Archive For The “Trucking Reports” Category
Freska Produce International, LLC, of Oxnard, CA recently started harvesting, packing and shipping Mexican mangos in Chiapas and Oaxaca, Mexico.
Harvested started in late January with large-sized Ataulfo “Honey” Mangos out of Chiapas. A plentiful supply will also come out of Oaxaca with more medium to smaller fruit.
A week or so ago the marketer began harvesting Red Mango Tommy Akins Variety out of Oaxaca. With the opening of Mexican Mango Season, Freska will supply customers with mangos both organic and conventional all the way through September.
The company claims to be one of the top one or two importers of mangoes from Mexico.
Mexico is a major player in the mango market, last year it produced 65 million lbs. of mangos for the US Market an increase of 12% over the previous year.
Freska Produce reports it will increase volume 30% over last year with a combination of a brand-new pack house that came on line first part of February along with added production from new groves coming into production.
USDA estimates harvested acreage in the U.S. for 2022 at 902,200 acres. That’s down from 935,700 in 2021, which itself had fewer shipments.
Many U.S. potato grower-shippers in 2023 are stretching their volume to last through the season.
Th Idaho Potato Commission of Eagle Idaho notes growers are shipping less in attempting to have supplies last through June and July.
O.C. Schulz & Sons Inc., Crystal, N.D. has an excellent crop this season of which 65% are red potatoes, but wishes it had more, especially with the strong demand and markets.
NoKota Packers Inc., Buxton, N.D., also reports a good crop, but would certainly like to have bigger volume this season.
Wada Farms Marketing Group, Idaho Falls, Idaho reports a good quality crop, but is bee care to be sure and manage it effectively to make supplies last throughout the storage season.
J.G. Hall & Sons of Hoople, ND reports a great crop this season with their storage bins being full.
Chilean citrus production and exports should bounce back in a big way in 2023, a new USDA report predicts. Exports plummeted last season due to frost.
U.S. imports of Chilean citrus peak from May through November. Between November 2021 through October 2022, U.S. imports of Chilean citrus were valued at $328.5 million, down about 20% from the same period the previous year, USDA trade statistics reveal.
Chilean citrus yields in 2022 decreased due to frost during the winter in the Valparaíso, Metropolitana and O’Higgins regions. Because of the frost, the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service Santiago office estimated lemon production at 140,000 metric tons in the 2022 marketing season, down 30% from the previous season.
For 2023, the USDA report said Chilean lemon production should bounce back to 200,000 metric tons, assuming normal yields. Lemon acreage is estimated at 21,000 in Chile in 2023, up 5.7% from 2022 and up more than 40% from 2016.
In 2023, Chilean exports of lemons are expected to reach 100,000 metric tons, up from 60,000 metric tons in 2022. The lemon marketing year starts April, with the bulk of exports taking place between June and September. The U.S. is the top market for Chilean lemons, taking about 65,682 metric tons in 2021, or about 65% of total Chilean lemon exports.
Chilean orange production for 2023 will increase to 200,000 metric tons, up 22% from 164,000 metric tons in 2022, according to the report.
The report estimates Chilean orange planted area at 15,814 acres in 2023, up 0.5% from 2022. Central Chile is the main growing region for oranges, with the Metropolitana region accounting for 39.3% of the orange area planted and the O’Higgins region representing 31% of the orange area.
Chilean orange exports will reach total 105,000 metric tons in 2023, according to the report, up more than 20% from 2022, the report said. Chile’s orange marketing years starts in April, with the bulk of fruit shipped between July and September, the report said. The U.S. is the main export destination for Chilean oranges, the report said.
Mandarin citrus production in Chile will jump 39.4% in 2023 to 237,000 metric tons, according to the report. The planted area for mandarins was estimated at close to 33,400 acres in 2023, up from 27,600 acres in 2022.
IRVINE, Calif. – The California Avocado Commission estimate shipments of 257 million pounds of avocados, which is a slight decrease compared to the 2021-22 season crop volume of 276 million pounds.
“The recent California rainfall has been welcomed by our growers throughout all districts,” said Jeff Oberman, president of CAC. “Growers have related increased sizing and crucial replenishing of water sources, during my recent visits to all production regions. We do not yet know if there will be any change to the expected harvest timing, however excitement is building from our retail partners for the kick-off of the California season.”
Weather and market conditions will be key factors for when California avocado growers begin harvesting and some growers may delay picking to allow their avocados time to increase in size.
California avocado volume is expected to begin ramping up around March, with peak availability from April through July then tapering off through Labor Day.
Created in 1978, the California Avocado Commission strives to enhance the premium positioning of California avocados through advertising, promotion and public relations, and engages in related industry activities. California has about 3,000 avocado growers.
The majority of California avocado shipments are to destinations west of the Rocky Mountains.
Ciruli Bros. LLC, of Rio Rico, AZ reports winter vegetable movement and volume well below what it has been used to due to colder than normal weather.
