Archive For The “Trucking Reports” Category
Tropical storm Manuel hit Western Mexico the week of September 15th, killing dozens and bringing extensive damage to growing areas around Culiacan, a major growing area for tomatoes, squash and many other produce commodities shipped to the USA during the late fall, winter and early spring seasons.
More than 350,000 acres of crops were damaged by the storm, mostly due to heavy rains ranging from around eight inches to 15 inches.
This is expected to hurt loading opportunities for Thanksgiving green beans and other products in the Los Mochis area of northern Sonora. Some loadings that would have started in early November will not be ready until late November. Squash, cucumbers and eggplant were among the crops most heavily affected.
A majority of these Mexician produce items cross the border at Nogales, AZ.
Salinas Valley Vegetable Shipments
Moderate amounts of vegetables continue to be shipped from California’s Salinas Valley, led by head lettuce, romaine lettuce, then celery, broccoli and cauliflower. These items also are being shipped in smaller volumes from the Santa Maria district to the south of Salinas.
Moderate shipments of strawberries also continue from the Watsonsville district, as well as from Santa Maria.
Salinas Valley vegetables and berries – grossing about $7400 to New York City.
Record cranberry shipments could occur for the second year in a row, plus here is a review of recently completed seasonal shipments for potatoes and citrus.
There were record shipments of cranberries last year and a similar amount of the fruit is expected to be coming out of Wisconsin, Massachusetts and Washington state bogs this season. Only about 10 percent of the crop is shipped as fresh, while the remainder mostly is processed for juices and sauce.
One estimate has the cranberry crop at around 11.1 and 11.5 million barrels, similar to the 2012 production of 11.2 million barrels. That 2012 crop was a record. Most shipments occur mid-September through mid-November.
Historically, about 80 percent of a season’s crop is consumed in North America, and about 20 percent of the crop is consumed during Thanksgiving week.
Potato Shipments
USA potato shipments increased eight percent in 2012, but citrus production was down 4 percent.
About 463 million cwt. of potatoes was shipped in the U.S. in 2012, according to a USDA report released September 19.
Citrus Shipments
Citrus shipments dropped four percent last season, and totaled 11.2 million tons during 2012-13.
Florida accounted for 63 percent, and California 34 percent of all citrus shipped in the USA. Texas and Arizona made up the balance.
Florida’s orange shipments, at 134 million boxes, fell nine percent from the previous season. Bearing citrus acreage in Florida, at 489,600 acres, was 5,500 acres below the 2011-2012 season.
California table grapes have been shipped at a record pace in recent weeks. According to USDA data through Sept. 13, five of the past six weeks have seen week-ending shipment totals of over 4 million boxes. Last year, only one week in the entire season surpassed 4 million.
Idaho, which rules potato shipments, will have less loads available this season, but there are still a lot of spuds for hauling.
With nearly 45 million boxes of California grapes already shipped, the industry is on pace for another record crop year.
The vast majority of California grape shipments are delivered by trucks to markets throughout North America.
August 2013 saw 18.4 million boxes shipped, a record-high for that month. This is 6 percent more than August 2012. The previous record of 18.1 million boxes was set in August 2007.
The total volume surpassed the 100 million 19-pound box equivalent mark for the first time in history last year and set a new record. The 2013 season estimate is 105.7 million 19-pound box equivalents.
Grape loadings from California will be available through January 2014.
Idaho Potato Shipments
The 2012 potato harvest in Idaho was remarkable in several respects. Acreage was up about 25,000 acres over the previous year. In fact it was so huge potato farmers in effect dumped (or at least sold spuds very cheap) totalling over 4 million cwt to feedlots.
The 2013 harvest, which got underway with Russet Norkotah potatoes as well as some red, gold and fingerling varieties in August, should have more normal shipments. Loadings should be down eight to 10 percent for the season compared to last year for Idaho.
San Joaquin Valley grapes and other produce – grossing about $7200 to New York City.
Idaho potatoes – about $3200 to Chicago.
Halloween, and then Thanksgiving will be here before we know it, and one big hint of those events coming are pumpkin shipments. Those loadings have actually been going on since August in some places, but now bigger volume is taking place.
A vast majority of pumpkins are shipped relatively short distances, primarily because the item is grown in virtually every one of the lower 48 states. Still, some pumpkins are shipped several hundred miles.
From upstate to New York down to the Carolinas a significant drop in pumpkin shipments are expected due to excessive rains. Much better growing conditions and the resulting volume is seen from the upper Midwestern states. New Mexico is reporting good loadings, but most destinations are to regional markets in nearby states such as Texas, Oklahoma and some to Colorado.
The five leading pumpkin shipping states are: Illinois, California, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan.
NE Colorado Onion Shipments
Northeast Colorado onion shipments are not expected to be signficantly affected from heavy rains in the state in mid September, just some harvesting delays. At least this is what Colorado onion shipper are saying. Up to eight inches of rain pounded the area over a six-day period. It is still recomended looking for possible quality problems when loading these onions coming out of storage.
Northeastern Colorado has about 2,000 to 2,500 acres of onions, which is only about 2.5 percent of total storage onions in the USA….There also are some norkotah potato shipments from this area, but no word as yet on how quality or volume may be affected.
