Posts Tagged “California strawberry shipments”
California strawberries shipments are shifting to Ventura County, while the state’s citrus volume is predicted to be down this season.
While California strawberry shipments got off to a roaring and early start at the beginning of they year, the late season shipments are well below normal as a result. Now the situation finally moving back to increased volume as the season shifts from the Watsonville area in the north to Ventura County in Southern California.
California Citrus Shipments
The estimates for the 2014-15 California citrus shipping season stands at 78 million 40-pound cartons, which would make it the smallest crop since the freeze year of 2008-09. However, California Citrus Mutual thinks the crop is even smaller than the USDA’s estimate, since it does not take into account losses due to the current drought conditions.
“After canvassing a significant number of producers and shippers, CCM believes the crop estimate is high,” CCM President Joel Nelsen said in a recent statement. “We know acreage has been removed from production” due to the drought, but getting figures for a range has been difficult. We know the lack of water has affected fruit size during the growths stages, but surveying 126,000 acres is almost impossible. We also agree there is more fruit on the tree as compared to last year” in terms of the number of pieces of fruit. “However fruit size is a concern. All of this affects the number of cartons ultimately packed.”
Unlike Navels, Mandarins should be up in volume this year because of more acreage in production.
California supplies 85 percent of the nation’s fresh citrus,
Southern California Citrus – grossing $5600 to Atlanta.
Most California strawberry shipments are originating out of Southern California, primarily Ventura County and Orange County. Very light volume is coming out of Santa Maria, while initial shipments from the Salinas/Watsonville District could get underway in late April.
Look for the first domestic table grape shipments in the United States to get underway out of the Coachella Valley in early May. However, it will probably be the third week of May before there is good volume.
Stone fruit shipments out of the San Joaquin Valley are on track to start in very light volume in early to mid May.
Meanwhile, Salinas Valley vegetable shipments continue to build in volume led by lettuce, broccoli and cauliflower, with dozens of other items in the mix as well.
Salinas Valley produce – grossing about $7000 to New York City.
Southern California strawberries and citrus – grossing about $4500 to Chicago.
South African Imports
South Africa began exports of citrus to the U.S. 15 years. ago. Imports will once again soon be arriving at American ports.
Exports of oranges from South Africa to the United States hit a new record in 2013, with over 39,000 metric tons. This is a 25 percent increase in quantity compared to 2009 and nearly an 800 percent increase since the program started in 1999.
While California vegetables and citrus have been struggling this season to get going, California strawberry shipments got off to an early and fast start it looks to continue strong throughout the season. Unlike much of the nation, credit unusually warm weather during the winter on the West Cost, which hastened plant maturity.
We’ll also take a glimpse at Mexican imports through Nogales, AZ.
For the week ending March 1, the California Strawberry Commission reported 11.16 million 9-pound tray equivalents had been shipped fresh so far this year compared to 6.89 million at the same time last year and 9 million in 2012. California produces almost 90 percent of U.S. strawberries. The state’s 400 strawberry farms grow fruit on fewer than 40,000 acres.
California avocado shipments
This year, California avocado shipments should be at its peak from mid- to late April and continue through Labor Day. Volume should be about 300 million pounds. The 300 million pounds is more on par with the 10-year average. Loadings originate from various shippers in Southern California.
Southern California produce shipments – grossing about $6600 to New York City.
Nogales Produce Shipments
While Mexican vegetable shipments through Nogales, AZ are on a seasonal down swing, an exception are watermelons being imported from West Mexico. The spring season has started three weeks earlier than last year. The early time frame is attributed to earlier transplanting, improved growing practices and ideal weather conditions. Watermelon shipments from West Mexico should continue in good volume through June.
Arrivals of Mexican grapes will start crossing the border within the next month.
Mexican produce through Nogales – grossing about $3800 to Chicago.
While much of the nation has been in an icy deep freeze, warmer than normal temperature in California have been excellerating growth of winter mixed vegetables on the West Coast and in the desert. The only problem is the lousy weather in so much of the country has stifled demand for California vegetable shipments.
Veggies ranging from head lettuce to romaine and broccoli continuet to be shipped from California’s Imperial Valley and the Yuma district. At times it isn’t the best quality, so make sure your receiver knows what kind of quality is being delivered to help reduce problems such as claims with deductions, or rejections.
You should expect a seasonal transition of desert vegetables to the Central San Joaquing Valley around the middle of March.
