Archive For The “Trucking Reports” Category
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.
The U.S. trucker shortage has become so severe companies are trying to recruit drivers from abroad more than ever.
The American Journal of Transportation reports the country has been struggling with a chronic lack of drivers for years, but the shortage reached crisis levels due to the pandemic.
Covid-19 simultaneously sent demand for shipped goods soaring while touching off a surge in early retirements.
Filling stations are facing gasoline outages, airports are short on jet fuel and lumber prices hit records with some suppliers partly blaming delivery delays.
Trucking has emerged as one of the most acute bottlenecks in the supply chain that has been hit quite hard amid the pandemic.
“We’re living through the worst driver shortage that we’ve seen in recent history, by far,” Jose Gomez-Urquiza, the chief executive officer of Visa Solutions told ajot.
As a result, demand for Visa Solutions’ services from the trucking industry has more than doubled since before the pandemic, and “this is 100% because of the driver shortage,” he said.
In July, a roundtable meeting was held with the trucking industry to discuss efforts to improve driver retention and reduce turnover.
Among the measures the industry is seeking is lowering the minimum age to 18 from 21 for interstate drivers and adding trucking to the list of industries that can bypass some of the Department of Labor’s immigration certification process.
Last year’s lockdowns also made it harder for new drivers to access commercial-trucking schools and get licensed.
Companies have offered higher wages, signing bonuses and increased benefits however, their efforts haven’t done enough to attract domestic workers to the industry.
In 2019, the U.S. was already short 60,000 drivers, according to the American Trucking Associations and that number is anticipated to swell to 100,000 by 2023, according to Bob Costello, chief economist Petroleum Marketing Group.
He also pointed out that there’s also a capacity shortage, or an unusually small number of trucks on the road, at the same time that demand has surged, he said.
“Even if there were drivers, there is a finite number of trucks at any moment in time, so you have two issues happening at once,” Fuller said.
Heat and humidity in July and early August has resulted in quality problems for iceberg, romaine and leaf lettuce in the Salinas Valley, and caution is recommended if you are loading these items.
Markon Cooperative of Salinas reports USDA inspectors have been seeing increased quality issues, particularly in romaine lettuce out of California’s Salinas Valley. A cycle of heat spikes followed by humid, overcast mornings over the past few weeks has been stressing the product and causing internal burn and fog burn in commodity and value-added products.
Markon notes iceberg and green leaf have also exhibited some defects, but romaine has been more affected.
Weather has been more stable recently and it is believed quality will improve, but there still could some sporadic issues in the days ahead.
Pro-Act of Monterey, CA also recently noted seeing some tip and fringe burn on romaine due to the high temperatures, but supplies remains strong.
Common defects reported with iceberg include puffiness, pink discoloration and ribbing. Much of this is caused by warm temperatures in the growing regions. Mexico has had issues with rain and has caused for shortages of availability. Shipments are expected be increase as schools start again.
Belding-based BelleHarvest, Michigan’s oldest grower-owned distributor of fresh apples, has acquired Michigan Fresh Marketing, one of the leading produce sales organizations in Michigan. The addition further diversifies their offerings and accelerates the company’s growth potential.
The acquisition maximizes the respective strengths of both organizations and positions BelleHarvest to continue the growth trajectory realized after the past two years as a combined sales alliance.
BelleHarvest is now the second largest apple shipper in Michigan. The organization will continue to market under both brands, while operating from nine fresh apple packing lines. This includes the existing Michigan Fresh pre-sort line in Comstock Park, Michigan. The deal brings a robust locally grown vegetable program to BelleHarvest, which will be marketing under the well-established Michigan Fresh name.
“We are excited to formally bring our two teams to build a more comprehensive set of solutions for our customers,” according to BelleHarvest CEO, Milt Fuehrer. “This acquisition allows us to deliver a unified strengthened experience to our retail customers and grower partners.”
Founded in 1957, BelleHarvest has been the expert partner in bringing the best apples from the field to the store shelf. The acquisition brings together two dynamic teams with decades of experience delivering fresh produce throughout the country. Together, they will continue to deliver the same quality, innovation, and dedication that their current and future customers demand.