Archive For The “Trucking Reports” Category
California fall fruit shipments are looking good as summer comes to a close.
Bari Produce in Fresno, CA, reports a fall set looking good across the board ranging from pomegranates to table grapes, persimmons and late yellow peaches.
While the company sees 2022 table grape volumes being similar to those of 2021, which were down slightly over the previous year, the grower/shipper expects an abundant crop for later-season varieties such as Autumn King, Crimson, Autumn Royal and Allison.
The table grape season is now in full swing for Homegrown Organics of Porterville, CA, and will hit peak production in October. By December 1, the operation will be in peak production for citrus, including oranges, lemons, Mandarins and grapefruit.
Following a short crop in 2021, Homegrown Organic’s fall citrus shipments should be closer to average. Following a poor crop last year, down around 35%, this year should more normal.
While the company notes yields for early varieties of Asian pear look a bit lighter than average, mid-season and later varieties should see a normal-size crop. Homegrown Organics will have average yields for both Hachiya and Fuyo persimmon varieties, and a light-to-normal kiwi crop.
Sunkist Growers of Valencia, CA will ship a variety of California citrus this fall ranging from lemons, to Valencia oranges and Marsh Ruby grapefruit through October. Navel oranges follow in November.
Grower and shipper Eagle Eye Produce, based in Idaho Falls, ID started shipping its new crop of yellow, red, and white onions from their facilities in Western Idaho & Eastern Oregon about a month ago.
The onion harvest, which got underway in the Snake River Valley of Western Idaho and Eastern Oregon will continue through most of September. The company also is harvesting red, yellow and white onions in Washington state. Shipments for russets, red and yellow potatoes started in late August.
Over the next few months, Eagle Eye growers will harvest thousands of acres of world-famous Idaho potatoes along with thousands of acres from key growing areas in Washington.
Eagle Eye reports the crop is looking very good and there is a tremendous amount of demand built up, due to the short supply year from last year’s crop. Overall acreage for this season is down due to limitations with irrigation water and increased input costs for growers and packers. With the challenges early in the growing season, the firm anticipates slightly smaller sizes and a bit lighter yield, but overall, is very pleased with the quality.
To prepare for the upcoming crop, Eagle Eye Produce has built new state of the art storage facilities and invested further into their packing facilities, with state-of-the-art equipment, technology, and automation to reduce labor constraints, improve quality, and contribute to more consistent packs year-round. Eagle Eye Produce has also bolstered its supply of red and yellow Idaho potatoes with increased acreage.
This industry-leading structure allows for one-stop loading of russet, red, yellow, and value-add products from their facilities in Idaho.
Eagle Eye Produce is headquartered in the heart of Idaho potato country, but they grow much more than potatoes. Annually cultivating more than 30,000 acres of fresh produce from Idaho to Mexico, and across most of the Western United States with a national sales and marketing team to support their diverse year-round commodity programs and proven brands. Eagle Eye Produce owns and operates state-of-the-art warehouses and packing facilities in Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, and California,
Hurricane Kay hit Mexico’s west coast May 8th and mango shipments will be torpedoed, and vegetables also are likely to follow.
Kay’s wind and rain during Mexico’s monsoon season is likely bringing an early end to mango shipments, with more short-term challenges for vegetable exports.
Grow Farms in Donna, TX reports Mexican mango shippers were challenged this summer, and hurdles stand the remainder of their Mexican season.
Mango production is over in Rosario in southern Sinaloa, and the focus has completely shifted to Los Mochis in the north, where rain and overcast skies have stopped production and kept harvest crews out of the fields. The season already had been forecast to end in late September under normal conditions, but many in the region have already shut down for the season.
Those continuing to ship face very low mango yields and will have to watch quality very closely.
Mango shipments will stay in tight supply for the next three- to five-weeks. Meanwhile U.S. buyers and shippers are expected to fill in with Brazilian fruit.
Mango volume should return to normal once Ecuador starts but this will not happen until mid-October or so.
Concerning vegetable shipments, Hurricane Kay will adversely affect Baja and possibly the Coachella Valley. Cucumber, squash, Roma, and Round tomato shipments will plunge over the next week because of the storm. Kay will certainly affect the Baja vegetable loadings in three or four weeks.
While monsoons are common in Sonora and Sinaloa, sometimes those seasons are dry, proving detrimental to winter crops, especially when water is insufficient to fill irrigation lakes.
In seasons like this one, which are very wet, delays in planting occur for the upcoming season.
Full reservoirs are great news for the season going forward, but recent rain will result in a later and lighter start to the harvest.
Most affected will be early cucumbers, melons, and summer squash in northern Sonora.
Grow Farms is predicting the following for Mexican vegetable shipments 12:
Sinaloa beans should start in early- to mid-November. Volume will be on the market by early December.
Sonora cucumbers are delayed, with harvest pushed back from late September to mid-October. Sonora cuke volume will be in place by early November.
Sinaloa cucumbers will start in early November, with volume by the middle of the month.
Sonora eggplant will have light volume in late October, with, at best, limited production.
To the south, Sinaloa eggplant will be on the market in early November with volume by mid-November.
