Archive For The “Trucking Reports” Category
Michigan apple shipments started early this season, with the state expecting a total of about 30.5 million bushels, or 1.281 billion pounds.
According to the Michigan Apple Committee of Lansing, MI, it’s unusual to have three large crops in a row, but warmer-than-normal temperatures in late winter and early spring caused buds to form early, leading to earlier bloom.
Growers didn’t experience significant frost and freeze events after that early bloom, meaning a plentiful crop was harvested about 10 days earlier than usual.
Michigan Apples are available nearly year-round from August to June. The largest and most valuable fruit crop in the state can be found at about 150 farm markets and cider mills in Michigan as well as more than 12,000 retail groceries across the U.S.
The US Department of Agriculture reported that Michigan harvested 31.9 million bushels of apples in 2023. The average annual crop size is approximately 25.9 million bushels. There are more than 14.9 million apple trees in commercial production, covering 34,500 acres on 775 family-run farms in Michigan.
Harvesting is currently happening on Galas, Macs, and Honeycrisp with Fujis and Golds being picked as well this week.
Naturipe Farms, of Salinas, CA, a leading global berry producer, has announced this year’s raspberry crop is breaking company records. Coming from both Baja and Central Mexico, their proprietary conventional and organic varieties will be available in high quantities.
Naturipe Farms anticipates strong volumes of both conventional and organic raspberries through the end of the year. The improvements in acreage and crop quality position Naturipe well to continue this increased growth in the future.
The record volumes are due to two factors: first, Naturipe Farms has seen customer demand for raspberries rising, and as a response, has expanded their acreage in all growing areas. This allows for more berries to be grown, harvested, and distributed. Secondly, Naturipe’s proprietary raspberry varieties are performing exceptionally well this season thanks to a variety of environmental and growing factors.
About Naturipe
Naturipe is a farmer-owned producer and marketer of nutritious, best tasting, premium berries and avocados that has been an industry leader for more than 100 years producing healthy, deliciously fresh, frozen, and value-added products. Because our diverse grower base shares resources, skills, labor, and knowledge, we are better farmers and, in turn, strengthen the local farm community. Our focus on innovation ensures year-round availability of locally grown and Globally Local TM conventional and organic fruit.
Fresno, CA – With school back in session and fall weather approaching, the California table grape industry is loading the majority of its volume; every year roughly 65% of the crop ships after September 1.
“September through December is an exciting and productive time of year, as nearly 80 different varieties are harvested, promotions expand, and the majority of the crop ships to California grape-loving consumers around the world,” said Kathleen Nave, president of the California Table Grape Commission.
“A robust global marketing campaign to promote California grapes throughout the fall and early winter tied to an amazing selection of varieties, great quality, and promotable volume creates strong demand,” said Nave.
She noted that while the U.S. is the largest market and demand is strong from retail partners, there is significantly increased demand this year in export markets, and USDA is buying more grapes this season with deliveries already scheduled until close to Christmas.
In terms of crop size, Nave says the industry comes together three times a year to estimate the crop, and has been doing so with a high degree of accuracy for decades.
“Individual viewpoints often circulate in the fall with a frequent favorite being talk of a short California grape crop.
Whether coming from inside or outside the California industry, these individual narratives often masquerade as news.”
Fall and early winter mean a lot of shipments of grapes, as consumers have great-tasting, healthy back-to-school lunches or fall and winter celebrations.
Brazil has been exporting mangoes since the first week of August and will continue through December. It is projected to export 10.7 million boxes, according to the National Mango Board.
The primary varieties in Brazil are Tommy Atkins (81 percent), Kent (7 percent), Keitt (6 percent) and others (6 percent).
The volume shipped in the week ending August 3 was 28,560 boxes (4kg). In the same period last year, the amount shipped was 39,984 boxes.
Brazil is currently harvesting and/or packing the fruit.
The board reports that in Mexico, approximately 3.4 million boxes were shipped in the same week this year. In the same week last year, the volume was 3.6 million boxes.
Currently, the Mexican regions of Colima, Jalisco, Nayarit, Southern Sinaloa, and Northern Sinaloa are harvesting and/or packing mangos. The top three varieties shipped were Kent (53 percent), Keitt (31 percent), and Ataúlfo (12 percent). There is also limited supply of Tommy Atkins, Manilla Rosa, Nam Doc Mai, and Manilla.
The NMB indicated that the volume of mangos shipped from week 32 (August 10) through week 37 (September 14) is expected to be 9 percent higher than last year, with arrivals expected between weeks 33 and 38.
