Posts Tagged “California lettuce shipments”
Huron iceberg and leaf lettuce out of the San Joaquin Valley is getting under way this week as a few suppliers start harvesting.
Some desert regional shipments will remain available for two to three more weeks, while other areas such as Oxnard, CA will also have limited volume before the Salinas ‘Valley and Santa Maria Valley finally start .
Huron supplies are about 10 to 12 days behind schedule to due to consistently cold and rainy conditions over the past two months. Iceberg lettuce quality is very good; case weights will be light as production begins.
Romaine and green leaf quality also looks good overall, but there is some damage from insects and there elevated dirt at the base of the heads. Case weights for 24-count romaine will be in the lower than normal.
Continuing lousy growing conditions in California is limiting supplies of iceberg and romaine lettuce, as well as green leaf varieties. The problems are expected to continue through the end of the season in the Salinas Valley until the seasonal shift to growing areas in the desert areas of California and Arizona in mid-November.
Iceberg and romaine shipments continue to be extremely limited due to erratic weather patterns of extreme heat followed by rain, which have adversely affected quality.
These issues range from bottom rot, to fringe burn, mildew pressure, seeder, and sun scald.
There also are varying densities and light weights prevalent industry wide.
Impatiens Necrotic Spot Virus (INSV) and Sclerotinia disease has forced growers to cut ahead of their scheduled harvests to minimize crop loss. This has led to higher f.o.b prices until transitions to Yuma, AZ and California’s Imperial desert are completed in mid-November.
Iceberg, romaine and romaine hearts have been impacted by the **INSV Virus and **Fusarium along with other viruses that have taken over the fields this past month throughout the Salinas Valley, according to a market alert by Produce Alliance, a produce brokerage firm in Chicago.
INSV Virus is a plant virus that is passed from field to field by insects. Fusarium is a soil borne fungus, which causes the lettuce heads to die from diseased roots.
These viruses are not allowing product to fully develop and in many cases, causing growers to disc entire fields. Growers are working to put only the best product available in the boxes, and bring the best quality into the plant for processing as crews have been working diligently in the fields to leave any affected product behind.
Still, lettuce haulers are urged to be extra cautious and observance of lettuce being loaded onto their truck.
For the lettuce fields designated for processing, that are currently unaffected by the disease, there is some variation in core sizing/growth, where some cores are curved in the head of lettuce making it a bit difficult for crews to see as they remove what they can in the field. This means, harvesting at an extremely slow pace to minimize the risk as much as possible.
Growers are having to place additional inspection on the lines to cull out any defects not removed in the field.
Currently, the market is in a demand exceeds supply situation due to lighter supply industry wide and a very unstable market situation is expected to continue for the remainder of the Salinas season.
Some weeks will be better than others, but as the local seasons finish for the year, this will put more pressure on California, increasing demand on already shorter crops.
Green leaf is starting to feel the effects of this situation as well as available supply is getting shorter. Red leaf and butter lettuce may be affected working through the balance of the season, but currently, quality issues are not as severe.
Here’s a round up of California produce shipments ranging from kiwifruit, to lettuce and honeydew.
California’s kiwifruit shipments should be a similar to last year, with initial production estimates pegged at around 6.5-6.8 millon 7-pound-tray-equivalents.
Last season, volume finished with about 7.4 million tray equivalents. Harvest should get underway for most growers the first two weeks of October. Fruit can be held in storage and marketed until about April of next year.
About 75 to 80 percent of production will be shipped within the U.S., with Mexico and Canada being the p;rimary export markets.
California Lettuce
California lettuce shipments have been down and will continue to be significantly lower than normal shipments until loadings shift to Huron in the San Joaquin Valley the second week of October.
Salinas lettuce continues to have quality problems because of trip digit temperatures this fall, which is resulting in seed seem that reduces yield and weight of the lettuce heads. Lettuce shipments out of Huron will last about three to four weeks as the new harvest of lettuce begins from the desert areas of California’s Imperial Valley and Yuma, AZ.
California honeydew
California honeydew shipments from California are down, partly due to less acreage planted due to the California drought. The state’s water shortage has growers cautious about overextending themselves with too many supplies and too little water.
Central San Joaquin Valley fruits and vegetables – grossing about $6000 to Orlando.
Salinas Valley vegetables – grossing about $5200 to Detroit.
Volatile late summer and early fall weather, that turned into a heat wave hitting triple digits in some areas, will be making otherwise normal California lettuce hauling opportunities more difficult to predict.
This also could very well increase your chances of claims at destination. Abnormally hot weather can lead to seed stem and puffer heads, not to mention tip burn and possibly some mildrew. Just use extra caution with California lettuce shipments the next few weeks.
Shippers already are expecting some shipping gaps with lettuce towards in the end of October. Lettuce loading opportunities also will likely be diminished because the seasonal transition from the Salinas Valley to the Huron District in the San Joaquin Valley may not be very smooth. Due to the extreme drought and the water shortages, there will be less volume coming out of Huron, which normally ships for about three to four weeks, beginning in late October. Once Huron is finished, the season shifts to the Imperial Valley and Yuma District.
Produce truckers will probably about as good luck picking up other vegetables items such as broccoli and cauliflower out of Salinas or Santa Maria, or carrots from the Bakersfield area.
San Joaquin Valley grapes continue to provide as heavy a volume as anything out of California, currently averaging about 800 truckloads per week.
Central San Joaquin Valley grapes – grossing about $7300 to New York City.
Lettuce shipments from the Salinas Valley are expected to decline in coming weeks as the seasonal transition gradually shifts to the Imperial Valley in the California desert, as well as just to the East in the Yuma, AZ district. However, it will probably be around Thanksgiving before the change is completed. Sandwiched in between this the Huron district on the westside of the San Joaquin Valley. Lettuce shipments from Huron should get underway about the third week of October and last about a month.
Strawberry Shipments
The Watsonville area adjancent to Salinas is loading about 500 truck loads of strawberries weekly. There is much lighter volume coming out of the Santa Maria district, with Ventura County have very light movment as its fall season has just started.
Kiwfruit Shipments
Imports of kiwi from Chile and New Zealand are in a rapid decline, while California kiwi shipments are just gearing up. The California produce loads are predicted to hit about 6.5 million trays this season, down from 9-plus million trays last season.
California Nuts
No we’re not talking about California Gov. Jerry Brown, or the state’s assembly. California expects to load about 495,000 tons of walnuts this season, slightly below a year ago.
Date Shipments
California is the largest shipper of dates, with shipments forecast to be up about 20 percent this year, primarily from the California desert and Yuma, AZ.