Archive For The “Trucking Reports” Category
Great growing conditions have Grower/shippers optimistic about pumping shipments for the fall.
Van Groningen & Sonks of Manteca, CA not last season demand was driven by people staying home, resulting in folks decorating their homes more and celebrating with their familiess.
While this may not be the situation this year, at least as much, the company doesn’t anticipate demand falling off. This year’s expectations are based on the trends the operation has seen for other holidays and events. Since people were unable to celebrate Halloween traditionally last year, there is likely pent-up demand to celebrate this year.
Bay Baby Produce of Mount Vernon, WA also expects strong demand as a result of more social gatherings. The different colors and textures available make pumpkins ideal for decorating not only for holidays but throughout the fall.
The weather has been hotter and drier than usual in their area, the crop looks good. A bigger variable for the company is with the supply chain.
Obtaining items such as cardboard and pallets, finding labor, and experiencing a diminished capacity in trucks and drivers has resulted in packing and shipping product. The pumpkin season is a short and intense season. This consolidated supply and drastic increase in production will likely be difficult for an already stressed supply chain to handle.
The Washington state fresh apple crop is expected to be of a similar size to last season despite a severe heat wave earlier this summer, according to the Washington State Tree Fruit Association’s (WSTFA) 2021 forecast.
The 2021 forecast is for a crop of just under 125 million standard forty-pound boxes of fresh apples. This would be a 2.3% increase from 2020’s 122 million box crop, but down 7.2% from the 2019 crop of 134.5 million boxes.
Apple harvest typically begins in August and continues into November, and as a result this forecast is still subject to several months of variable weather which can affect the final harvest total.
“The 2021 Washington state apple crop looks to be similar in size to last year’s crop. Growing seasons are never the same, and currently many WSTFA members are still evaluating the impact of this summer’s adverse and variable weather conditions,” said Jon DeVaney, WSTFA President.
“Members have made their best attempt to incorporate these factors, but with harvest just beginning and several months of unknown weather ahead, further reductions in the size of the forecasted crop are possible.”
For the third straight year, Gala will be the most numerous variety at 21%, Red Delicious is projected at 16%, followed by Honeycrisp and Granny Smith at 14%, and Fuji at 13% of total production. This year, Cosmic Crisp is forecast to come in at 3% of the total crop, a 114% increase from the 2020-21 crop, and Cripps Pink at 6%.
Organic apple production is forecast to be 12.3% of the total, or 15.36 million boxes. This is essentially unchanged from the 15.6 million boxes in the 2020 apple crop. Although it should be noted that typically not all organic production is ultimately packed and marketed as organic.
This forecast is based on a survey of WSTFA members, and represents a best estimate of the total volume of apples that will eventually be packed and sold on the fresh market (excluding product sent to processor).
Wisconsin potato shipments got underway in the central part of the state a few days early in August for the 2021 crop.
Shippers are reporting acreage and volume will not change significantly from last season, and the crop outlook is generally favorable, though weather factors could influence the outcome of the crop through the end of harvest this fall.
The Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association of Antigo WI expects acreage to stay flat with some growers making slight fluctuations between certain varieties and others shifting slightly between reds and yellows.
Alsum Farms of Friesland, WI expect almost identical acreage compared to a year ago. Acreage of red potatoes was cut back a little, increased on yellow-flesh potatoes and was about steady for russets.
Yields may be average this year, limited by early season cooler weather and extreme heat in June.
Alsum Farms, began shipments in early August, a couple of days later than a typical harvest start because of the hot weather in early June.
Bushman’s of Rosholt, WI reports a good looking good crop. The company expects an average crop.
By Shuman Farms
Reidsville, GA – Shuman Farms has RealSweet® high quality, premium sweet onions from Peru on hand and are currently making the transition from Vidalia® to Peru. Shuman began growing sweet onions in Peru more than 20 years ago to meet the year-round consumer demand for premium sweet onions. Peru provides the ideal climate, soil, and growing conditions and allows retailers to keep premium sweet onions on shelf from September to March.
The Peruvian sweet onion is very similar to the Vidalia onion in terms of taste, sweetness, and appearance, with the characteristic flat shape and yellow color that consumers recognize as a premium sweet onion.
Shuman Farms imports their sweet onions through the Port of Savannah which allows them to maintain a year-round, full-time workforce in Tattnall County, Georgia. In addition to the positive economic impact in Shuman Farms’ own backyard, importing sweet onions through the Port of Savannah helps to support over 497,000 jobs in the Southeast United States.