However, they seem to be turning the corner with Mexico finally experiencing temperatures in the high 80s and 90s, which should really accelerate production.
Historically, Mexico doesn’t have freezes after Valentine’s Day, so the time has arrived for the Mexican spring season to surge.
For Ash Wednesday (February 22) eggplant shipments are expected to soar. The company expects new sets of cucumbers and zucchini will be coming into production resulting in good loadings for the spring.
For the first time in a quarter of a century, California’s almond acreage has decreased instead of grown, according to Land IQ, an agricultural and environmental research and consulting firm. In an August crop report, total almond tree acreage was estimated at 1.64 million acres, down from 1.66 million acres in August 2021, according to a news release.
California’s tight water restrictions and lack of rain continues to be a major problem. A recent report by Land IQ, commissioned by the Almond Board of California, confirms that even the resourceful almond industry has felt the sting of drought conditions.
Almond crop production typically begins in August, with final shipments at the end of July the following year.
Echoing Land IQ’s findings, the USDA California almond forecast predicts 2022 production will come it at 2.80 billion pounds, 4% lower than 2.92 billion pounds in 2021.
Citing a dry winter and warmer temperatures in early 2022, the USDA forecast outlines how these factors contributed to “a shorter bloom period than in recent years” that was further affected by a late February freeze, causing frost damage in many orchards. While late-blooming almond varieties reported to have fared better than early blooming varieties, according to the USDA, “the 2022 crop is not expected to be as large as the past two years.”
Land IQ also found that an estimated 30,000 acres were identified as stressed or abandoned. These acres were included in the total acreage because, according to Land IQ, they may still recover.
“Land IQ’s report may indicate a possible trend towards lower California almond acreage in the year ahead,” Richard Waycott, ABC president and CEO, said in a news release. “This acreage estimate was based on data collected through Aug. 31, so it does not reflect any additional removals that may have occurred as the harvest and post-harvest seasons progressed this fall. Those data will be incorporated in the next acreage estimate to be published in April 2023.”
MOREHEAD, Ky. — AppHarvest, Inc. (NASDAQ: APPH, APPHW), a sustainable food company, public benefit corporation and Certified B Corp building some of the world’s largest high-tech indoor farms to grow affordable, nutritious fruits and vegetables at scale while providing good jobs in Appalachia, today announced it has started commercial shipments from its first harvest of tomatoes at its new 60-acre high-tech indoor farm in Richmond, Ky. This marks the first time ever that all facilities in the AppHarvest four-farm network are shipping to top national grocery store chains, restaurants and foodservice outlets under a variety of brands for Mastronardi Produce.
The opening of AppHarvest Richmond last December delivered on the company’s commitment to quadruple the number of farms operating in its network by the end of 2022, in what the company believes is the largest simultaneous build out of controlled environment agriculture (CEA) infrastructure in U.S. history. With this milestone, the company is moving from a focus on construction and development to the next phase of the business focused on operations. On January 3, 2023, AppHarvest named CEA industry veteran and AppHarvest Board Member Tony Martin as Chief Operating Officer to leverage his extensive background in CEA. Martin is working to optimize production, revenue and costs across the AppHarvest four-farm network totaling 165 acres under glass.
AppHarvest Richmond
AppHarvest Richmond, the 60-acre high-tech indoor farm growing tomatoes in Richmond, Ky., is harvesting and shipping from its first growing season of Campari and Maranice varieties of “Tomatoes on the Vine.” Opening in a two-phased approach, the second 30-acres in Richmond is expected to be planted later in 2023. With AppHarvest Morehead, the company expects to grow nearly 1.5 million tomato plants across the combined 120 acres.
AppHarvest Berea
Located in Berea, Ky., this 15-acre salad greens farm is believed to be the world’s largest high-tech indoor farm for autonomously harvested salad greens featuring a “touchless growing system.” AppHarvest Berea is designed to grow about 35 million lettuce plants at a time and is a supplier of the “Queen of Greens®” washed-and-ready-to-eat salad greens. On December 27, 2022, AppHarvest announced the completion of a $127 million sale-leaseback of the Berea farm to Mastronardi Berea LLC, a joint venture between Mastronardi Produce and COFRA Holding. Mastronardi Produce is AppHarvest’s exclusive marketing and distribution partner.
AppHarvest Somerset
The 30-acre high-tech indoor farm in Somerset, Ky., is shipping strawberries under the “WOW® Berries” brand for AppHarvest customer, Mastronardi Produce. AppHarvest Somerset is designed to grow nearly one million strawberry plants at a time, which are expected to produce for about eight months of the year. The crop is expected to alternate seasonally with long English cucumbers. In advance of the seasonal summer refresh for strawberries, the Somerset farm is expected to plant multiple acres of cucumbers to kick off its initial cucumber crop.