Sweet Potato Shipments
North Carolina is the nation’s leader with sweet potato shipments. Both the Tar Heel state, as well a loadings from other leading sweet potato states are expected to be down around 20 to 25 percent, compared to the season that recently ended. Some other areas with significant sweet potato volume are California, Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas.
Shipments are so light right now as farmers have just finished the old crop and are starting to harvest the new crop, that shipments of uncured, green sweet potatoes are taking place to meet demand. Just make sure your receiver is aware of this. It takes about 30 to 45 days once sweet potatoes are harvested, to be cured. Weather issues have resulted in harvests running two to four weeks late. Curing should be completed by late October.
North Carolina sweet potatoes – grossing about $2250 to New York City.
USA apple shipments are expected to rise 13 percent in the 2013-14 season, despite a smaller crop from industry leader Washington state.
About 243 million bushels are expected to be hauled, mostly by truck, up from 216 million bushels in 2012 and nine percent above the five-year average.
Major comebacks in Michigan and New York, which were clobbered by late freezes in 2012, helped make up for the smaller Washington crop.
Washington growers are expected to ship about 140 million bushels this year, down from 155 million bushels in 2012 but four percent higher than the five-year average.
New York, the No. 2 producer, is expected to ship about 32 million bushels in 2013, up from 17 million bushels in 2012 and 15 percent above the five-year average.
Shipments from Michigan, the third-largest USA apple shipper, should soar from 2.7 million to 30 million bushels.
In Pennsylvania, the No. 4 USA shipper, about 10.5 million bushels are expected, down from 11.8 million bushels in 2012 and eight percent below the five-year average.
Loadings from Virginia, are estimated at 5.5 million bushels, similar to last year and three percent above the five-year average.
California apple shipments are finished for the season, and were expected to produce about 4.8 million bushels in 2013, down from 7.1 million bushels last year and 32 percent below the five-year average.
Hudson Valley apples – grossing about $1200 to Chicago.
Looking around the nation, here are some upcoming loading opportunities ranging from Texas, to Idaho, Colorado, New York and South Florida.
New York’s nearly 700 apple growers are expected to harvest approximately 32 million bushels of vintage apples by November – a new record.
After last year’s short crop, there will be lots to celebrate this fall. A year ago, frost led to a crop of only 17.1 million bushels.
New York apple shipments of it top variety McIntosh is currently underway in the Eastern part of the state, and will soon be shipped from orchards statewide. Apple varieties ranging from Zestar, to Gala, and HoneyCrisp area and other varieties are being loaded from production areas across the state.
Hudson Valley New York apples – grossing about $2700 to Atlanta.
Texas Citrus Shipments
Rio Grande Valley Texas citrus shipments should get underway with a pretty normal start in early to mid-October this season.
About 75 percent of the Lone Star state’s citrus shipments will be with grapefruit, and 25 percent with oranges. Peak loadings typically occur between mid November and the first of the year.
Colorado Potato Shipments
Due to lack of water and poor markets there is a 10 percent reduction in acreage from last year in Colorado. Planted acreage is about 50,000 acres this year. Most shipments from the state originate in the San Luis Valley, although there is much smaller volume coming out of Northeastern Colorado.
San Luis Valley Potatoes – grossing about $1750 to Dallas.
Idaho Potato Shipments
While early season shipments of Idaho potatoes haven’t yielded any significant quality problems (just some small sized potatoes), the state had a lot hot weather during the growing season. It’s just something to keep an eye out for when loading, in case quality problems start developing.
Idaho Potatoes – grossing about $3000 to Chicago.
South Florida Imports
South Florida ports are receiving papyas from Central American for distribution throughout the USA. The heaviest arrivals occur between July and March from such countries as Belize and Guatemala. Don’t count on straight loads of the tropical fruit, but sometimes a few pallets can help you get where you need to go.
Here is a round up of loading opportunities for domestic pumpkins and sweet potatoes, plus an outlook for hauling imported tropical fruit crossing our southern border – and at various USA ports.
HaulProduce.com subscriber Mark Yackee sent in this message:
” Pumpkin shipments have begun in the tri-state area of Michigan,Indiana, and Ohio. Volume as of September 16th will increase significantly, peaking around October 10th. Crop quality is very good overall and the area looks to ship more than 400 truckloads. Haulers and buyers welcome!” Thank you, Mark!
North Carolina, the nation’s leading shipper of sweet potatoes, could be down as much as 20 or 30 percent for the 2013-14 season. Nationally, sweet potato acreage is off 11 percent, so fewer may be available in other southern states such as Mississippi and Louisiana.
Last season, the USA had 135,500 acres of sweet potatoes planted, but this season there is only 116,100 acres. The weeks prior to Thanksgiving tend to provide the heaviest time for sweet potato shipments, but with harvests running behind schedule due to weather, volume could be off even for this holiday.
Eastern North Carolina sweet potatoes – grossing about $2250 to New York City.
Mississippi sweet potatoes – about $1800 to Chicago.
