Archive For The “Trucking Reports” Category
Good growing conditions is resulting in fruit and vegetable shipments originating from a number of areas in Georgia.
Baker Farms in Norman Park, GA., focuses primarily on leafy green growing and shipping. Collards are the biggest crop, followed by kale, but other products include cilantro, beets and Swiss chard.
The farm grows year-round, though in July and August sources product from North Carolina, Ohio and Michigan, because of the heat in Georgia.
Baker’s produce ships across the country to retail and wholesale accounts and to Canada, though most of it stays on the East Coast.
The company reports this year is shaping up well, with better weather than last year.
At G&R Farms in Glennville, GA this year’s good weather has improved the quality of its sweet onions – Vidalias and Peruvian sweet. G&R reports a 15% to 20% increase in yields on a couple of fields.
Shuman Farms of Reidsville, GA grows, packs and ships Vidalia onions in Reidsville, as well as in Texas, Mexico and Peru. The company is one of the largest Vidalia shippers and harvests 2,350 of the 10,000 acres harvested by the industry. Shuman ships to retailers across the U.S.
The company notes its storages are full and expects good availability throughout the rest of the spring and summer.
Bland Farms, Glennville, GA., also grows a lot of onions, primarily Vidalia, Peru sweet onions and Mexican sweet onions. Bland reports a good harvest this season.
The grower/shipper also produces sweet potatoes in partnership with Sand Candy. This partnership will allow the company to provide customers with a consistent and secure supply of sweet potatoes due to its diversified growing areas in North Carolina and Georgia.
Agriculture is a big factor in the economy of Georgia. In 2020, it contributed $69.4 billion in output to the state’s $1.1 trillion economy. Vegetables contributed 10.1% of that; and fruit and nuts 6.0%, according to the Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development at the University of Georgia in Athens.
On the vegetable side, sweet corn contributes the most to the economy (14.0%), followed by watermelons (12.8%), onions (10.8%), bell peppers (10.8%) and cucumbers 6.4%).
And while Georgia may be known for its peaches, it’s blueberries that provide the most dollars to the state’s $2.2 billion fruit economy. The tiny berries make up 42.4% of the whole, followed by pecans (41.5%), peaches (38.5%), grapes (8.7%) and blackberries (3.7%).
With scores of farms — almost 42,500 — and a lot of farmland (almost 10 million acres), Georgia’s produce grows year-round, though with a dip in the hottest months of July and August.
North Carolina’s potato growers will deliver big volume of fresh and chipping potatoes this summer in a relatively short marketing period.
The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and the North Carolina Sweet Potato Association reports much of the state’s potato production is located near Elizabeth City in the northeast coastal part of the state.
The bulk of the state’s crop is grown within about 100 miles of the coast.
Harvest usually starts in mid-June and extends through July. Good growing conditions have been reported.
The area harvested typically runs close to 16,000 acres, with variations up or down depending on chip market needs.
North Carolina grows red, yellow and white potatoes for fresh use, and growers also plant potato varieties demanded by chip processors. About 30% of the state’s output goes for fresh or table stock, while about 70% of the crop goes to the chip market.
Last year, the USDA said North Carolina shipped about 820,000 pounds of round red potatoes from June through August, with peak shipments in July. North Carolina yellow potato shipments in 2021 totaled 4.12 million pounds in June and July, with July accounting for about two-thirds of shipments.
Following the new crop harvest in Florida’s Hastings region, fresh North Carolina potatoes are shipped up and down the East Coast and sometimes into Canada.
WENATCHEE, Wash. –With good blooms, promotable volumes, and jumbo sizes, this year’s 100% certified organic apricot crop has the potential to be big. Stemilt’s Washington apricots are back mid-June through July with highest volume from July 4th onwards.
“This year’s crop of Artisan Organics™ apricots are bringing good volume based on the blooms we’ve seen which will host a great organic deal at Stemilt,” the company reports. “While California is the main apricot growing region, Washington is expecting a great crop this year.”