Sonora green Bell peppers are delayed until mid- to late-November.
Green Bells from Sinaloa will be on the market in the last week of November or in early December. Volume should be on the market by mid-December.
After two straight disappointing years, the Red River Valley is expected to ship a more normal sized fresh crop this fall.
Weather played a large part in declining red production each of the last two years. Coupled with declining acres, the 2020 and 2021 red crops each fell more than 25% below the 5-year average.
Big increases in RRV yellow planted acres each of the past two years caused yellow potato production to be up substantially despite of weather challenges. This year, many potatoes went in late after a cool, wet spring, but the crop progress has pretty much returned to average levels with near ideal weather conditions over the summer.
Barring any surprises from Mother Nature this fall, look for reds and yellows to both be up this year with possibly the largest fresh crop in the Red River Valley since 2014. How does this fit in with the national forecast? With heat stress in the west and fresh acres shifting to processing, demand could potentially be favorable.
Americans consume over 500 million pounds of asparagus each year, with the vast majority, or 80%-90% of the vegetable being imported, primarily from Mexico and Peru, according to the USDA. In 2021, Peru accounted for about 40% of the value of all U.S. asparagus imports, second only to Mexico’s 59% share of imports.
Peak production from Peru usually occurs by mid September.
By value, according to the USDA, the top sources of imported asparagus in the U.S. from April 2021 through March 2022, compared with a year earlier, were:
- Mexico: $381.6 million, 2% down from $389.5 million;
- Peru: $263.7 million, up 2% from $257.7 million; and
- Canada: $8.3 million, up 48% from $5.6 million.
“The U.S. Department of Commerce reported a 14% year-over-year volume increase of fresh market asparagus imports to the U.S. in 2021, said the Peruvian Asparagus Importers Association, or PAIA, in a news release. “With the two main source contributors being Peru and Mexico, the year-over-year volume increase for each country empowers importers to work closely with their retailer and foodservice customers to forecast and implement promotions year-round.”
“Imported asparagus is a year-round commodity, and importers will continue to provide various buying options for their customers,” added PAIA co-Chairman Walter Yager, of Alpine Fresh, in the release. “Asparagus is a nutritional powerhouse with versatile preparation possibilities.”
PAIA importer members have been sharing their fresh asparagus recipes with U.S. consumers since 2021. But PAIA is stepping up its recipe creation and promotion with the help of Peruvian asparagus importers, such as Southern Specialties of Pompano Beach, Fla., Yager said.
While cool temperatures during Peru’s winter this year have led to slightly lower yields, suppliers of asparagus from Peru are confident that steady supplies will prevail — even with a slight decrease in both asparagus imports and production from Peru.
“We expect supplies from Peru to be similar to last season, with production increasing in late September and promotable supplies beginning in October,” said Tracy Wood, vice president of sales for Seven Seas in Vero Beach, Fla. “It has been a cool winter in Peru, with lower yields so far in July. At this time, [we] expect to begin harvesting for the primary Peru season in mid-September, with promotable volume in October through mid-January.”
Charlie Eagle, Southern Specialties vice president, business development, sees the Peruvian asparagus season tracking similarly.
“Production from Peru is approximately the same as last year,” he said. “Exports to the U.S. have increased about 5% this year. This is largely due to obstacles in reaching other countries.”
While the Peruvian asparagus season typically peaks September through December, a climate that allows for year-round cultivation, is one reason this South American country is a powerhouse of asparagus production.
“Peru has a variety of climates that are ideal for growing asparagus,” Valdes noted. “The benefit of Peru is that asparagus can be grown in the north and south, and the two regions peak at different times. This allows us to import asparagus 52 weeks a year from Peru.”
For Seven Seas, which works with grower partners in the northern, central and southern regions along the coast of Peru, asparagus is always in season.
“Asparagus production in Peru is primarily along the west coast in what is considered a coastal desert,” Wood said. “The moderate temperatures, daily sunshine and sandy soils along the coast are ideal for asparagus production. These conditions, combined with varietal selection and water management, result in an excellent quality product.”
Sourcing from a number of grower partners in different parts of the country allows Seven Seas to provide its customers with asparagus, virtually year-round.
According to a USApple analysis of Agriculture Department data, total U.S. apple production for the 2022/23 CY will be more than 10.7 billion pounds or 255 million bushels. This represents a 2.7% increase compared to last year’s production figure and is 3.5% less than the five-year production average.
USApple Director of Industry Analytics Chris Gerlach noted these figures are more comprehensive than USDA data, which only look at the top seven apple-producing states. “We’ve analyzed the production from states outside of the top seven and added that back to USDA’s figure,” explained Gerlach.
At the varietal level, Gala is expected to retain the top spot with almost 46 million bushels produced, accounting for around 18% of the U.S. apple market. Rounding out the top five are Red Delicious (34 m bu), Fuji (26 m bu), Honeycrisp (25 m bu) and Granny Smith (24 m bu).”
In general, the varieties on the rise include Honeycrisp, Pink Lady/Cripps Pink and Cosmic Crisp. Fuji, Granny Smith and Rome varieties have remained relatively consistent compared to 2017/18 production volumes. Varieties on the decline include Golden Delicious, Gala and Red Delicious.