Fall Tropical Imports
Fall is a strong time for shipments of tropicals, including mangoes, papaya and pineapple. Mexican products will have heaviest crossing into the USA in South Texas, while South American tropicals will be arriving at various ports on both the East Coast and West Coast.
Imports of Mexican mangoes have been particularly heavy, but should be winding down now. However, the Mexican product is quickly being replaced with imports from Brazil.
Consistent imports of papayas and pineapples are predicted this fall.
The year around imports of Mexican limes continues as the old crop is finishing up and the new crop of limes are starting to arrive in the USA.
It’s looking like excellent loading opportunities for fruit out of the Northwest, as well as apples from Michigan from now right into next summer.
While loadings of pears certainly are not one of biggest volume produce items available for hauling, it is substantial. The nice thing about the fruit from the Northwest, is being loaded with apples. The Northwest typically ships as many apples each year as the rest of the nation combined. If the estimate holds, this would be the third largest amount of Northwest pear loadings on record – plus one of the larger apple crops.
Northwest pear shipments this season are estimated to be 19.8 million cartons, about two percent more than a year ago and about four percent more than five year average.
Washington state apples and pears – grossing about $4800 to Cleveland.
Michigan Apple Shipments
About 70 percent of Michigan apple shipments originate from the Fruit Ridge region. While the official estimate for loads this season is 26 million bushels, some observers are predicting as much as 30 million bushels. Michigan apple loadings have been underway since the third week of August. Whatever the final total for shipments this season, it should end up next summer as one the biggest on record.
Michigan also continues to ship a variety of vegetables, blueberries and melons.
Michigan produce grossing – about $2100 to Atlanta.
South African Citrus Imports
Imports of South African summer citrus are at about the half way point through the season. Over 30,000 tons of citrus have arrived, mostly at Eastern seaboard ports.
The final boat is scheduled to arrive during the third week of October, with the season expected to be competed before USA domestic shipments get started. This is the 14th season of citrus imports from South Africa to the USA and average annually approximately 40,000 tons.
Washington state apple shipping estimates indicate that the 2013-14 apple crop will be the second largest in the state’s history. The statewide total is placed at 119.8 million boxes, down 10 million boxes from last year’s record-setting season. But that’s still a bunch of apples to ship this season. Nationwide, apple loadings should be up 13 percent.
There were 10 million boxes left to ship August 1st on the old storage crop. But an orderly transition is expected to take place betwee the old crop and the one that’s gearing up.
Shipments for the new season apples got underway the third week of August and Galas and Gingergolds are already being hauled.
A volume breakdown for top apple varieties for the 2013-14 season is as follows: Red Delicious/33.75 million boxes; Golden Delicious/10.5 million boxes; Granny Smith/15 million boxes; Fuji/16.5 million boxes; Gala/26.4 million boxes;’ Cripps Pink/3.3 million boxes; Jonagold/1 million boxes; Braeburn/2.3 million boxes; and Honeycrisp 5.7 million boxes. The balance of the overall estimate is taken up by all other varieties.
National shipments of apples are expected to be up 13 percent this season, with the biggest increases coming from the Midwest and East. Michigan is making a big time recovery from last season’s weather disaster.
During the 2012-13 season, Washington apple shippers picked everything they could get their hands on to supply the nation, which had experienced bad weather in some other major shipping areas.
Yakima Valley apples – grossing about $6500 to New York City.
By BC Tree Fruits
The Okanagan orchards are buzzing with preparations with this year’s BC Tree Fruits apple harvest. Apple shipments start this month and will be running to the end of February 2014. Apple season is one of the busiest times of the year for the 500 grower fruit cooperative.
Apples are largest crop grown by BC Tree Fruits of Kelowna, BC with this season’s apple harvest estimated at 2.5 million cartons. From familiar favourites such as the McIntosh and Granny Smith to the newer and very popular Ambrosia, which was a chance seedling created in Oliver BC, a total of twelve apple varieties are harvested. “All our growers are excited for this year’s apple season,” shares Hank Markgraf, BCTF Field Services Manager and Orchardist. “Our orchards consistently produce the best quality apples in Canada, and having a wide variety keeps our fans searching for that familiar BC Leaf at the produce aisles.”
To highlight the work BC Tree Fruits’ growers put into apple season the focus this year is educating consumers on what goes into each apple. “Many people don’t fully realize the care and skill our orchardists put into each of the apples they produce,” says Chris Pollock, BCTF Marketing Manager. “We plan to share as much of the process as possible with consumers so they feel an even stronger connection when they ‘Look For The Leaf’ this season.”
Through traditional and social media, BC Tree Fruits will feature an insider look into their apple harvest. Their website currently offers a full description, including tasting notes, for each apple variety, as well as other seasonal fruit. Apple fans can keep up to date with full apple harvest and apples season details from September to February on the BC Tree Fruits Facebook and Twitter pages.
About BC Tree Fruits:
BC Tree Fruits Industries Limited is part of the BC Tree Fruits Cooperative and is owned by 520 local grower families. The organization markets and distributes a variety of BC-grown fruit including apples, pears, cherries, peaches, apricots, prune plums and blueberries. BC Tree Fruits’ head office is based in Kelowna, B.C.