Currently, the Mexican regions of Colima, Jalisco, Nayarit, Southern Sinaloa, and Northern Sinaloa are harvesting and/or packing mangos. The top three varieties shipped were Kent (53 percent), Keitt (31 percent), and Ataúlfo (12 percent). There is also limited supply of Tommy Atkins, Manilla Rosa, Nam Doc Mai, and Manilla.
Family business Bland Farms in Glennville, GA., has been exporting Peruvian sweet onions for 28 years — and this year is shaping up to be a good season with a good-sized crop and quality.
A difference this year is Vidalia onion shipments are lasting longer, which can affect imports of sweet onions from Peru.
The Vidalia sweet onion season is running a few weeks longer than normal. Because of this, Bland Farms has slowed imports of its Peru premium sweet onions.
The company prefers to ship the Vidalias as long as they are available and the quality is good. Fortunately, Bland has been able to move most of the sweets it has out of Peru to Spain and Chile.
It’s a similar situation for Shuman Farms of Reidsville, GA. The grower/shipper expects the operation to start shipping sweet onions from Peru in mid-September.
Shuman has had a robust Vidalia season this year, and is prepared for a smooth transition to its Peruvian season.
G&R Farms of Glennville, GA, had recently visited Peru, where it met with the farm’s production team. Harvest was underway south of the equator and the crop looked good.
G&R Farms, which has exported onions from Peru for 15 years, sources its onions from the Ica and Arequipa regions in Peru.
Stemilt Growers of Wenatchee, WA expects a big increase in organic Cosmic Crisp apple volume this fall.
The grower/shipper notes volume is finally to a point of making this a top apple variety organically.
Approximately 30% of Stemilt’s entire tree fruit volume is grown and certified organic.
Organic apples make up a large portion of the firm’s organics, and it is considered a leader in the hard-to-grow organic pears and cherries. The organization’s entire stone fruit program (peaches and nectarines) is organic.
While Stemilt is down on organic apples year over year, the 2023 crop was large and the marketer expects good volume on organics in the 2024-25 season.
Stemilt reports a 40% increase on organic pears, while the conventional pear crop is down.
Cosmic Crisp organic volume will be up significantly, and SweeTango is back on track after less volume last year. In contrast, Honeycrisp volume in 2024 is expected to be down nearly 17% compared with the 2023 crop.
Chicago — After record-breaking production last year, apple growers expect another high-performing year, according to a new report released by the U.S. Apple Association (USApple) at the organization’s 129th annual Outlook Conference in Chicago.
USApple’s Industry Outlook 2024* provides the most up-to-date data and analysis on U.S. and global apple production, utilization and trade. Authored by USApple Vice President of Insights and Analytics, Chris Gerlach, the report takes an in-depth look at the trends and forces – from political headwinds to weather events – that shape the U.S. apple industry.
*The Outlook Report is based on recently released United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates. After the presentation of those numbers, USApple members met in-person to discuss current growing conditions to formulate a more up-to-date production estimate. The final USApple 2024/25 crop year forecast is an adjustment of the USDA numbers based on those conversations.
U.S. Production
According to USApple’s analysis, total U.S. apple production for the 2024/25 crop year (CY) will be 259,517,252 bushels. This represents a 10.1% decrease compared to last year’s final production figure.
“Growers from across the U.S. are reporting the crop quality is excellent,” said Gerlach.
These figures are more comprehensive than USDA data, which only look at the top seven apple-producing states. USApple analyzes the production from states outside of the top seven and adds that back into USDA’s figure. It also incorporates feedback from growers based on what they’re seeing in the field every day.
At the varietal level, Gala is expected to retain the top spot with more than 48 million bushels produced, accounting for around 17% of the U.S. apple market. After Gala, rounding out the top five are Red Delicious (12.3%), Granny Smith (10%), Honeycrisp (9.8%) and Fuji (9.4%).
In general, the varieties on the rise include Honeycrisp, Pink Lady/Cripps Pink and Cosmic Crisp®. Fuji, Rome and “other” varieties have remained relatively consistent compared to 2019/20 production volumes. Varieties on the decline include Gala and Red Delicious.
According to USDA trade data, fresh apple exports totaled 46.4 million bushels in the 2023/24 CY (July to June). This is around 14 million bushels higher than 2022/23 export levels – an astonishing 44% year-over-year increase.
