Posts Tagged “apples”
Since a significant rise in early June of rates for hauling fresh produce from 
some major shipping areas — particuarly the west coast, it has been a pretty quiet summer as rates have remained relatively stable, and few serious truck shortages have occurred.
While some produce items may have record shipments this year, such as California grapes and Washington state cherries, other areas ranging from Michigan fruit to South Texas vegetables, as well as California stone fruit, have taken some hits from the weather. I’m sure there may be other factors involved ranging from more contract rates, which tend to provide more rate stability on a seasonal, if not a year around basis. The struggling economy, with a lot of pitfully low rates for dry freight, may have more carriers seeking higher paying produce loads, particularly this time of the year.
Nationally, here’s a glimpse at loading opportunities for fresh fruits and vegetables.
South Carolina peaches are still being shipped , primarily in an area located south and southeast of Columbia stretching to the Georgia state line. Speaking of Georgia, peach loadings are on their last leg and should be finished within a week as the latter part of the season had exceptionally light production. South Carolina won’t be far behind.
In South Texas, various citrus, tropical fruits and vegetables from Mexico continue crossing the border into the Lone Star State. They join lesser amounts of produce grown and shipped from the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
Southern New Mexico continues to ship onions…..In Michigan, blueberries and various vegetables such as cucumbers and squash are providing loads.
In Idaho, the country’s largest potato shipper continues to provide hauls from the 2011-12 harvest. New product should become available for hauling next month.
In the Columbia Basin of Washington state, potato and onion loads remain available. An excellent crop of sweet cherries are now coming out of Washington’s Yakima and Wenachee valleys, along with late season apples. Shipments of Washington pears are virtually finished.
In California, the vast majority of produce shipments are now coming from shipping areas north of Interstate 10.
Salinas Valley vegetables are generally grossing – about $7700 to New York City.
Washington states potatoes and onions from the Columbia Basin – about $3000 to Chicago.
South Carolina peaches – about $3400 to Boston.
Georgia peaches – $3300 to New York City.
Everything from peaches to apricots, cherries and blueberries will soon be in 
good volume out of the Pacific Northwest, ramping of loading opportunities for those with refrigerated equipment.
Washington state cherry shipments are underway and in peak volume, which should continue through July, with lighter loadings continuing into August. Record cherry shipments are being predicted. Apricots also are being shipped, continuing into the third week of July.
Shipments are expected to be significantly higher for Northwest peaches this season, compared to 2011. Peaches get underway the third week of July and should continue into October.
Oregon blueberry loads became available recently from the southern production areas of the state. Further north in the Williamette district, “blues” have just started.
The Yakima Valley of Washington state is still shipping some apples and pears from the 2011-2012 season.
Washington state fruit – grossing about $6400 to New York City.
2012 may be a year many Michigan produce shippers will prefer to forget, not 
to mention for produce haulers who like to haul out of this state.
Your best opportunities this summer will be with Michigan vegetables, which have been mostly unaffected by adverse weather. Normal volume is seen and shipments will continue into the fall. Another plus is with blueberries. As a top shipper of “blues” in the country, Michigan blueberries are forecast at about 80 to 90 million pounds, which is pretty normal.
On the downside is with other fruit. Michigan ranks in the top five in apple shipments, but certainly will not this year. Very few new crop apples survivied the April freeze. Any apples you load in next few weeks will be the last remains from the 2011-12 season. The state’s cherry shipments were also clobbered by weather, with 85 to 90 percent of the cherries wiped out. Heavy hits also were suffered with the state’s peaches and grapes.
Vegetable shipments out of Ontario province are gearing up. Sweet corn gets 
underway the first half of July, quickly followed by bell peppers, zucchini, cabbage, beets and tomatoes.
Ontario’s apple shipments will be pretty much non existent this season due a devastating April freeze. Nearly half of the asparagus also was wiped out.
Some of the major vegetables shippers are located around Windham Centre, Scotland, Bradford and Oakland Ontario. Many shipments to the USA are to mid-western markets.
In Quebec province, apples were hit by the same storm that visited Ontario, but losses were not as severe. The province is now shipping vegetables ranging from celery, to cauliflower and broccoli.
While a majority of the shipments remain regional in Canadian, there are loads moving to New England and as far south as New York. The Canadian vegetables are made even more attractive to some Northeastern USA receivers because of the savings over freight rates from the West Coast
While 90 percent of Michigan apple shipments for the upcoming season were 
lost to freeze, the state should have more loads of blueberries this summer, plus a near normal volume with vegetables. Blueberries should be up over 10 percent from last year (81 million pounds is forecast). However, cherry shipments are pegged at only 1 million pounds, down over 70 percent from a year ago.
Otherwise, volume with vegetables have been increasing during June and should hit peak shipments in July. Veggies, which avoided the freeze damage to apples, started in early June with radishes and turnips. Since then various types of leafy lettuces, zucchini, and cabbage have become available. There also are greens and cilantro. Warm weather is expected to bring on grape and roma tomatoes in mid-July, followed by sweet corn in early August, two weeks or more earlier than usual.
Record shipments of highly perishables, but high rate paying cherries are 
getting underway from Washington state, along with apricots and onions, and joining the late season apples and pears.
Cherry loadings start in limited volume from the Yakima Valley, but tonnage quickly increases. 23 million boxes are forecast to be shipped from Washington state, which should break the previous record by 3 million cartons….Apricot loadings are close behind starting in mid June, with peak movement occurring the first half of July.
