Archive For The “Trucking Reports” Category
Phoenix, AZ: Arizona is known as the winter lettuce capital of the U.S., providing Americans with an abundance of lettuce and leafy greens from November to March.
According to United States Department of Agriculture statistics, Arizona farmers grow approximately 25% of the total U.S. lettuce supply each year. On an annual basis, the leafy greens farming community in Arizona generates a $2 billion impact.
“Right now, Arizona farms are actively growing and harvesting all leafy greens from Iceberg and Romaine to spinach and spring mix.” said Teressa Lopez, Administrator of the Arizona LGMA program. “Arizona LGMA food safety audits will begin this week and continue regularly throughout our growing season.”
To celebrate the start of harvest, Arizona’s governor, Katie Hobbs proclaimed November 2023 as Arizona Leafy Greens Month. This is the 11h annual celebration, and during that time Arizona farmers have produced more than 99 billion servings of lettuce (based on the average production of 9 billion servings per year).
About Arizona Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement
Arizona LGMA works to protect public health by cultivating food safety practices, verifying on-farm compliance, utilizing data for improvement and empowering industry with tools to advance food safety. www.arizonaleafygreens.org
The Chilean Blueberry Committee, together with iQonsulting, have updated their export estimate for the 2023-2024 season, forecasting exports of 76,500 tons of fresh blueberries. This new figure reflects a decrease of 7% compared to the first estimate made in October, and a decrease of 13% from 2022-23.
Year-to-date shipments to the US are rapidly ramping up, with 276 tons exported during the first week of November. In total, 892 tons of fresh blueberries have been shipped to the U.S. this season, compared to just 357 at the same time last year.
Andrés Armstrong, executive director of the Blueberry Committee commented, “This new forecast takes into consideration the effect of the rains during the first two weeks of November, as well as other associated climatic events such as frost and hail. He pointed out that the fruit is developing and progressing similar to previous seasons, as are weekly exports. “We’re seeing a pattern similar to the average of recent seasons, which will generate an initial peak of more than 5 thousand tons in week 49. Meanwhile, the period of highest volumes, with up to 8 thousand tons weekly, will occur between Weeks 51-2023 and 03-2024,” he observed.
Armstrong reported that, to date, exports of fresh blueberries are 18% greater than last season, and “the inclusion of new varieties and strong decrease of non-recommended varieties are dominating our exports.” He also highlighted that, regarding the types of shipments, “air shipments have led exports to date with 1,422 tons and a growth of 170% compared to the same period last season. Maritime shipments are starting to increase, reaching 495 tons, which is 56% less than what was shipped during the same period last season”.
Favorable growing conditions and some increased volume should provide more loading opportunities for onions during 2023-24 than at least a couple of seasons.
Eagle Eye Produce of Idaho Falls, ID ships red, yellow and white onions. The company finished its harvest by early November in Washington, Idaho and Oregon.
The company has 15% to 20% more onions this year because of some additional acreage and good growing conditions.
Potandon Produce in Idaho Falls ships red onions year-round, white onions seasonally and some Spanish onions from Ontario.
The company is currently shipping onions from Idaho and Oregon and will source product from Texas, New Mexico and California later on. Potandon also attributes good weather and more acreage to increased volume.
Wilcox Fresh of Rexburg, OH grows onions in west Idaho and east Oregon and has worked with several farming families for many years.
The company is pleased with the size of the red, white and yellow onions and has high praise for the quality. The firm’s volume is similar to last year.
Super Starr International of Colima, Mexico will be entering the New Year with good volumes of cantaloupe, honeydew, and Hami melons. The firm papaya and melon grower, shipper, and processor.
The company experienced a great season last year and expects an even better season this winter with increased production.
For three generations, Super Starr has farmed in the U.S. and Mexico to produce year-round winter melons and papayas by growing, packing, and shipping in-house. The firm indicates that it controls the quality of its products from planting the initial seed to store shelves. The grower provides the only Fair-Trade-certified papayas on the market.
The total number of U.S. fresh apples in storage remaining to be shipped as of Nov. 1 is up 32.4% over a year ago.