The Douglas family grows all Stemilt’s apricots, peaches, and nectarines 100% organically in Pasco, WA in the Columbia Basin where a rain shadow makes for the optimal growing location for stone fruit. The family is committed to using only the best organic practices to pick stone fruit at just the right stage of ripeness for the best flavor, quality, and size.
Stemilt is a family-owned grower, packer, and shipper of tree fruit. Owned and operated by the Mathison family. The company is a leader in sweet cherries and organic tree fruits, and a key supplier of apples and pears.
A smaller volume U.S. apple crop was generally thought heading into the 2021-22 season. Now it is becoming a bit more average entering the later part of the shipping season.
In November, the first storage report for the 2021-2022 apple crop from the U.S. Apple Association showed domestic inventories on Nov. 1 were 7.1% below the same time in 2020.
In the most recent USAppleTracker report, however, fresh apples in storage on May 1 were 41.2 million bushels cartons, 8.5% more than the inventories reported for last May but similar to the five-year average.
The report said processing holdings totaled 17 million bushels, 1% more than last year on May 1. The total number of U.S. apples in storage on May 1 was 58.2 million bushels, 6.2% more than last May’s total of 54.8 million bushels and 0.1% more than the 5-year average for that date.
Total U.S. domestic and imported apple shipments reported the week of May 1-7 were 3,018 (40,000-pound) truckloads, the USDA said, down about 3% compared with the same period a year ago. Imports, mostly from Chile, accounted for 5% of total supplies shipped up from 4% import share the same week last year.
Northwest cherry shipments are expected to be up slightly with more than 15 million 20-pound equivalents this season. This is about 5 million fewer than last year, according to the Round 1 Crop Estimate and Update issued by Northwest Cherry Growers of Yakima, WA on May 12.
Harvesting in the earliest orchards got underway May 28 with most early season growers starting the first week of June.
It takes the industry at least 10 days to begin building larger volumes.
The early season volume out of the Northwest should make for an nice transition from this year’s California crop.
Some unseasonably cold weather in April is primarily to blame for the smaller Northwest cherry crop.
However, this is expected to increase supplies for both early and late-season cherry supplies.
The 2021 crop estimate of 24 million 20-pound boxes was reduced to 20.3 million boxes by the heat that hit 118 degrees in several growing districts.
Western Sweet Cherry Group of Yakima, WA is expected to begin its new crop sometime between June 10 and 12. Grower Direct Marketing LLC of Stockton, CA. markets product for Western Sweet Cherry Group.
The cherry crop is much later crop than usual, because it usually starts around Memorial Day.
Stemilt Growers Inc. of Wenatchee, WA. claims it has the nation’s longest cherry season and expects volume of cherries in July and August. The crop is expected to be more spread out leading to a longer shipping period.
Sage Fruit of Yakima will add cherries from Chelan Fruit this season, so the company’s overall volume should be up.
By Lisa Towner, ALC Portland
Cherry season is right around the corner. The Pacific Northwest cherry season typically begins in early June and continues until late August.
A typical season will see 20-25 million boxes of cherries harvested in Oregon and Washington. Cherries are generally picked, chilled, and loaded onto a truck within 24-48 hours. Peak season usually coincides with the 4th of July. Many refrigerated carriers across the country plan their loads around cherry season every year.
April 2022 saw record low temperatures in Washington and Oregon. A cold spring brings many obstacles for local cherry growers. Several publications have predicted cherries to start later and the crop to be smaller than usual. Some predict the overall crop will be between 20% and 35% smaller than in the previous five years.
The Seattle Times warned that a cool April will also affect bees, as they struggle to pollinate the cherry blossoms. Less fruit available will also mean each box will have increased value due to basic supply and demand. This is a stark contrast to what growers were facing last year. In April 2021, the Pacific Northwest saw record high temperatures that reduced the cherry crop by 20%, according to Fruit Growers News.
Overall, many growers remain optimistic as the season approaches. Delayed cherry harvest in some growing regions may extend the season, which could be profitable for cherry producers in the Pacific Northwest. Most growers agree that the fruit will be high quality and ready for consumers to enjoy in the first few weeks of June.