The Evergreen state continues to ship apples and pears from the 2011/12 season, and remains the heaviest volume for produce. About 1,750 truck load equivalents of apples and pears are being shipped weekly from the Yakima and Wenatchee valleys.
Onions from the Walla Walla Valley should get underway the week of June 18th. The Walla Walla onion shipping area is located in Southeastern Washington and Northeastern Oregon. Primary shippers are located in or near Walla Walla, WA and Hermiston, OR.
Washington apples and pears – grossing about $6000 to Philadelphia.
NOTE: Apples, pears and apricots can be loaded on the same truck, but oder from the fruit can be absorbed by potatoes, onions and some other items. Source: TransFresh “Fresh Produce Mixer & Loading Guide.”
As more information becomes available on the prospects for the nation’s apple shipments, which 
get underway in August for the 2012-13 shipping season, it’s becoming apparent there should be record setting loading opportunities for apple haulers out of Washington state.
The reasons are two-fold. First, Washington is on course to pick, pack and ship 120 million boxes of apples in the upcoming season, which would be nearly 7 million more boxes than the season which will close in the coming weeks. Secondly, an April freeze clobbered upcoming crops in Michigan, parts of New York state and in Ontario. This means apple buyers who normally source the fruit from these areas will be relying on Washington state more than ever. In a normal year, Washington state accounts for about 60 percent of the USA’s apple shipments.
Apple volume is expected to remain more normal for the upcoming season from the Mid Atlantic states, including Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virgina, as well as from the New England states. This holds true as well for New York’s Hudson and Champlian valleys. However, central and western New York apple shippers were not near as lucky during the April freeze.
Washington state apples – grossing about $6200 to Orlando.
There are fruits and vegetables being shipping from a number of California 
districts. As strawberry volume declines from Ventura County, there’s good volume from Santa Maria, as the Salinas Valley gears up to get rockin’. The same can be said for Salinas vegetable tonnage, which is building as well. Southern California is shipping citrus, plus there are avocados and tomatoes from shippers located between L.A. and SanDiego. Mexican tomatoes are crossing the California border at Otay Mesa. Coachella Valley grape loadings are on the rise and should be peaking most of June.
CALIFORNIA RATES RATES ARE ON THE RISE. WE’RE APPROACHING THAT TIME OF YEAR WHEN THE PRODUCE INDUSTRY STARTS PAYING FOR ITS SINS OF LOOKING FOR THE CHEAPEST TRUCK, KICKING OVER LOADS FOR WHICH THEY’VE PAID TOO MUCH FOR PRODUCT AND GENERALLY BEING BAD BOYS TO TRUCKERS.
While Nogales is pretty much finished with vegetables from Mexico, Mexican grapes crossing the Arizona border are hitting full stride.
In Washington state, there’s light volume of potatoes from the Columbia Basin and the nearby Umatilla Basin in Oregon, but onion shipments are about finished….About the only thing that leaves in Washington are Yakima Valley apples and pears.
Washington apples and pears – grossing about $4900 to Cleveland.
Mexican grapes from Nogales – about $4100 to Chicago.
Southern California produce – about $7600 to New York City.
We’re not talking huge volumes of loads involving fresh produce in the 
Midwest, or Central USA, but there are quite a few areas shipping this time of the year. Even a partial load may allow you to get to another destination to fill out the trailer, or deliver and get a full haul.
Texas – There are 350 to 400 truckloads of Mexican avocados crossing the border into the Lower Rio Grande Valley each week. There’s also a significant amount of Mexican watermelons moving into Texas as well. The valley itself continues to ship various vegetables.
New Mexico — It may not be big volume, but onions are being shipped from the Las Cruces area.
Michigan — Light to moderate volumes of apples are available from Western Michigan. In about a month vegetable shipments will get underway.
Wisconsin — Potato loadings continue from the Stevens Point (central Wisconsin) area in moderate volume.
Colorado — The San Luis Valley is averaging around 500 truckloads of potatoes a week.
Nebraska — The Cornhusker state is certainly no Idaho, or even a Colorado or Wisconsin, when it comes to potato shipments. However, there are spuds in limited amounts coming out the Southwestern (Imperial) and Northeastern (O’Neill) parts of the state.
Wisconsin potatoes – grossing about $2000 to Houston.
South Texas produce – about $4600 to New York City.
With over 30 million bushels of apples in the USA remaining in storages to be 
shipped, steady loading opportunties through much of the summer are expected, especially from Washington state. There is one percent more fruit remaining in storages than last year’s large crop, and three percent more tonnage remaining compared to the five-year average.
The Yakima and Wenatchee valleys of Washington state are averaging about 2500 truckload equivalents of apple shipments a week, although this amount includes some shipments by rail….By contrast, Michigan apple loadings are amounting to around 125 truck loads per week….New York state apple shipments are similar, but declining as the season winds down.
Washington apples – grossing about $6200 to Atlanta.
Michigan apples – about $2800 to Oklahoma City.
FREEZE UPDATE — I reported on May 9 a major freeze hitting Ontario and Michigan apple shipping areas, as well as New York and possibly Pennsylvania. This will affect your loading opportunities starting in late July and August and continue for the 2012-13 apple shipping season.
It will be June, if not July in some instances, before it is known how much next season’s apple shipments will be hurt, but it will be substantial. The damage to Ontario’s 16,000 acres of orchards has been termed “catastrophic,” a pretty harsh term for normally optimtistic produce shippers. It also known there is significant damage to apples in Michigan and upstate New York.