Archive For The “Trucking Reports” Category
By Black Gold Farms
Pearsall, TX – Black Gold Farms began colored potato shipments of the 2019 fresh crop from Texas last week.
Texas grown red and yellow potatoes will ship from Pearsall, TX as well Black Gold Farms’ Arbyrd, MO packing facility until early June. After that, Black Gold Farms will transition to their Missouri fresh colored potato crop that will pack and ship out of the Arbyrd location for the summer.
The first run fields have indicated that the quality will be better than ever. Steve Wright, Farm Manager of the Pearsall farm says, “I’m really excited to be digging our fresh red and yellow spuds. I’ve seen a lot of really good-looking potatoes come out of this area year after year – and this particular season, I’m especially excited.” Wright recognizes that optimal weather, timing, variety and land selection as triggers that set up the season for success.
Keith Groven, Sales Manager at Black Gold Farms explains, “Getting into fresh crop for the year is always exciting – for us at the farm and for our customers. Retailers are thrilled to get their hands on fresh, red and yellow potatoes.” Black Gold Farms recently finished up a strong storage season out of their North Dakota location.
Texas is a prime example of where local makes a difference. Black Gold Farms has truly leveraged that consumer demand for local potatoes. “Texas retailers particularly, have witnessed the demand that Texas-grown colored potatoes can create. A lot of product can move when consumers know it’s local” Groven remarks.
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Black Gold Farms is a fourth-generation family farm and grower, shipper, marketer of all types of Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, and other commodities. They have an extensive network of farm locations throughout the United States, and are headquartered in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
Santa Maria is California’s second leading produce and shipper of strawberries and this season could be a banner one. As with other Golden State berry production areas, Santa Mara has been producing greater volumes with higher yield under new varieties.
Positioned on the Central Coast with Ventura to its south and Watsonville to the north, in 2018, Santa Maria strawberry shipments totaled over 33 percent of California’s total volume — about 70.4 million crates.
In the fall of 2018, growers planted 8,583 acres for the upcoming winter, spring and summer season, off from 11,744 acres from the previous season.
Providence Farms in Santa Maria has mostly organic strawberries on 260 acres, which grows and ships its product through California Giant Berry Farms. The company reports increasing yields as a result of research by the University of California, Davis program. Providence Farms 35 years ago was producing around 6,000 trays an acre, but now yields are up to 8,500 to 9,000 trays an acre with newer, improved varieties.
If the weather is normal this season, weekly shipment volume is expected to equal or exceed average shipment totals the past three years from April 15th to October 31st.
Total California strawberry shipments have set records the past three years in total, increasing 6 percent. It is a trend where growers are producing higher yields with less planted acreage. During the past three years strawberry acreage has declined 12 percent.
Two of the three top-yielding varieties in production yield studies conducted in Watsonville by UC Davis, include the monterey variety, producing 10,554 cartons per acre, and the san andreas variety, which yielded 10,414 cartons per acre.
However, problems can arise with the higher-producing varieties. Weather factors delayed fruit harvests until California’s three strawberry districts came online with fruit, including those high-yield varieties, close in time with each other. That was around May 11th, when production hit nearly 10 million trays and exceeded the three-year average of just over 8 million trays.
Annual shipments increased 9 percent to nearly 225 million trays.
Weather has resulted in statewide shipments this year trailing behind last year at this time. As of March 23rd, shipments were at about 7.2 million trays — significantly behind the nearly 11.9 million trays harvested at the same time last year.
In Santa Maria, about 637,000 crates of berries have been shipped compared to over 2.4 million crates a year ago. Timing, however, is on track with normal years.
Santa Maria strawberry and vegetable shipments – grossing about $4700 to Chicago.
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A new crop of potato shipments are now underway with both red and gold varieties from Cal-Organic Farms of Bakersfield, CA.
The organic potatoes will be followed by russet and rainbow fingerling varieties, also organic, in June.
The company is harvesting the red and gold potatoes in California’s desert region and will move to Kern County in late May, when harvest of the company’s complete portfolio of potatoes will begin, according to a news release.
Cal-Organic, a division of Grimmway Farms, will ship potatoes through October.
“We are anticipating outstanding quality and consistent supply to launch our fresh crop potato program,” Bob Borda, vice president of organic sales at Grimmway Farms, said in the release.
Cooler growing conditions and other factors resulted in watermelon shipments, both domestic and imports, being 13 percent lower in late March than a year ago, but volume now is on the rise.
