Archive For The “Trucking Reports” Category
Another shipping season of quality red, white and yellow potatoes from growers in Washington and Oregon is expected.
The 2024 harvest started in late July for some growers, but will not get underway until early September for others, which is typical.
USDA estimates that Washington produced 99.7 million hundredweight of potatoes in 2023, about 10% of which was destined for fresh market.
Total potato production this year will be down due to a reduction in acres planted, according to the Washington Potato Commission of Moses Lake, WA.
About 16,000 fewer acres were planted this year. With excellent weather during the growing season yields per acres are expected to increase.
An overall 8% decline in Washington’s potato production is expected by the commission compared to last year.
Total potato acreage in Washington is projected to be down 10% to 12%.
Growers in the state have planted an estimated 144,000 acres of potatoes, of which about 16,000 acres are for fresh market.
Oregon’s growers produced about 27.4 million hundredweight of potatoes in 2023, according to USDA.
The Oregon Potato Commission of Portland predicts about 10% of that volume is for fresh market.
Oregon grows about 43,000 acres of potatoes.
Double-N Potatoes of Burlington, WA ships red, yellow, white potatoes and purple potatos.
Harvest gets underway the first or second week of September, volume expected to be similar to last year.
Double-N Potatoes ships from September until the end of April.
Valley Pride Sales LLC, also based in Burlington, will start its 2024 harvest in early September.
The company, which ships potatoes year-round, has white, red and yellow potatoes and some small potatoes for consumer packs.
Eagle Eye Produce of Iona, ID ships potatoes the year-round potato out of Mattawa, WA. It’s 2024 harvest has just got started.
The company’s acreage will be down this year because of crop rotations and an industrywide oversupply with grower returns below the cost of production.
Potandon Produce of Pasco, WA, expects to have a higher-quality crop of russet potatoes this year as last season had its ups and downs. A more consistent crop is seen this year.
Potandon’s harvest started in late July. The company ships out of Washington the year around.
Ontario may be known for its bustling greenhouse industry, but growers of field-grown vegetables in the Canadian provience have made their own mark and are providing good volume this summer.
Ontario Potato Distributors Inc. of Alliston, Ontario launched its 2024 season with yellow potatoes the week of July 15, which were soon followed by white potatoes.
Ontario Potato ships year-round mostly to retailers but also has some foodservice and wholesale customers.
Procyk Farms (1994) Ltd. of Wilsonville, Ontario began harvesting in early June, a little earlier than usual because of warmer-than-normal weather.
The firm’s product line includes tomatoes, roma tomatoes, sauce tomatoes, red and savoy cabbage, sweet corn, zucchini and red, yellow and green bell peppers. All commodities were shipping by the second week of July.
Procyk Farms will ship until the first fall frost, which usually occurs by the Canadian Thanksgiving, which will be October 14 this year. Volume will be similar to last year.
Sweet corn is the major crop grown by Rouge River Farms in Gormley, Ontario. The company, which started in Ontario with a few acres in the late 1980s, now may be the largest fresh-market sweet corn grower on the East Coast.
Rouge River also has 8,000 acres of green beans, making it one of the largest growers of green beans on the East Coast. This will be the first year the company is growing green beans in Ontario.
The firm also has sweet corn and green bean programs in Florida, Georgia and Virginia.
Exeter Produce of Exeter, Ontario will have an extensive line of field vegetables this summer. Some of the items include broccoli, sweet corn, hard squash, garlic, rutabagas, green beans, cabbage, wrapped cabbage and wrapped broccoli as well as its new napa cabbage product and several new kinds of chili peppers.
The company grows on about 6,000 acres. Most of the local summer items from Exeter Produce will finish by early October, then the company will turn to squash, cabbage, rutabagas and heartier items until Christmas.
The fourth-generation grower ships most of its product to retailers and foodservice operators, 60% of which are in Canada with the remainder in the U.S.