U.S. Apple Association of Falls Church, VA recently released its November 2023 USAppleTracker, which indicates the United States industry is holding 190.7 million bushels of apples. This compares to November 2022’s total of 144 million bushels. This is 19.8% above the five-year average for Nov. 1.
Washington by far had the greatest state fresh apple holdings, with 152.3 million as of Nov. 1, 2023. New York is second with 14.9 million bushels, and Michigan is a close third, with 12.3 million. Pennsylvania has 5.4 million bushels. Oregon reports 942,000 bushels and no other state is close to one million.
By volume, Honeycrisp is the largest fresh apple variety in storage this November, with 30.2 million bushels. Gala is a close second, at 29.2 million bushels and Red Delicious is third at 26.4 million. Granny Smith and Fuji register 22.5 million and 18.3 million, respectively.
In November 2022, U.S. fresh apple holdings were 103.0 million bushels. In November 2021, the total was 115.6 million.
Processing apple holdings totaled 50.6 million bushels, 23.2 percent more than last year on November 1.
Fresh apple holdings in February 2023 totaled 140.2 million bushels, 36.1% more than the inventories reported for November 2022.
This report captures more than 95% of the national storage capacity. The statistics are compiled by USApple.
The Peruvian Producers and Exporters Association (Provid) forecasts a 9 percent decline in grape exports for the 2023-24 season. If the prediction holds this would amount to about 65 million 18-pound boxes.
As of November 1, Peru had exported 14 million boxes, about 28% of the total projection. Some 38 percent of Peruvian grapes are exported to the U.S.
Provid blames most of the decline on adverse weather including El Niño Costero, resulting in heavy rains and flooding in Peru’s northern coastal regions.
There also was cyclone Yaku which brought similar conditions to Tumbes, Piura and Lambayeque, some of the main producing regions in the country.
The U.S. continues to be the leading destination for Peruvian grapes, in part because the U.S. domestic production is currently lower than expected.
Starting in November, Live Oak Farms of Le Grand, CA began importing product from its farming operations in Mexico to help complete a 52-week cycle of availability on green and red bell peppers, according to a news release.
“The message has been loud and clear from both our retail and foodservice customers, we need you to be in the game year-round,” Damon Barkdull, vice president pepper sales for the fourth-generation grower-packer-shipper, said in the release. “We’re excited to begin this next chapter in Live Oak’s history.”
Historically, Live Oak has focused on its crops close to Le Grand in the San Joaquin Valley, from July through October. Those crops included mature green tomatoes — round and Roma — along with chili peppers and green, red and yellow bell peppers. With Live Oak’s hire of Pete Aiello, vice president pepper programs, came the addition of programs in Coachella and Bakersfield to help extend that California window.
With its program in Sinaloa, Mexico, Live Oak says it now has bell pepper coverage 52 weeks a year. Live Oak is expecting green bells to begin crossing in late November and red bell peppers as early as the second week of December into Nogales, AZ.
In addition to bringing Mexico peppers to its customers, Live Oak says it plans to expand its portfolio of product in both conventional and organic vegetables, including but not limited to Italian squash, yellow squash, cucumbers and an expanded array of chili peppers.
Live Oak expects the Mexico pepper program to carry it into May for a smooth transition into its California crop.
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California’s desert regions shift into high gear with winter vegetable shipments as many other parts of the country go into the proverbial deep freeze.
Imperial County grows more than 65 commodities, with head and leaf lettuces, broccoli, spinach and carrots among its primary crops. Likewise, Coachella Valley grows everything from cabbage to carrots to cauliflower.
Due to mild temperatures in these Colorado Desert regions, along with Central Coast locations such as Salinas and Oxnard, produce haulers have loading opportunities throughout the winter for fresh produce including broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, lettuces and celery.
When cooler temperatures hit Northern California and the weather becomes wetter in the winter months, many growers head south for the season to Yuma, AZ., or Mexico. However, some prefer to farm certain commodities in California’s desert regions.
