Archive For The “Trucking Reports” Category
Here’s a glimpse at hauling availability now and in coming weeks for cherries, watermelons and berries
California cherry volume is low. Although this gorgeous looking and tasting fruit makes up only one percent of total volume in produce shipments, it’s one of the highest paying freight items for produce haulers.
The cost for a 16-pound case of cherries started the season in California at a whopping $58 per case, the highest in 7 years. U.S. cherry shipments get underway in late April and wraps up at the end of August. Traditionally, peak loadings occur in July before gradually decreasing. The United States is the 2nd largest producer of cherries in the world after Turkey.
The California cherry season is just the warm up for an action-packed 16 weeks, and is a prelude to big time shipper, the state of Washington.
Lime, Lemon Shipments
Mexico has experienced an abnormally wet and cold winter in Tabasco, the leading lime growing region. Shippers also report high freight rates also is contributing to the availability of limes. Lime volume is expected to remain lower than normal at least through June.
While cherry volume is limited right now, watermelons are in plentiful supply.
As an example, a 40,000-pound truckload of cherries is valued at $174,000. The same weight in watermelons is only worth $4,800!
Blueberry shipments are finally increasing as domestic U.S. production rises and are less reliant on imports to meet blueberry demand. Domestic blueberry shipping regions are ramping up as they head toward peak loadings from June to August.
Blackberry volumes also are on the upswing with increasing production in the Baja California, Mexico, and California. While raspberries are coming out of those same regions volume remains relatively low.
As for strawberries, volume and quality have been all over the board in recent weeks. Shipments are expected to be building and should continue through June.
New Jersey spring vegetable shipments are underway, although early local crops are destined to local markets. As volume increases some shipments are regional.
Katona Farms in Burlington County, NJ grows and ships asparagus as well as other vegetables and crops and are currently in farmers markets and stores around the state.
New Jersey ranks in the top 10 in the U.S. in the production of several crops, including fourth in asparagus. In 2020, the New Jersey asparagus crop was valued at $15 million, and the overall production of the state’s fruits and vegetables was about $350 million, according to the USDA.
Other crops with an early harvest are shipping daily include kale, lettuce, radishes and spinach. Beets and strawberries became available recently.
First established as Rolling Acres in 1950 by Walt and Betty Katona, it later became known as Katona Farms under Chip Katona and is now in its third generation.
Along with asparagus, the farm grows sweet corn, market tomatoes and watermelon, which are sold at its Crosswicks Farm. The Katonas also sell vegetables wholesale to large farm markets and wholesale buyers, as well as to Hunts Point Produce Market in Bronx, N.Y., and to markets in Philadelphia.
The Katonas own nearly 800 acres, all of which is deed-restricted to agriculture. They also have a grain operation which includes wheat for grain and straw, soybeans, corn, hay and rye for straw.
For the four-week period ending February 21, the U.S. Northeast showed avocado shipments increased 27.4%, according to the Hass Avocado Board.
The Northeast region held a 14% share of total U.S. volume but drove 39% of total incremental units, according to the release.
The New York market led the growth in the Northeast, with unit sales reaching 12 million units, a 29% increase over the prior period.
Nationally, U.S. avocado volume grew 8.8% for the four-week period ending February 21, while dollars increased 0.7%.
The Hass Avocado Board also published a 2020 year-in-review.
The HAB reported:
- Total volume of avocado fruit sold in the U.S. rose by 6.1% in 2020, from 2.492 billion pounds in 2019 to 2.644 billion pounds in 2020;
- Bagged fruit saw a rise in popularity at retail. Bagged fruit in many weeks reached about 30% of retail sales, according to HAB; and
- There was some retail pricing deflation in 2020, the HAB said, with per fruit pricing coming off the average of $1.15/per fruit in 2019 to closer to $1 per fruit in 2020. The lower pricing was especially seen in the latter part of the year, according to the release.
- Mexican avocados, tropical fruits and vegetables from South Texas – grossing about $7000 to New York City.
California’s Salinas Valley vegetable shippers were shipping good volumes by late April an this trend continues with favorable weather. Meanwhile, truck shortages and record rates persist.
Shippers are still a bit skeptical about what lies ahead for the the second half of the season due to uncertainties relating to the pandemic.