Scotlynn Group of Vittoria, Ontario kicked off its sweet corn season the second week of July.
The company will ship pumpkins from Labor Day weekend through the end of October.
Sweet corn shipments should continue until mid-September.
The company grows 15,000 acres of vegetables in Ontario, Florida and Georgia and ships to retailers on the East Coast and West Coast of Canada and mostly to customers east of the Mississippi in the U.S.
The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service said its latest almond forecast is a 2.8 billion meat pounds, which is 13% higher than last year’s crop of 2.47 billion meat pounds but down 7% from its May forecast.
The USDA said the forecast is based on reporting from 1.38 million bearing acres.
The forecast for nonpareil, which is 39% of the state’s total almond production, is 1.1 billion meat pounds; that is 17% higher than last year’s 941 million meat pounds.
USDA said these figures are due to favorable weather conditions during bloom, which began the second week in February and finished by the middle of March. USDA also reports bee hours to be higher than last year.
California’s fig shipments got an early start this year thanks to hot summer temperatures.
The California Fresh Fig Growers Association reports the main harvest started a couple of weeks earlier than usual, on July 15, and the organization expects the fruit to be “beautiful and plentiful well into the fall.”
The organization notes California Fresh Figs are already available to be shipped to retailers and that shipping numbers are finally returning to pre-pandemic status. The first crop delivered the first Mission figs of the season in May-June. Mission figs have purplish-black skin and a deep earthy flavor.
The main crop, now underway, is delivering other varieties such as Brown Turkeys, Missions, and Sierras. Additional varieties will continue to become available through November. The organization expects that nearly 10 million pounds of figs will be harvested this year, but won’t know the final numbers until November.
CEO of the California Fresh Fig Growers Association, Karla Stockli, says they expect a bountiful harvest after years of drought and fires. “The orchards are very healthy which align with the increase in demand,” she added. “The quality of California Fresh Figs this season is fantastic. They are plump, juicy and delicious.”
Fig growers are also investing in acquiring more hectares to increase the level of production.
California Fresh Figs are only available seasonally, but California Dried
Figs are a year-round staple, offering the same nutrition and taste benefits.
In the 2023 season peach and nectarine shipments in the United States fell to its lowest level since the early ’80s, with colder temperatures delaying bloom and later freezes damaging the fruit.
The USDA reports the downward trend started in 2011-12, when production fell below a million tons in 2013-14 for the first time in decades, where it has since remained. U.S. output declined 30% between 2013-14 and 2022-23, with volumes dropping 300,000 tons to 650,000.
Higher temperatures in Georgia and South Carolina could improve yields for those states. However, IMP News reports in southern Illinois, some orchards continue struggling.
Rendleman Orchards in Alto Pass and Flamm Orchards, southeast of St. Louis, are seeing better volume.
Flamm Orchard’s reports is pleased is with the crop’s current condition, adding they are seeing good production levels.
However, Eckert’s Inc. in Belleville, had another off year, with about 50% production. The area saw subzero temperatures in mid-January, leading to a dip in production.
September and October account for about 50% of the annual Peruvina blueberry exports, according to ProArándanos, the Association of Blueberry Producers and Exporters of Peru.
Peru’s fresh blueberry exports have increased over the past decade. However, after years of steady growth, there a drop in production last year, declining from 286,000 tons to 224,000 tons, due to weather factors.
ProArandanos reports last season, almost 56% of the total volume was shipped to the United States. Europe was the second-largest market, accounting for 30%, with the Netherlands alone making up about 20%.
Next is China, where last season organic blueberries accounted for 12%, while the remaining 5% is distributed among more than 20 countries including South America, Central America, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.
While exports primarily occur in September, October, and November, Peruvian grapes are actually shipped the year around.
In 2016 Peru had less than 2,000 hectares planted, 90% was in La Libertad, and at the close of last year the total hectares certified for export were over 18,000 hectares.