Ocean Mist Farms in Castroville, Calif., grows a small percentage of its winter crops in Yuma, as well as Salinas Valley and Oxnard, yet the company reserves Coachella Valley as its primary winter growing region due to its abundant resources and ideal winter climate. The company’s winter crops grown in Southern California include artichokes, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, fennel, lettuces and spinach.
Higher than normal temperatures have led to an earlier-than-usual harvest for some crops and may cause issues with seed stems in the romaine and iceberg lettuces.
To help mitigate the issue, growers will often harvest the lettuce a bit earlier, which leads to smaller sizing and lower weight.
However, the romaine crop looks good, and the growing conditions have been very nice.
Boskovich Farms in Oxnard, grows spinach and cilantro crops as well as parsley, cabbage, celery and bok choy on its Ventura County farmland.
Ocean Mist expresses confidence it will be able to provide a strong supply of winter vegetables and was in full production for Coachella Valley crops Nov. 27.
Texas Citrus Mutual of Mission, TX reports fresh citrus shipments should be similar to last season.
The trade association expects the industry expects to ship about 4.5 million cartons of grapefruit and 2 million cartons of oranges.
South Texas citrus harvest began in October with peak loadings of Texas citrus typically running from November through March.
Although the crop may be close last year, this is about 50% of a 20-year average. Growers are taking out older trees and planting younger trees. Quality is reported as very good.
Texas has three major fresh citrus shippers and a couple of smaller companies. Fresh shippers Lone Star Citrus and The Wonderful Company. both of Mission, TX, also have juice plants.
According to USDA reported numbers, Texas grapefruit-bearing acreage declined from 16,400 acres in 2017 to 10,500 acres in 2023.
Orange-bearing acreage also decreased, from 8,000 acres in 2017 to 5,900 acres in 2023, according to USDA data.
Within oranges, USDA numbers reported mid/navel variety acreage went from 5,800 acres in 2017 to 3,600 acres in 2023.
Valencia orange acreage declined slightly, from 2,200 acres in 2017 to 2,300 acres in 2023, according to USDA numbers.
While real estate development of citrus groves continues, some growers in Texas are in the early stages of investing in sophisticated growing technology, including growing citrus under protective screens, called the CUPS method.
LOS ANGELES, CA – Pacific Trellis Fruit, a year-round grower, shipper, and marketer of premium fresh fruit, will be adding Donut Peaches and Extra Sweet nectarines this coming year to its successful inaugural offering of imported specialty plum varieties to create a full line of premium stone fruit during the Southern Hemisphere Season.
The company is gearing up for the new arrivals from Chile with the Donut Peaches available in mid-December and Nectarines beginning in January.
The company highlights four specialty and premium plum SKUs – Lemon Plums, Extra Sweet, Watermelon and Sugar Plums. Lemon Plums, grown in Chile and South Africa, are yellow-skinned and turn bright red when ripe. Extra Sweet Plums, grown in Chile and South Africa, vary in appearance from bright red to dark red, to red/yellowish skin as well as black. Watermelon Plums, grown in South Africa, have green skin with red flesh, similar in appearance to a watermelon. Sugar Plums, grown in Chile and South Africa, have red to purple skin with golden-yellow flesh. In addition, the Donut Peaches have a tender, juicy, and sweet white flesh, while the Extra Sweet Nectarines display both white and yellow flesh fruit with a combination of sweet and tangy taste.
About Pacific Trellis Fruit
Pacific Trellis Fruit is one of North America’s top year-round growers and importers of premium fresh fruit, including melons, grapes, peaches, plums, nectarines, citrus, and cherries. It partners with growers in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Peru, and Spain, as well as domestic farmers across the United States. The corporate headquarters is in Los Angeles, CA, with sales offices in Fresno, CA, Gloucester, NJ, and Tucson, AZ. Pacific Trellis owns and manages the renowned Dulcinea® brand. Dulcinea® is the pioneer of the PureHeart personal seedless melons as well as the Tuscan Style Cantaloupe, and Pacific Trellis has recently expanded the brand to pack grapes, citrus, cherries, and stone fruit. In 2020, Pacific Trellis fruit became the exclusive marketer and distributor of the KISS line of melons.