AppHarvest Morehead
AppHarvest Morehead, the 60-acre flagship farm in Morehead, Ky., kicked off its third season of harvesting ahead of schedule and is growing beefsteak tomatoes, Tomatoes on the Vine and snacking tomatoes. The Morehead farm has further diversified its crop set adding new varietals of premium snacking tomatoes sold under the Sunset brand as “Flavor Bombs®” and “Sugar Bombs®.”
About AppHarvest
AppHarvest is a sustainable food company in Appalachia developing and operating some of the world’s largest hightech indoor farms with robotics and artificial intelligence to build a reliable, climate-resilient food system. AppHarvest’s farms are designed to grow produce using sunshine, rainwater and up to 90% less water than openfield growing, all while producing yields up to 30 times that of traditional agriculture and preventing pollution from agricultural runoff. AppHarvest currently operates its 60-acre flagship farm in Morehead, Ky., producing tomatoes, a 15-acre indoor farm for salad greens in Berea, Ky., a 30-acre farm for strawberries and cucumbers in Somerset, Ky., and a 60-acre farm in Richmond, Ky., for tomatoes. The four-farm network consists of 165 acres under glass. For more information, visit https://www.appharvest.com.
Ocean Mist Farms of Castroville, CA is expecting an outstanding 2023 winter artichoke season with abundant volume and excellent quality throughout February and early March.
Ocean Mist Farms winter artichoke crop is grown mostly in the Coachella Valley, with smaller volumes coming from farms in Baja, Mexico. The strong volume of artichokes is due in part to growing conditions, with few weather-related interruptions in Coachella. Quality is excellent, with the crop showing an abundance of larger sizes.
“We are expecting excellent quality, with sizes peaking at mostly 12’s and 18’s,” said Ben Wilson, Ocean Mist Farms Artichoke Commodity Manager. “After a smaller than normal holiday crop, our winter crop will provide retailers with excellent promotional opportunities, especially on our largest sizes.”
Ocean Mist Farms, a fourth-generation family-owned business in Castroville, CA. and the largest grower of fresh artichokes in North America.
The company’s full line of over 30 fresh vegetables includes the award-winning Season & Steam and Ocean Mist Organic product lines.
Southern California has escaped the soggy weather compared to other parts of the state, despite periods of heavy rain.
The California Strawberry Commission of Watsonville estimates farms in Ventura County suffered 300 acres of catastrophic losses. Statewide, the losses were 1,840 acres.
The Oxnard district expects 6,358 acres of strawberries this season, an increase of 408 acres compared to 2022.
Naturipe Farms LLC of Salinas, CA notes rains put a damper on early season loadings, which will result in fewer shipments than normal for Valentine’s Day. However, long term, the rainfall should help with plant health, which will lead to improved production and quality. Excellent fruit quality, size and flavor are expected.
Naturipe plans on more volume this year due to slightly more acreage planted than last year.
Oxnard, Calif.-based Bobalu Berries of Oxnard, CA doesn’t plan to ship many berries from its Oxnard or Santa Maria growing areas until at least the end of February. Currently the company is relying on product coming out of Mexico right now.
Well-Pict Inc. of Watsonville, CA also had fewer shipments in January, but in spite of all the rain, the outlook was improving.
The company lost three weeks of production out of Oxnard but was able to pick up much of the slack from its grower in Florida. A good season out of Southern California as planting picks up. Well-Pick is predicting large-size fruit, good volume and good quality.
Seven Seas Fruit of Visalia, CA is part of the Tom Lange Co. of St. Louis and currently has acreage planted in Santa Maria and Lompoc, CA. The company anticipates a mid-March start to the season in those areas.Seven Seas Fruit also is sourcing some fruit from Mexico.
Gem-Pack of Irvine, CA reports volume of conventional and organic strawberries should be up this season compared to last year.
Washington fresh apple shipments for 2022-23 are expected to be slightly below 100 million cartons, down from 119 million cartons for the 2021-22 crop.
U.S. fresh apple inventories in storage on Dec. 1 were off 7% compared with last year and down 14% compared with the five-year average, according to a new survey from the U.S. Apple Association.
Despite a substantial reduction in crop size compared with 2021, Washington accounted for about 77% of fresh apple shipments in mid-December. Larger crops of fruit in Michigan and New York have allowed shippers in those regions to gain new customers this season.
Even so, current 2022 production is well above the 65 million boxes of fresh apples shipped in 1990.
Stemilt Growers LLC of Wenatchee, Wash. reports the 2021-22 season was a tight crop in terms of supply, and this season is even tighter.
With the shorter crop in Washington, Evans Fruit Co. of Cowiche, Wash. reports it is a little more strict than in the past. The shipper is aiming to help its loyal customers get through the season, with a supply into the summer.
A greater percentage of apple shipments may be directed to the domestic market rather than the export market because of the stronger U.S. dollar and continuing logistic problems in some countries.