Pacific International Marketing of Salinas reports a cooler than normal spring, but supplies have not been interrupted.
Compared with the start of the COVID -19pandemic, Coastline Family Farms Inc. of Salinas had not problem planting for the first half of the Salinas season. Now it is evaluating what it wants to do for the second half of the season.
Beyond acreage reserved for contract sales, Coastline also has a little extra acreage for open market and for whole distribution. Still, some growers are being cautious. The company lost significant acreage last March due to the the shutdown of the foodservice business.
Pacific International is expecting foodservice shipments to gradually return and be back in full force by the end of the year.
Coastline notes cauliflower contracts have been expanded this year, and foodservice demand in general is climbing back.
Some foodservice customers also are taking more mixed loads rather than straight loads, limiting their buying while demand improves.
While dozens of different vegetables shipments are coming out of the Salinas Valley, lettuce easily leads in volume (with mostly Iceberg and romane) averaging about 1,900 truck loads per week, followed by broccoli with around 270 truck load weekly.
Truck rates remain on record tracks!
Salinas Valley vegetables – grossing $11,000-plus to New York City.
Good volume and strong quality are seen this season by Trinity Fruit Sales Co. of Fresno, CA, for shipments of California peaches, nectarines and plums.
California apricot volume is just now coming on, while peaches and nectarines will be available in good volume by the third week of May, with plums by the first week of June.
Good volume of California stone fruit shipments will continue through September.
Trinity Fruit expects to have about 500,000 cases of organic stone fruit in 2021 and possibly 6 million cartons of total stone fruit volume
There was result in more fruit than last year, and perhaps better quality fruit as well.
Industry wide, plum volume may be down slightly, but peaches and nectarines are expected slightly above a year ago.
The USDA reports California’s 2020 almond acreage is estimated at 1.6 million acres, 5.3% higher than the 2019 acreage of 1.52 million acres. Service.
Of the total acreage for 2020, 1.25 million acres were bearing, 5.9% above 2019, and 350,000 acres were non-bearing, up 2.9% from 2019. Preliminary bearing acreage for 2021 is estimated at 1.33 million acres.
Nonpareil continued to be the leading variety based on bearing acreage, followed by Monterey, Butte, Carmel, and Padre.
Fresno, Kern, Stanislaus, Merced and Madera were the leading counties. These five counties accounted for 73% of the total bearing acreage, according to the report.
California Almonds
(Bearing Acreage)
- 2021 1,350,000
- 2020 1,250,000
- 2019 1,180,000
- 2018 1,090,000
- 2017 1,030,000
- 2016 970,000
- 2015 950,000
- 2014 930,000
- 2013 880,000
- 2012 820,000
- 2011 800,000
(FORT VALLEY, GEORGIA) – The Genuine Georgia Group expects to ship nearly 3 million boxes of peaches this season.
With the season start kicking off mid-May, Georgia’s iconic summer fruit expects to have consistent volume over a 15-week period.
“Our peaches have dealt with historically warm winters for the last five years. We’re looking forward to seeing them at their best. Just like us, our peach trees are their most productive, happy and full when they get enough good rest,” says Will McGehee, partner with Genuine Georgia.
Sweet Georgia peaches are a nutritional powerhouse of health. A medium peach packs more than 20 different macro and micronutrients, including fiber, vitamins A, C, E, potassium and zinc. They are also naturally free of fat, sodium, cholesterol, gluten and trans fats. The orange-yellow hue of peaches is a cue that they’re an excellent source of beta-carotene, an important antioxidant that’s converted to vitamin A. In fact, a medium peach (1 cup slices) has about 500 IU of vitamin, equal to about 10% of the Daily Value for this nutrient. Vitamin A is an essential nutrient for optimal growth, bone health and vision.
For more information about the Genuine Georgia Group for the 2021 season, send a note to duke@genuinega.com or will@genuinega.com
Prime Time International, a fresh produce produce grower and shipper based in Coachella, CA has found the times of COVID-19 change, not only with growing their crops, but when it comes to transportation.
The company cites the cost of truck rates as an example and wonders just how how rates will soar this summer. It was pointed out, for example in mid-April truck rates from Nogales to Boston hit $9,300, which translates into nearly $10,000 for loads coming out of California. The company cited one truck who they knew had 8 trucks parked due to a lack of drivers.
