilean grape vineyards are located much further north in Chile than where the October freeze occurred.
More updated information on Chilean winter imports should become available in the weeks ahead. Chile is a primary exporter of fresh produce to the U.S., with produce arriving at ports on both coasts, particularly during the winter months. This is possible since that South American country has opposite growing seasons from the United States.
So far West Mexican produce shipments, much of which will be destined for markets across the United States and Canada, has mostly avoided any serious problems from a couple of hurricanes. Volume is expected to be lighter than normal for early season shipments, but should improve significantly as the season progresses.
Some commodities, including squash, watermelon, cucumbers, bell peppers and even a few tomatoes, already are crossing the border into in Nogales. Volume should pick up significantly by mid-to late November. However, the biggest volume typically doesn’t hit until late December or early January. Anytime now, there should be substantial volume of colored and green bell peppers from Sonora and Sinaloa, with the biggest increases being with greenhouse colored bell peppers.
The earliest season cucumbers from Caborca are just now starting to arrive and will continue until early December. Cucumbers should start arriving from Culiacan the first or second week of November and continue until the end of May.
As we approach the winter months, Mexican watermelons are increasing. Over 350 truck loads of watermelons weekly are passing through Nogales and volume is on the rise.
Nogales produce crossing from Mexico – grossing about $5700 to New York City.
Thanksgiving produce shipments should be in good supply in the weeks ahead, with the exception of green beans.
Bean loadings will be about half of normal for the holidays this year due to excessive rains in the Belle Glade, Fla., growing area over the past two months. Additionally, other shipping areas are not expected to pick up much of the slack. This time of year Northern Florida is too cool, while there are not as many growers in Homestead as there used to be.
Sweet Potato Shipments
The 2013 storage sweet potato crop ended early, creating a strong demand and shipments right out of the gate for the new season. However, it also resulted in a tremendous amount of sweet potatoes being shipped green early in the season. That’s okay if the receiver is aware before what he is being delivered. However, Thanksgiving shipments of sweet potatoe should be another story, because North Carolina will have good-quality cured product in time for the holidays. Sweet potato shipments from North Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi and California should remain steady into November, until shipments start picking up for Thanksgiving, which is November 27th.
Eastern North Carolina sweet potatoes – grossing about $3000 to Chicago.
Apple Shipments
The two weeks leading up to Thanksgiving are the biggest weeks of the year for granny smith shipments. Granny smith loadings typically double in some cases because the apple variety is so popular in making pies and other baked goods for Thanksgiving. However, the apple category as a whole typically dips in shipments running up to Thanksgiving, as consumers are focused more on their big meals and less on snacking.
Michigan apples – grossing about $4400 to Miami.
Washington apples – grossing about $7100 to New York City.
Idaho apple shipments will provide the most loading opportunities since 1999, while Texas citrus is cranking up. Meanwhile, bad news from Chile as a killer freeze will take its toll on imports.
Idaho certainly isn’t a Washington state, or even a New York state, or Michigan when it comes to apple shipments, but it does provide moderate loading opportunities. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that Idaho has a bumper apple crop this season….Of course, as is often the case, Idaho is shipping plenty of potatoes – and needs more trucks.
What is normally thought of as a potato shipping state, has an estimated 70 million pounds of apples this year, believed to be the largest in 15 years. With harvest winding down, yields have been great and apple quality is reported excellent, while growers are scrambling to find as many bins as possible.
Idaho’s apple harvest generally begins around the first part of September and is mostly wrapped up by the end of October, though some picking extends into November.
Idaho potatoes – grossing about $1700 to L.A.; $5700 to New York City.
Texas Citrus Shipments
Harvesting of both grapefruit and oranges out of the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas is well underway. Volume has been light thus far, but shipments should increase significantly by the week of November 10th. Good quality is reported and loadings should be available through next April.
Texas citrus – grossing about $2500 to Chicago.
Chilean Fruit Hit by Freeze
Lightning seems to have struck twice in Chile as frosts last week devastated crops in some southern growing regions, with one large producer estimating between 30-100 percent crop loss for fruits including kiwifruit, blueberries, cherries and apples. The freeze occurred October 8-9. We’ll keep you updated since Chile is a primary exporter of fresh produce to the U.S., with produce arriving at ports on both coasts, particularly during the winter months.
During the winter months when U.S. domestic produce shipments are at their lowest, imports of fruits and vegetables from Southern hemisphere countries, which have opposite seasons from America, provide good loading opportunities at ports and border crossings. Here’s a look at Florida produce ports and South Texas.
South American Mangos
Mangos from Ecuador should be arriving at the South Florida port of Pompano Beach. However, Ecuador, as well as Brazil and Peru are all expected to be down in volume this season as a result of El Niño.
Kiwi Arriving at Port of Miami
Globally, Italy is the second-largest producer of kiwifruit….California production ramped up in early October and will continue through April. Most Italian kiwi imports will be through the Port of Miami.
California and Italy are both Northern Hemisphere producers, and Italian producers expect overall volume will be up approximately 15 percent this season.
Blueberry Imports
Blueberry imports from Argentina are arriving at the Port of Miami. While volume is still very light, it will be increasing soon.
Imports into South Texas
The new Baluarte Bridge in Mexico located between Sinaloa and Durango is changing a lot of things regardomg Lower Rio Grande Valley produce loads in Texas. The bridge, which is 3,000 feet long and soars 1,300 feet above the Baluarte River is resulting in a lot of winter West Mexican produce being shipped through south Texas, especially if the final destination is in the eastern half of the United States. 45 percent of all Mexican exports to the U.S. are now coming through Texas. Based on the past five years of trends, imports of Mexican fruits and vegetables through Texas will grow by an amazing 62 percent.