“I am proud of the product we grow in Peru and the contribution we make to the economy of Georgia and the southeastern United States,” said John Shuman, President and CEO of Shuman Farms. “Whether it’s from the soils of Georgia or Peru, we will always be committed to providing American consumers high-quality, healthy produce year-round.”
The quality of this year’s crop looks very good and will lend well to bag promotions throughout the fall. Shuman Farms will be executing several innovative marketing promotions this fall with their RealSweet brand in both the in-store and digital spaces. By partnering with likeminded brands across the produce department Shuman Farms will be offering consumers meal solutions which will ultimately drive sales throughout the store.
Shuman Farms will also continue to uphold its foundational pillar of giving back with specially marked pink RealSweet bags in October for breast cancer awareness and Feeding America® bags in November and December to shed a light on food insecurity in the U.S. In addition to POS and digital support of both programs, Shuman Farms will also make donations to the Breast Cancer Research Fund and Feeding America respectively.
“Giving back to the communities where our products are sold has always been an important aspect of our company,” Shuman continued. “It is at the core of who we are and what we believe. We are grateful to work with organizations making a difference across the U.S. and honored to support them in any way we can.”
Shuman Farms has started shipping premium RealSweet onions from Peru mid to late August and continue through March 2022.
About Shuman Farms, Inc.
Headquartered in the center of the Vidalia® growing region in southeast Georgia, family-owned Shuman Farms has been in the sweet onion industry for more than 35 years. Today, Shuman Farms is an industry-leading, year-round grower and shipper of premium sweet onions. Learn more about Shuman Farms at shumanfarmsga.com.
Northeastern Apple shipments are looking good as the leader New York come out of a long winter with no significant damage and a strong bloom, which has laid the foundation for an excellent crop across virtually all eastern varieties.
United Apple Sales of Lyndonville, NY and a third-generation apple grower in the western part of the state, indicates the company is excited about a very strong crop after last year’s season which suffered from drought.
The shipper reported a good spring and summer with ample rain and consistent sunshine. The cool nights in the Northeast helped develop high color fruit and great flavor. The primary varieties handled by United Apple Sales are Fuji, Gala, Ginger Golds, and Macs. Each are showing a good balance between increased volume and larger fruit sizing.
Picking for early varieties is on schedule with Paula Red and Ginger Golds which started in mid-August. Gala and McIntosh will start in early September, while Honeycrisp gets underway in mid-September. Fujis pickings will start in late September.
J. Marchini Farms of Le Grand, CA has been shipping figs since the beginning of June, which is the first short crop which lasts only a few weeks.
The fig season has now started with its main fig crop going from August to October and includes three different varieties. These include the Black Mission, Brown Turkey and Kadota varieties. Black Mission figs have a delicate, purple-black skin that conceals a dark pink flesh and are a versatile fruit that are good in a variety of savory and sweet dishes. They can be made into jellies and jam, added to other dishes or enjoyed raw.
The Kadota variety has a yellowish green thick skin with an amber color flesh when ripe. They are practically seedless, so they are often canned or dried. The Kadota is less sweet than other fig varieties which makes them good for cooking and baking.
The Brown Turkey variety has a brownish-dark purple skin with a pink flesh. They have a milder flavor and are less sweet than the Black Mission variety which makes them good to add to deserts or salads. They will have these varieties from now through the fall.
The California fig season is short and sweet but it’s the best time of year to eat a fresh fig.
Friesland, Wisconsin, August 3, 2021 — Wisconsin red potato harvest is underway at Alsum Farms in Grand Marsh, WI., and the first potato loads were washed, graded, packed and shipped to distribution centers and retail grocers the first full week of August.
“We are having ideal weather for the first harvest of red potatoes this summer at Alsum Farms,” says Larry Alsum, President & CEO of Alsum Farms & Produce in Friesland, WI.
Gold potato harvest got underway a week later on August 6. Alsum Farms russet potato harvest is just starting with the Pacific Russet variety, an early season variety that will be the first of new crop russets to be harvested off the field and freshly washed, packed and delivered to retail grocers in the Midwest and beyond.
New crop Wisconsin Fingerlings also were ready for shipping on August 16. In addition, new crop Wisconsin organic russet, red and gold potatoes were available for shipping August 9th.
Alsum Farms is now in full swing shipping new crop Wisconsin russet, red, white, gold and fingerling potatoes.