It was not the pool of long-haul truckers is being depleted by demand in the home delivery arena. Those same drivers can work close to home and go home every night. The company has discover other drivers who do not feel the risk of driving cross country is not worth it. Due the lack of equipment, truck rates have been much higher during much of the past year. It remains to be seen how high rates must rise to create more supply.
Aside from transportation concerns, Prime Time is trying to figure out how consumers will react to the pandemic, and what will the be trucking requirements for restaurants and other foodservice outlets. It’s much easier consider what the demand from retailers will be.
When the pandemic hit the company’s spring crops in Coachella Valley last year crops were already in the ground and there was no opportunity to alter the production schedule. However, they were able to cut back some on production for the summer, which was just going in the ground. It is a year later but how the consumer will react over the next few months is equally uncertain.
Prime Time does also of foodservice business with its primary crop, Bell peppers. Last year, that business was mostly loss, though retail sales took up the slack. Foodservice accounts are finally starting to come back.
There is still uncertainly for shipments to retailers. Prime Time did increase its summer production a little bit over last summer, but its Coachella Valley acreage has remained the same.
The company’s red peppers had been coming from in Baja California but have recently shifted to Coachella. Prime Time has eggplant, sweet corn and chili peppers just starting with watermelons slated to begin on May 10. Typically, the Coachella row crops start in April and lasts until around June 10, as long as the temperature doesn’t get too hot.
Prime Time then farms acreage in the San Joaquin Valley and Ventura County.
California’s Coachella Valley grape shipments may decline in 2021, as bearing grape acreage has fallen and the industry has consolidated.
Tudor Ranch, of Mecca, CA reports grape Coachella Valley production this season could be about 2.1 million cartons, off from about 2.6 million cartons a year ago. The company believes the front-end crop is definitely light, the middle crop is average, and the late crop is average to heavy.
Harvest Should get underway around May 10 for Tudor Ranch, depending on the weather. Peak shipments should hit the first half of June, with Tudor Ranch continuing to load grapes through the Fourth of July holiday. A few shippers may have grapes through the end of July.
Anthony Vineyards, Coachella, CA, notes the company will have volume into July. The transition between Southern Hemisphere and Northern Hemisphere supplies could result in a gap due to extreme heat and possible monsoon rains in July which make grape shipments that month more challenging for Coachella Valley shippers.
In 2019, Sun World International LLC also announced the sale of its leased and owned California farming property to an investor group, which contracted with Sun Pacific to farm the vineyards under the name Famous Vineyards.
On March 31 of this year, Palm Desert, Calif.-based Sun World announced it will be acquired by Bridgepoint, an international private equity group. Bridgepoint will become controlling shareholder for Sun World, an international fruit genetics, R&D and licensing company, according to a news release.
In other news in the Coachella Valley, a private equity group bought all the farming assets of Richard Bagdasarian Inc. of Mecca, CA.
Illume Agriculture of Bakerfield has taken over the management of Bagdasarian Farms vineyards for the private equity group. With some acreage coming out in recent years, there could be less than 5,000 acres of grapes in the Coachella Valley now, compared with peak acreage of perhaps 18,000 acres 25 years ago.
Tudor Ranch notes peak volume from the Coachella Valley was close to 13 million to 14 million cartons two decades ago. Beside Illume Ag, there are four major players in the Coachella Valley, including Tudor Ranch, Anthony Vineyards, Castle Rock Farms and Delano Farms.
Colombia is the world’s 5th largest producer of bananas and it hopes to boost its banana exports by 10 percent this year.
Colombia exported 109 million 20-kilogram boxes of bananas last year, up 9.3% from 2019, boosting earnings by 6.5% to $916.2 million, according to
the Colombian Banana Growers Association
This is in spite of the coronavirus pandemic and the presence of the Fusarium wilt Tropical race IV (TR4) banana fungus that was detected in July 2019.
The Columbian banana industry hopes to export 120 million 20-kg boxes this year.
Higher output followed greater productivity per hectare versus 2019, as well as better weather in the first half of the year in Uraba, Colombia’s principle banana-growing region.
Production per hectare rose to 2,134 boxes per hectare, 173 more boxes than in 2019.