California strawberryshipments are coming out of Ventura County, Southern California and on a more limited basis from the Santa Maria District. Rains last week in Southern California resulted in some damage, so keep an eye out of off grade are mariginally grade berries at least throught this week.
Coastal California blueberry shipments should start ramping up the last week of March with a peak in mid-April followed by the Central Valley through June.
Desert vegetables grossing – about $6000 to New York City.
California strawberry shipments are head of this time last year, while Washington state pear loadings are on a record setting course.
California strawberry shipments
Unlike much of the country, it has been an exceptionally mild winter thus far in California (unless you’re a California citrus grower). Temperatures into the mid-80s along the coast have brought on good strawberry shipments in the region. As of February 1, about 4.6 million cases of strawberries had been shipped, compared with 3 million cases at the same time in 2013. The 1.2 million trays shipped the week ending Feb. 1 was well above the 805,000-tray projection. Most of the berries are coming out of Ventura and Orange counties, and shipments are aided by the fact fewer strawberries have been loaded from Florida and Mexico due to cold weather.
There’s also decent strawberries volume coming out of the Baja California pennisula, where it is consolidated at warehouses in the San Diego area. The Baja California and Oxnard growing areas have similar climatic conditions.
Southern California berries – grossing about $4200 to Chicago.
Apple Shipments, Pear Shipments
While apples dominate Northwest fruit shipments, as of January 31st there has been a record number of pears had loaded out of the Pacific Northwest, mostly from Washington state’s Yakima and Wenachee valleys. We are talking around 14.2 million boxes of pears from Washington and Oregon.
There were over 1.3 million boxes shipped the first two weeks of January and 1.4 million boxes in the last two weeks. That compares to 1.2 million boxes in each of those two-week periods at the same time last year. The Northwest is on track to ship a record 22.2 million boxes of pears this year, 14 percent more than last season.
One important note is that both apples and pears ship well together in the same load.
Washington state apples and pears – grossing about $6500 to New York City.
F
rom California strawberry shipments to Maine potato loadings, here is a round up of several areas across the nation shipping fresh produce.
Strawberry volume from California’s Ventura County has picked up, but won’t be peaking until spring. Mexican strawberries from Baja California are also being loaded at San Diego packing sheds. Both areas will be shipping strawberries through June.
A heads up, if you haul Huron district head lettuce and romaine out of the San Joaquin Valley in the spring and fall. Due to water rationing, at least one major shipper will not ship this spring, and other major shipper is significantly cutting back acreage. There are some plans to attempt extending the Imperial Valley and Yuma district lettuce loadings in a attempt to make up the difference.
Southern California berries and citrus, grossing about $6500 to New York City.
Red River Valley potatoes in North Dakota and Minnesota is reporting steady shipments of red potatoes, averaging around 375 truck loads per week.
Red River Valley potatoes – grossing about $1900 to Chicago.
Upstate New York apple loads are totalling about 250 truck loads weekly, while New York onion shipments are hitting around 200 loads each week.
Aroostrock County potato shipments in Maine are averaging about less than 200 truck loads weekly.
Maine potatoes – grossing about $1750 to New York City.
Chilean grapes have replaced season ending California grapes within the past week. Arrivals by boat are occurring at ports on both the East and West coasts. March and April are expected to provide the heaviest loading opportunities.
About halfway through December, California strawberry shipments were already assured of another record-setting season in 2013. Mostly truck loadings have put out more than 193 million trays of berries, up from 191 million in 2012. Thus, with the year ending, California strawberry shipments will definately have its seventh record-setting year in the last eight seasons.Shippers had loaded over 193 million trays as of December 13, topping the 191 million trays produced in all of 2012. Shipments continued an upward trend that began in 2006 with five straight record-setting seasons. A cold and wet spring in 2011 caused the streak to be broken, but growth in shipments has continued since.
A big reason has been an upsurge in acreage. Growers planted on 40,192 acres this year, up from 37,732 in 2012. Another factor was the use of new University of California-developed varieties that yield more fruit per acre.
However, what California had in quantity this year, too often was lacking in quality.
Strawberries are a year-round fruit in California, as winter harvests move south with the sun. The peak season is in the spring and early summer, when all three of the state’s major growing regions — around Watsonville, Santa Maria and Oxnard — are producing berries. About 85 percent of the nation’s strawberry shipments originate in California.
Some growers are switching to organic production. Organic acreage went from 1,776 in 2012 to 2,532 acres this year.
Most California strawberry shipments are now coming out of Ventura County and Orange County.
Southern California produce shipments, including strawberries – grossing about $6800 to New York City.