HOLLISTER, CA — Once the North American blueberry season wanes, Peru’s long growing season, steady climate and greenhouse-like growing conditions will provide produce haulers with a constant volume of high-quality blueberries.
“We continue to have new acreage in play, and the crop-set looks heavier, and earlier, than last year,” said Michael Osumi, Berry People’s Chief Operating Officer. “We are expecting to begin shipping in August, a couple of weeks early, with peak arrivals planned for October through mid-December.”
Berry People now has a year-round supply of conventional and organic blueberries as a result of its increasing commercial partnerships in Peru, Chile and North America.
“As Berry People approaches our fourth year in business, our overall volume, continuity, and mix of supply allows us to make larger program commitments with key retail accounts. This year’s Peruvian season is part of that growth, and we are making customer alignments now that we hope to carry forward and upward for years to come as the acreage and volume continues to increase,” said Jerald Downs, President of Berry People.
From the COVID-related packaging supply constraints to port of entry delays, logistics is an increasing challenge for the industry, and Berry People has been chasing these issues head-on in preparation for the next 2021-2022 season. Their one-stop-mixer-dock berry model—shipping both during the summer out of the Central Coast, and in the fall, winter, and spring out of Southern California—continues to simplify shipping.
About Berry People:
Berry People is a year-round, full-line shipper of branded organic and conventional strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and owner of the Berry People brand. Headquartered in Hollister, California, the company’s ownership and key alliance partners hold important production assets in California, Mexico, Chile and Peru.
With a steady supply of both domestic and off-shore product, shipper Bee Sweet Citrus of Fowler, CA is prepared to meet summer shipping demand for fresh citrus varieties.
“Citrus fruits remain a household staple for many families, so year-round availability is imperative to meeting the industry’s demand for product,” stated Bee Sweet Citrus Sales Representative Jason Sadoian. “As our summer import program continues to gain momentum, our customers can rely on our team to provide them with Chilean Oranges, Mandarins and Lemons, as well as several domestic varieties to meet their consumer’s needs.”
Available in new, high-graphic packaging, all of Bee Sweet’s off-shore product is checked for quality once it arrives at the company’s main location in Fowler, California. With a dedicated production team trained to facilitate the summer program and the company’s sales team focused on clearance, logistics and inventory, customers can look to the Bee Sweet Citrus team for a successful 12-month citrus program.
“During the summer months, consumers can look to our brand for year-round staples such as Navel Oranges, Lemons and Mandarins, in addition to domestic Valencias, Blood Oranges and Grapefruit,” continued Sadoian. “All of these varieties are flavorful, nutritious and are incredibly versatile.”
NEW ROCHELLE, NY – LGS Specialty Sales, a leading importer of citrus, avocados, grapes, and persimmons, announces an update on its 2021 summer citrus season. Over the next few months, LGS’ Darling Citrus® line will include Cara Caras, lemons, minneolas, navels and W. Murcotts.
“The summer citrus season is always an exciting time at LGS,” said Luke Sears, president and founder of LGS Specialty Sales. “Our growers supply us with quality fruit and we’re excited for shoppers to experience and enjoy the various products we have available during the summer months.”
- Cara Caras – The Chilean Cara Caras will be available from August through September. The company reports the quality is great with the size trending smaller than previous seasons.
- Lemons – The Argentinian lemon season will run throughout August along with Chilean lemons through October to finish out the season. Both regions are producing premium fruit with excellent juice content.
- Minneolas – The Peruvian minneolas are of great quality with a vibrant appearance and good brix/acid ratio. The size is evenly split, which allows for availability in different pack styles and bulk sizes.
- Navels – The Chilean navel season will run throughout mid to late October. The size is trending smaller with the volume up 5-10 percent from 2020.
- W. Murcotts – The Peruvian and Chilean W. Murcott season will run from August through early November. The fruit is producing great flavor, an ideal acid/brix ratio and a vibrant orange exterior.
Additionally, LGS’ summer avocado program is also seeing great success. The Columbian summer program is producing quality avocados through August until the winter program kicks off in November. The Peruvian avocados are producing great oil content and the season is anticipated to go throughout September.
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About LGS Specialty Sales, Ltd.
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LGS Specialty Sales, Ltd. has been importing fruit from select growers around the world for 30 years. Today, LGS is a leading importer of clementines, oranges, avocados, grapes, lemons, minneolas, cara cara oranges and persimmons.