Mexican produce crossing at McAllen TX – grossing bout $2700 to Chicago; about $4400 to New York City.
Here’s a look at sweet potato shipments from the four leading states, plus potato shipments from Idaho and the Red River Valley.
Sweet Potato Shipments
Overall sweet potato shipments should be up significantly for the 2014-15 season, following an off season this past year.
North Carolina is the big volume state, although loadings are not particularly heavy yet cfor the early part of the season. Eastern North Carolina is only shipping about 250 truck loads per week at this point
In both Louisiana and Mississippi sweet potato volume remains light, but steady.
California sweet potato loadings originate out of the Atwater and Livingston areas. Volume is light, but steady.
North Carolina sweet potatoes – grossing about $2500 to Dallas.
Louisiana sweet potatoes – grossing about $1800 to Chicago.
Red River Valley Potato Shipments
Most spuds have been harvested in the Red River Valley of North Dakota and Minnesota. Some growers are reporting the best quality they have seen in six years. The valley could ship up to 4.3 million hundredweight this season, which would be up about 8 percent compared to last year. The Red River Valley fresh crop is about 91 percent reds, 9 percent yellows and a few whites. There is a truck shortage.
RRV potatoes – grossing about $3000 to Dallas.
Idaho Potato Shipments
Volume remains pretty steady for Idaho potato shipments at about 1600 truck load equivalents each week. Truck supplies remain in short supply.
Idaho potatoes – grossing about $4700 to Atlanta.
Here’s a round of produce loads originating out of the Northeastern United States.
Appalachian Apple Shipments
Pennsylvania apple shipments are above preseason estimates, while New York loadings are less than expected.
Shipments are running about 10-15 percent more than preseason estimates and last year’s numbers as of early October. If the shipments hold true for the rest of the season, Pennsylvania should have record apple shipments.
Other apple shipping states in the Appalachian region include Maryland, Virginia and West Virgina
New York Produce Shipments
As for New York, apple loadings probably will not reach pre-season estimates. Part of that can be traced to a typical decline following a huge year in 2013-14, when New York shipped about 33 million cartons. The other reason is blamed on extreme cold last winter, which caused bud damage.
The onion harvest out of New York’s Orange County is well under way, resulting in increased onion shipments. Over 125 loads per week are now being shipped….Long Island, NY is shipping potatoes in light volume.
However, it is cabbage providing as big a volume as any fresh produce right now. About 160 loads a week are coming from production areas in the Western and Central areas of New York.
New York apples – grossing about $3400 to Orlando.
Maine Potato Shipments
The potato harvest in Aroostock County, ME is wrapping up, and the focus will soon be with shipping spuds to Eastern markets.
Florida navel shipments will be down significantly this season, while other citrus items should show gains.
Florida citrus shipments will show small declines with navel oranges, grapefruit and tangerines, but valencias loadings are expected to increase, according to the first official USDA forecast.
Growers in Florida expect to ship 1.5 million cartons of navels, down 22 percent from 1.9 million cartons a year ago. If the forecast holds, it will be the lowest since the USDA began forecasting navels as a separate variety.
Shipments of valencias, of which 97 percent go to the processors, is up 9 percent. Overall Florida citrus volume should rise 3 percent from the 2013-14 season’s 104.8 million cartons to 108 this season. Grapefruit shipments are predicted at 15 million cartons, down 4 percent from 15.7 million cartons last year.
Both white and red grapefruit varieties saw 4 percent declines from the previous season. Total Florida tangerine production is seen being off 3 percent. Total Florida citrus shipments are pegged at 126.7 million cartons, down from last season’s 123.9 million cartons, but considerably lower than the 2009-13 average of 169 million cartons. Though a majority of the state’s oranges ship to processed plants, about 70 percent of its navels, half of its grapefruit and two-thirds of its tangerines ship fresh.
Overall, Florida is deader-than-a-door-nail this year. Citrus hasn’t really taken off, and there’s only moderate arrivals of imports at various Florida ports.
Southern and central Georgia vegetable shipments are modest, but ranging from green beans to peppers, cukes and squash.
Georgia vegetables – grossing about $2600 to New York City.
Volatile late summer and early fall weather, that turned into a heat wave hitting triple digits in some areas, will be making otherwise normal California lettuce hauling opportunities more difficult to predict.
This also could very well increase your chances of claims at destination. Abnormally hot weather can lead to seed stem and puffer heads, not to mention tip burn and possibly some mildrew. Just use extra caution with California lettuce shipments the next few weeks.
Shippers already are expecting some shipping gaps with lettuce towards in the end of October. Lettuce loading opportunities also will likely be diminished because the seasonal transition from the Salinas Valley to the Huron District in the San Joaquin Valley may not be very smooth. Due to the extreme drought and the water shortages, there will be less volume coming out of Huron, which normally ships for about three to four weeks, beginning in late October. Once Huron is finished, the season shifts to the Imperial Valley and Yuma District.
Produce truckers will probably about as good luck picking up other vegetables items such as broccoli and cauliflower out of Salinas or Santa Maria, or carrots from the Bakersfield area.
San Joaquin Valley grapes continue to provide as heavy a volume as anything out of California, currently averaging about 800 truckloads per week.
Central San Joaquin Valley grapes – grossing about $7300 to New York City.