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Lisa Towner began her career with the Allen Lund Company as a transportation broker in 2002. She was promoted to assistant manager in the Portland office in 2015. In 2022, Towner was promoted to manager ALC Portland. Her transportation career began back in 2000 when she worked at the corporate headquarters for a national LTL company.
A slower-than-expected start due to the Mexican table grape season is occurring due to weather conditions which have slowed the ripening process.
A local Sonora based grape growers association reports parts of the region have yet to see the warmer days needed to properly harvest the grapes.
Table grapes from Mexico usually begin shipping in early May. However, nights have been cold, days have not been very warm, and this means that the grape ripening is delayed along with their harvest.
A harvest for the region of up to 29 million boxes is higher than the 25 million boxes officially projected by the Mexican table grape growers association.
Mexico’s industry has been expanding its portfolio of varieties planted, and thus extending the season and leveling off traditional peaks of the harvest in June. This season’s harvest comes at a time when freight costs and logistics into the main receiving market of the U.S., have added uncertainty for growers.
Ample shipments of North Carolina vegetable are expected in the months ahead.
L&M Cos. of Raleigh, NC reports fresh produce shipments include cabbage, broccoli, cucumbers, bell peppers, chili peppers, summer squash, hard squash, tomatoes, onions, and red, yellow and sweet potatoes.
The region has had slightly cooler and slightly more wet than usual weather. Overall, growing conditions have been very good for vegetables, potatoes and onions.
Vegetable, supplies look to be steady and uninterrupted through the transition up from Georgia all the way through the North Carolina season. Potato and onion shipments look to be above average this season.
Cabbage loadings will be higher on the front end of the vegetable season for L&M, while chilies and hard squash will be plentiful later in the season.
In addition to conventional volume, the company offers organic options for broccoli, tomatoes, squash, peppers and cabbage.
Salinas, CA – Naturipe’s blackberry growing season in Georgia recently started mid-May and will last through early July with high-quality, delicious berries. Peak volumes are expected through the month of June.
Large volumes of this blackberry peak will come from Patten Berry Farm in South Georgia where Michelle Patten has been farming for 20 years. Michelle is a pioneer of blackberry growing in this region and has expanded her operations 10-fold since starting her business. When Michelle started growing blackberries, she had four children under the age of five and was inspired to instill in them the important lessons of hard work, pride of ownership and perseverance. Patten Berry Farms’ success comes from Michelle’s passion for, and dedication to, growing delicious Georgia blackberries. Michelle is proud to grow for Naturipe and bring high-quality blackberries to market.
“These sweet, firm and jet-black berries are a crowd favorite. With a strong supply expected, production will be steady through early July with our growers anticipating their first pick in mid-May,” says Jim Roberts, President of Sales. “Summer blackberries are a key component of a retailer’s berry patch display and Naturipe is primed and ready to supply promotable volumes.”
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.
United Apple of Lyndonville, NY has been in the agriculture business for over four generations with orchards and growing partners in western New York.
The company came out of the winter season in a really strong, healthy position relative to the overall condition of the orchards after last fall’s harvest. The volume of the eastern regional crop was relatively modest last season.
This year there has been plenty of rain, keeping the soil and ground water table in a strong position. There also was not have excessive heat, which took its toll on the size and quality of the Northwest apple crop last season.
New York had relatively moderate conditions this winter and no harsh temperatures or frost in the spring. This resulted in trees full of buds that are ready to go into all out bloom in a few weeks. The company also expresses similar optimism for its growers in the Midwest.
United Apple anticipates traditional eastern varieties of Cortland and MacIntosh as well as mainline varietals of Fuji, Gala, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady and Red Delicious will be in good supply. Club varieties – EverCrisp, RubyFrost, and SnapDragon – will see a larger volume this season as young trees are maturing and producing more fruit.
United Apple Sales is a leading northeast grower, packer, shipper, and marketer of domestic apples, pears and cherries. The company started with its initial farm in 1905. Over the past 11 decades, it has evolved into an integrated produce company that also has import and export capabilities to offer full-year supply and merchandising services to retail, wholesale and canning and juicing companies. United Apple is a member of a select group of orchardists growing new apple varieties: EverCrisp, RubyFrost and SnapDragon.