La Libertad is still the main region in terms of number of hectares, but its share dropped by half, at 45%, due to the growth of other regions such as Lambayeque and Ica.
Peru’s mandarin/tangerine exports are expected to increase slightly in the marketing year from March 2024 to February 2025, a new USDA report says.
Production is forecast to reach 560,000 metric tons, up 2% from a year ago, while exports are forecast to rise by 3% to 210,000 metric tons.
The harvest season in Peru goes from March to October peaking from June to August, though the report said Peru produces mandarins/tangerines all year long.
Higher productivity driven by recent cooler weather and potentially favorable dryer weather conditions is expected to help production and exports, according to the report.
The U.S. will likely remain Peru’s top export partner for mandarins and tangerines, accounting for 50% of exports.
Overall, Peru expects a positive balance in its production among varieties. Early varieties may be lower while the later varieties have better yields, according to the report.
Production in Peru’s Amazon basin and highland regions is destined for the domestic market, while production in the valleys of Lima and Ica is predominantly export-oriented.
Production in Lima and Ica benefits both from the desert conditions (reduced pest pressure, large diurnal temperature variation) as well as close access to the major Ports of Callao (Lima) and Pisco (Ica).
The market for exports is dominated by easy peelers and seedless varieties including murcott, tango, primosole, clementine and orri.
Peruvian statistics show the tangerine production area is 11,119 acres, while mandarins and other hybrids account for 45,714 acres. Tangelos represent 15% of the total mandarin/tangerine area in Peru, according to the report. Clementina, w. murcott and satsuma are the most popular varieties in Peru.
The report said Peruvian mandarin/tangerine exports will increase by 3% to 210,000 metric tons.
Between January to December 2023, Peru exported fresh mandarins/tangerines primarily to the U.S. (46%), the Netherlands (14%) and United Kingdom (10%).
Mandarin/tangerine exports to the U.S. in March 2024 to February 2025 are expected to reach 100,000 metric tons.
The Peruvian government considers port development a strategic priority, the report said. A new port about 40 miles north of Lima, labeled the Megaport of Chancay, is being touted by Peruvian officials as revolutionary for logistics between South America and Asia. The port, constructed and operated by Chinese state-owned firm Cosco Shipping, is in the final stage of construction and is expected to be inaugurated by the end of 2024, the report said.
Peru’s Agricultural Sanitary Agency (SENASA) plays a leading role in the monitoring and control of fresh fruits for exports, the report said. According to official data, SENASA has registered 424 mandarin/tangerine production sites. In addition, 31 packing and treatment facilities have been registered.
Delano, CA — Premium table grape grower and marketer, Four Star Fruit looks forward to another strong Holiday grape season.
Recognized for its exceptional sweetness and distinctive late-season profile, the Holiday variety is a highly sought-after seedless variety, easily identified by consumers nationwide. The summer heat wave will create challenges for some varieties, but Holiday is in the early stages of maturity, and the company is not seeing any roadblocks.
“We are looking forward to another great Holiday season with strong promotable volumes,” said Jack Campbell, President of Four Star Fruit. “Our team is fully equipped and ready to collaborate with retail partners to deliver an exceptional eating experience, driving robust consumer demand this fall.”
Earlier this year, Four Star Fruit solidified its position as a frontrunner in the table grape industry with the recent acquisition from Agriculture Capital of Columbine Vineyards’ complete Holiday grape program. Under the terms of the acquisition, Four Star Fruit has exclusive rights to all brands, trademarks, and DNA associated with the Holiday variety.
Holiday clamshells and bags are available upon request; please get in touch with your Four Star Fruit sales representative for more information.
About Four Star Fruit, Inc.
Four Star Fruit has been in table grape production as a grower-shipper since 1987. The company is family-owned and operated for three generations by the Campbell family. Four Star produces remarkable premium conventional and organic grapes, including the trademarked Pristine® variety. Their fields are located throughout the San Joaquin and Coachella Valleys and internationally in Peru, Chile, and Mexico. Their top-of-the-line facility allows for innovation and flexibility in packaging. Four Star farms thousands of acres of grapes annually while carefully ensuring each bunch’s quality from planting to harvest, packing to shipping.