Peak shipments for seedless watermelons typically occur during June. The latest USDA statistics are for 2017, when in June of that year 28 percent of the US. domestic seedless watermelon loadings took place, followed closely by July with 25 percent and August with 22 percent. May accounted for 16 percent of the volume.
Georgia was the nation’s leading domestic shipper of seedless watermelons in 2017, accounting for 22 percent of the total volume.
Other leading shippers by state for 2017 were:
- Florida, 18 percent;
- California, Indiana and Texas, all 12 percent each;
- Missouri, 5 percent;
- North Carolina, 4 percent;
- Delaware and South Carolina, both at 3 percent.
Imported watermelon supplies are shipped to the U.S. the year around, but are mainly concentrated in a few months. Representing about one third the total of annual domestic shipments, import volume of watermelons peaks in April (36 percent of annual imported volume), followed by May (21 percent), March (12 percent), October (11 percent) and February (7 percent).
Mexico accounts for the vast majority of imported seedless watermelons, representing 79 percent of total annual imports in 2017. Other important suppliers to the U.S. market are Guatemala (12 percent) and Honduras (7 percent).
Mexican crossings through south Texas are just wrapping up, and are followed by shipments from south Florida near Immokalee and then moving north through other growing districts.
Pacific Trellis Fruit/Dulcinea, of Reedley, CA reports its mini seedless watermelons transitioned from Mexico into Arizona in late April and early May, to be followed by shipments from California’s Central San Joaquin Valley.
While the company’s primary shipments originate from the West Coast, it also grows melons in Texas, Colorado, Florida and North Carolina.
Southern and central Florida vegetable and watermelon shipments – grossing about $3800 to New York City.
Following a cold and rainy winter playing havoc with crop plantings and growth, spring vegetables and berries are taking off from California’s Salinas Valley with big volume in the weeks ahead.
Coastline Family Farms of Salinas, CA has wrapped up desert vegetable shipments such as broccoli, cauliflower, lettuces and herbs from Brawley, CA. Now the company is focusing on spring loadings from the Central Coast.
Salinas broccoli and cauliflower shipments are underway and moving into good volume.
Salad Savoy Corp., of Salinas, had nearly a week of planting delays in December. The company grows kale, chard and cauliflower in Yuma, AZ during the winter and in Soledad, CA in the spring.
Berry Shipments
Naturipe Berry Growers of Salinas grows mostly strawberries on 1,300 around Salinas, plus other places in California and Mexico.
Rains in California resulted in virtually nothing being harvested early in the season for strawberries, but more favorable weather has harvest and shipments back on track. Volume has been good leading up to Mother’s Day set for May 12th.
Recent seasons has seen record setting California strawberry shipments, but this year volume is expected to be down a little.
Naturipe is expecting more normal shipments this season averaging around 8,000 to 10,000 trays an acre.
Salina Valley vegetables and Watsonville berries – grossing about $4800 to Chicago.
Michigan asparagus shipments are just getting underway as Applewood Fresh Growers LLC of Sparta, MI launches its season.
The company’s grower-supplier, New Era’s American Asparagus, New Era, MI., uses a hydrocooler after harvest, and places the spears in a cooler before they are packed in a refrigerated packing room, according to a news release from Applewood Fresh.
The Michigan asparagus season lasts approximately from May 10th to June 25th.
New Era’s American Asparagus grows more than 300 acres of asparagus, and manages another 600-plus acres, according to the company’s website, for a total grower base of 1,600 acres of Michigan asparagus.
“We keep this process as short as possible to increase our customer’s shelf life and quality of the product,” Caleb Coulter, owner of New Era’s American Asparagus, said in the news release.
“We are excited to partner with New Era’s American Asparagus to bring our customers the best asparagus Michigan has to offer,” Nick Mascari, Applewood Fresh president said. “This partnership is the next iteration in our strategic plan to diversify.”
More favorable weather for growing crops has California fruit shipments looking better than at this time last year.
At Anthony Vineyards of Bakersfield, it should start grape shipments from the Coachella Valley within in the next week, which will continue through June. The grape loadings will be shifting to the San Joaquin Valley, where the vast amount of California grape shipments originate. Another big crop exceeding 110 million boxes is expected.
Citrus Shipments
The California citrus industry has been disappointed overall, mainly due to weather factors. However, summer citrus shipments are now looking more favorable with late season valencias replacing navel oranges. Valencias should be available until the Fourth of July.
Grower/shipper Limoneira Co. of Santa Paula, believes California lemon loadings will be off 10 to 15 percent this year as the season ends this month.