“On the positive side, Honeycrisp production has increased by 48% or 8 million bushels in the past five years,” said Gerlach. “Conversely, Red Delicious decreased by 41% or 24 million bushels during the same period.”
Onion growers and shippers in Washington and Oregon expect a good shipping season with harvest underway and onions headed to storage, despite growing conditions in the Pacific Northwest which were less than ideal.
FC Boxom Co. of Seattle works with several growers, shippers and packers in eastern Washington marketing yellow, red, white and sweet onions. Harvest of early yellow and red varieties started in mid-July and will run through September or October. Although the weather was a little cool during the growing season, higher yields are expected. The company’s acreage is about the same as a year ago.
Onions 52 of Syracuse, has conventional and organic red, yellow, white and sweet onions out of Washington this season, as well as its proprietary Sunions “tearless and sweet” onions. The Washington harvest started in early August and is being moved into storage. Onion shipments will continue through mid-May.
Countryside Acres LLC, of Walla Walla, WA., grows and sells yellow Walla Walla sweet onions and a small number of Candy Sweet onions. Harvest started late this year due to cold and rainy weather. The company brought in the first bins on June 20, after the onions cured in gunny sacks in the field.
Strebin Farms LLC of Troutdale, OR started harvesting onions in Yerington, Nev., in mid August and will begin shipping September 1st. The company has white, red, sweet and a few yellow onions. Acreage will be the same as last year; however, the company will add some red and yellow organic onions this season.
In Washington, yields per acre dropped from 90,720 pounds in 2020 to 63,840 pounds in 2021. And in Oregon, yields dropped from 90,048 pounds in 2020 to 79,856 pounds in 2021, according to the USDA. Utilized production of Washington onions was valued at $101 million in 2021, down 28% from 2020. Oregon onions had a total utilized production value of $115 million in 2021, down 5%.
Most Wisconsin potato packing sheds were up and running fulltime by the middle of August, with good volume shipments expected in September.
Acreage for the 2022 Wisconsin potato crop was estimated in June at 64,00 acres, down slightly from 66,000 in 2021 and 70,000 acres in 2020.
Wisconsin fresh potato shipments in 2021 totaled 631.9 million pounds, down from 652.3 million pounds in 2020, according to USDA numbers.
Wisconsin organic fresh potato shipments were 3.4 million pounds in 2021, down from 4.5 million pounds in 2020.
Wisconsin chip potatoes accounted for 828.2 million pounds in 2021, up from 795.4 million pounds in 2020. The USDA said seed potato shipments in Wisconsin in 2020 were 82.9 million pounds in 2021, 85.8 million pounds in 2020.
The Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association of Antigo, WI reports seed potatoes come mainly from the Antigo area in Langlade County, while fresh and processed potatoes are grown in the Central Sands and southern areas of the state, including fields near Stevens Point, Plover, Coloma, Grand Marsh, Friesland and more.
The state has a wide range of varieties, including norkotahs, silvertons, red norland, dark red norland, yukon gold and more.
Due to a late crop maturing crop this season because of weather factors, there has be a shipping gap between the old and new crops. The new crop is about seven to 10 days later than usual.
Alsum Farms & Produce of Friesland, WI kicked off the month of August harvesting red and gold potatoes, followed by russets about August 18.
This year, Alsum Farms planted nearly 3,000 acres of potatoes between the firm’s two farming locations in Arena and Grand Marsh, WI. The operation’s total acreage is similar last year.
Michigan vegetable shipments got off to a slow start this year due to chilly weather, but have moved into good volume for late summer and fall. Harvest was two to three weeks later than normal for most growers.
Rice Lake Farms Packing LLC, Grant, MI is one operation that is late this year. The company started harvesting turnips, rutabagas and red beets in late July. It began shipping gold beets and candy beets in early August and also has watermelon and radishes.
Jumbo carrots and celery root is just getting underway for Rice Lake Farms.
Superior Sales of Hudsonville has a similar situation with a late start this year, but is now shipping green beans, zucchini, yellow squash, cucumbers, green peppers and specialty chili peppers, such as jalapenos, serranos and poblanos.
Superior Sales shipped asparagus during the spring and was shipping corn, cabbage, celery, and red and green leaf lettuce this summer.
Over 10,000 tons of Peruvian blueberries have been exported since the start of the blueberry season in March, which is in line with Proarándanos‘ projections.
Proarándanos, a Peruvian blueberry export trade association estimates more than 250,000 tons of the fruit will be shipped by the end of the season.
Over 90 percent of blueberries are forecast to be exported between August and December, and 50 percent between September and October alone.
As of the first week of May Peru had exported 219,706 tons.
China has been the main export destination, closely followed by the U.S. representing 37 percent and 34 percent of exports respectively. Europe accounted for 13 percent of exports, the UK, for 9 percent and other destinations, for 8 percent.
In addition, 92 percent of exports were shipped by sea, while 8 percent were sent by air, and organic crops accounted for 9.2 percent of total exports.
Currently, 44,480 acres are used for growing blueberries.