U. S. berry shipments from one coast to the other in the first half of the summer’ were good and strong volume is expected for the last half of the season as well.
California strawberries loadings are strong in California, and blueberries now are now being shipped from California, Michigan, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington. Blackberries and raspberries are available from the East Coast, California, Washington and Oregon.
Bobalu Berries based in Oxnard, CA reports strawberry movement remains strong in the late summer for the company which ships product the year around.
The firm has been shipping its spring crop from Santa Maria, CA., and its late-summer volume was expected to kick in during August when the fall strawberry crop begins.
Oxnard will follow with a fall strawberry crop extending into 2025.
California Giant Berry Farms headquartered in Watsonville notes great quality and flavor for its strawberries from the Watsonville/Salinas area.
The company’s has just completed its strawberry season in Santa Maria.
As of the week ending July 6, California growers had shipped 131,827,552 trays of strawberries. That’s up from 109,085,918 trays at the same time a year ago and up from about 128 million trays in 2022, according to the California Strawberry Commission, based in Watsonville.
Gem-Pack Berries of Irvine, CA sources summer strawberries from the Watsonville/Salinas and Santa Maria regions; raspberries from Watsonville and the Mexican state of Baja California; blackberries from Oxnard, CA., Watsonville and Tennessee; and some blueberries from the Pacific Northwest.
Gem-Pack will have organic strawberries from Watsonville as late as October and sources organic and conventional raspberries from Baja California nearly year-round.
Berry shipments should remain steady into August, when volume will start to decrease.
Concerning blueberries, Consalo Family Farms of Vineland, N.J., is transitioning from New Jersey to grower partners in Michigan.
Consalo Family Farms also has a growing organic blueberry program and continues to expand blueberry varietals.
Cal Giant reports blueberry quality out of the Pacific Northwest is “good” on conventional and organic product. Blueberry quality out of Mexico also is good, although there is some scarring and shriveling fruit due to hot weather.
Watsonville raspberry shipments are reported steady with good quality, according to Cal Giant. Good quality is reported from Mexico.
Blackberry quality is good from Watsonville is with steady volumes, which are now increasing.
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he New Mexico onion season was off to a strong start in early July, shippers and USDA numbers report.
The USDA indicated that New Mexico onion shipments for the week of June 23-29 totaled 912 (40,000-pound) truckloads or about 48% of the total domestic truck shipments of onions that week.
Season-to-date shipments of New Mexico onions through June 29 were 4,298 truckloads, up 19% compared with the same time a year ago.
Brandon Barker, vice president of Barker Produce, Las Cruces, N.M., said on July 2 that the state’s onion harvest was close to halfway finished. Yields have been good this year, and supply of the state’s onion is projected through the end of August, he said.
Demand, retail programs and price contracts have been strong, Barker said, with the yellow onion market a little more sluggish than the red and white onion markets.
“It’s been a good year for us,” he said.
Chris Franzoy, president of Legacy Fresh LLC, Deming, N.M., said he was happy with the quality of New Mexico’s onions. The company is packing red, yellow and white onions.
“We service basically every market from retail to food service, as well as processors,” he said.
Franzoy said Legacy Fresh was finishing up the intermediate transplants and moving into its direct-seeded spring-planted onions.
“They’ve got nice healthy tops, and we expect to have good quality all the way through,” he said.
Overall domestic supply of onions could drop later in July, which may result in higher shipping point prices, he said.
Franzoy, a fourth-generation farmer whose family operates Billy the Kid Produce, along with his wife, Tammy, launched Legacy Fresh to serve as the marketing arm of Billy the Kid.
The company’s growing operation spans about 3,000 acres, and its packing facility can pack up to 30 full truckloads on a daily basis, Franzoy said.