Trinity Fruit Sales Co. In of Fresno notes the California mandarin crop is one of the state’s largest. As a result, product which normally winds down in April will be shipped through May. As the company’s domestic season comes to a close it will be importing mandarins for the first time from Peru, Chile and Uruguay,
Melon Shipments
Domestic melon shipments should be plentiful this season. Five Crowns Marketing of Brawley, CA has just started loadings of Origami cantalouple and will continue in the desert through June. The company’s Mexican watermelons are now moving in good volume, and continuing through May, before shifting to Arizona.
Westside Produce of Firebaugh, CA is now shipping cantaloupes and honeydews and will continue in good volume into October.
Stone Fruit Shipments
San Joaquin Valley stone fruit shipments are underway and Trinity Fruit of Fresno anticipates one of its biggest crops. Simonia Fruit Co. of Fowler, CA is expressing optimism for its peaches, plums, nectarines and apricots.
Berry Shipments
California berry shipments were down heading into Easter, however volume is shaping up well for strawberries, blackberries and raspberries from Watsonville and Santa Maria through the summer and well into the fall.
California blueberry shipments should be good through late spring before transitioning to Oregon and British Columbia during the summer months.
Stemilt Growers LLC of Wenatchee, WA just started its California cherry harvest. Last year, California produce only 4 million boxes, but a substantial increase is expected this season.
Desert grapes from California’s Coachella Valley are expected to hit nearly 5 million carton, up substantially from a year.
Still, Coachella grape shipments are a drop in the bucket compared to California’s San Joaquin Valley which consistently ships over 110 million boxes, or even Mexico that loads over 20 million cartons a year.
Anthony Vineyards, headquartered in Bakersfield, but has an operation in Coachella expresses optimism over coming shipments, with green grapes looking especially good.
Silver Canyon Sales handles some sales for Tudor Ranch of Mecca, CA that includes grapes, lemons and dates. The companies see higher yields and quality this season.
Desert Fresh Inc. in Coachella is expecting good movement kicking off the season in early May because a small shipping gap is expected between the end of Chilean import grape season and the beginning of the Arvin (Bakersfield) area crop. Mexican grapes, which are Coachella’s main competition, starting a little later this season.
As usual, Coachella’s peak grape shipments will occur during June. Loading could continue into the first half of July, depending upon when the heat cranks up in the desert. Overall, Coachella shipments tend to last about 8 weeks.
Although Prime Time International in Coachella doesn’t ship grapes, it will be loading and excellent crop of watermelons, as well as vegetables such as green, red and yellow peppers, green beans, and sweet corn.
Mexican grape shipments will account for nearly two-thirds of the product trucked to destinations across America during May and June.
Most Mexican grapes cross the border into the U.S. at Nogales, AZ and Pharr, TX.
About 22 million, 19-pound boxes are forecast to be exported, a whopping increase over the 16.37 million boxes last season.
Pandol Bros. Inc. of Delano, CA, which ships both domestic and Mexican grapes says Mexico will provide 65 percent of the table grapes shipped in the U.S. during May and June.
California and Chile each will account for 15 percent of grapes distributed in the U.S.
Mexico will ship 4 million boxes of grapes to North American customers starting the week of Memorial Day, and continuing for the next month. Overall May volume will be relative light.
Grapeman Farms of Bakersfield, CA starts shipping Mexican grapes around May 7th this year, and is reporting great quality. The company expects to ship 15 percent more grapes this season.
MAS Melons & Grapes of Rio Rico, AZ expects higher volume this season after inclement weather factors reduced last year’s shipments, which would be similar to its output in 2017.
Both Sun World International of Bakersfield, CA and The Giumarra Cos. of Los Angeles are expressing optimism for increased shipments this season with better quality.
Mexican avocado exports to American companies will hit 78,000 tons in preparation for Cinco de Mayo, the biggest Mexican celebration in the U.S.
The event is a commemoration of Mexico’s victory over France at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.
The Mexican avocado imports this year is a 25 percent increase over this time in 2018 when 58,730 tons of the fruit was imported. The big boost is being attributed primarily to greater promotions by retailers.
Mexican exports over 80 percent of their avocados to the U.S. each year.
The Mexican state of Michoacán exported 121,0908 tons of avocado to the U.S. for the Super Bowl LIII.
In the U.S., this celebration has become a time where Mexican people celebrate their heritage. It is so big and important that it gets confused with the celebration of Mexico’s Independence.
Mexican avocado, other produce through South Texas – grossing about $4900 to New York City.