During the same period, fresh apple imports dropped by around one million bushels, a 15% decline. The joint effects of increasing exports and decreasing imports caused the already net positive fresh apple trade balance to grow to more than 42 million bushels.
The surge in fresh apple exports is largely attributed to the abundant domestic supply, competitive pricing abroad, and favorable positive trade policies.
Morris, MN– Fresha, a premier supplier of top-quality carrots has announced the beginning of the Minnesota carrot season. With an early start to planting, favorable weather conditions have set the stage for an exceptional shipments this year.
“We are thrilled with how this season is unfolding,” says Matthew Wulf, VP of Sales and Marketing at Fresha. “Our early planting has given the carrots a head start, and the combination of good moisture and recent heat has been perfect for sizing up the crops. The quality of the carrots looks outstanding.”
The favorable weather conditions have contributed to an expected yield that is slightly above average. In addition to a promising start to the season, Fresha has expanded its acreage for both conventional and organic carrots from 2023 to 2024. By increasing carrot cultivation, Fresha aims to provide consumers with more options and ensure a consistent supply of fresh, locally grown carrots throughout the season.
“We are also working closely with retailers to promote Minnesota Grown carrots,” Wulf adds. “Our goal is to highlight the exceptional quality and freshness of our local produce, and we’re looking forward to the opportunities to showcase the best of what Minnesota has to offer.”
For more information about Minnesota grown carrots or to contact a sales representative, please check out www.freshaproduce.com.
About Fresha
Fresha, a leading producer of premium carrots, takes pride in delivering farm-fresh, quality produce to households nationwide. Established in 2019, Fresha operates as an employee and grower-owned company, vertically integrated for seamless quality control.
Zespri has released its first full forecast for the 2024-25 kiwifruit season, with forecast per hectare returns up from last season for all categories, according to a news release.
The report predicts record levels for green and organic green.
With a total crop of more than 190 million trays to sell, Zespri was focused on finishing the second half of the season strongly, said Ted Brake . CEO of Zespri.
Zespri is headquartered in Auckland, New Zeland with its North American offices in Newport Beach, CA.
Brake said the latest forecast reflects both the strong season start and the competition seen more recently in markets, including from summer fruit.
“The industry put a lot of work into getting off to a really strong start to the season to meet early season demand and that’s set us up well in a year where we have a lot more fruit to sell,” Brake said in the release. “Although strong competition is always challenging around this time of the year, we’re already seeing signs that this fruit is moving off shelves and we expect this trend to continue over the next few weeks. The fact we’re on track for a strong lift in per hectare returns across all varieties this season, and record returns for green and organic green growers, is a testament to the hard work the industry has put in following a really challenging period.”
Increasing competition reinforced the importance of Zespri’s global supply strategy, set up by growers more than 20 years ago, Te Brake said. The strategy involves Zespri working with offshore growers in Italy, France, Japan, Korea and Greece to provide kiwifruit for 12 months of the year, allowing Zespri to have counter-seasonal supply in place to complement the New Zealand season and drive value for New Zealand growers, he said.
With the maximum 5,000 hectares of offshore SunGold plantings now allocated and the gap between supply and demand growing, the industry is discussing the potential expansion of its Zespri’s global supply program to protect value for the industry, the release said.
“The next stage of these conversations over the coming months will look at what a potential expansion of our [Zespri global supply] program might look like, as we make a decision as an industry on how ZGS can continue to deliver value for our industry,” Te Brake said.
Zespri says it is now seeking industry feedback on potentially expanding the current 5,000-hectare cap by up to 420 additional hectares of SunGold kiwifruit per year over six years across Italy, France, Japan, South Korea and Greece. Depending on the nature of those conversations over the next few months, Zespri may consider formally seeking grower support for expanding the Zespri global supply program via a producer vote, which would require 75% support to proceed, the release said.
As the harvest soon gets underway, the Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission reports the crop is shaping up very well.
The commission, which is part of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture notes some growers are expecting some of their best yields for this season thanks in large part of good growing weather. If this optimism holds this year will be much better than a year ago with Mother Nature was not nearly as cooperative.
At Matthews Ridgeview Farms in Wynne, AR this season’s crop is shaping up to be similar to last year’s thanks to good growing conditions in the state. Milder Arkansas weather, combined with an increase in sweet potato acreage has the company optimistic.
Garber Farms Lota, LA reports near perfect weather for their growing season giving high hopes of filling up their storage bins, unlike a year ago when there was extreme drought.