Posts Tagged “feature”
Plentiful berry shipments are seen in the months ahead for strawberries, blueberries.
California Giant of Watsonville, CA says it is growing and shipping fruit with good size and quality on all four types of berries.
The company finished winter strawberry loadings in Oxnard and Santa Maria in late April and scheduled new plantings. Volume in Watsonville has been increasing this month.
Watsonville raspberry shipments go underway in the first half of Mayharvest was expect.
California Giant’s blackberry pickings are expected to start in early to mid-June, and Mexico blackberry volume continues toward peak shipments.
Blueberries
Mexico is reporting good blueberry quality and similar quality is being reported from Oxnard. Georgia also is generally reporting good blueberry quality.
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Strawberries
In California’s Central San Joaquin Valley, the first organic blueberry ranch started in late April, while significant conventional volume has been occurring in recent days.
Seven Seas of Visalia, CA is, a division of Tom Lange Co. Inc., Springfield, Ill. reports shipments of conventional strawberries in Santa Maria started in mid-February and organic strawberries in early March.
The company’s California berry crop is off to an excellent start, with some of the best quality and yields ever. Seven Seas will have heavy volumes throughout the spring and summer.
Homegrown Organic Farms of Porterville, CA kicked off its California organic blueberry shipments in late April, continuing for about a month until late May or early June before transitioning to the Pacific Northwest, where loadings will continue at least through August.
Supplies of Northwest blueberries should be plentiful with high quality in late summer.
HBF International LLC of Sheridan, OR is likewise full of optimism and will be harvest blueberries up and down the San Joaquin Valley until June 15 or 20 and then transition to Oregon around June 20.
Oregon blueberry shipments also look promising. Movement should continue through October.
HBF will have blackberries from Oregon from late June through September.
ATHENS, GA – Optimized to deliver more power faster, Carrier Transicold’s newest solar charging system for transport refrigeration unit (TRU) batteries features an innovative design that conveniently fits on top of the transport refrigeration unit TRU. Carrier Transicold is a part of Carrier, a leading global provider of innovative heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, fire, security and building automation technologies.
The new TRU-Mount Solar Charging System delivers 2.0-amp power delivery by combining ultrapure silicon cells with a high-performance charge controller.
“With a significantly smaller footprint than our prior solar panels, the new system provides up to 18% greater power delivery for faster, more complete charging of a 12-volt TRU battery, helping ensure uninterrupted performance,” said Jason Forman, associate director, Sales & Marketing, Performance Parts, Carrier Transicold.
Solar panels are being widely adopted by refrigerated haulers to help offset battery draws from ancillary devices, such as fuel-level sensors, interior trailer lighting and telematics systems. During periods when the TRU is not running, such power draws can potentially drain the battery too low to start the TRU engine, resulting in a service callout or battery replacement. Solar panels can also help conserve fuel by minimizing the need to run the TRU engine to charge the battery.
The innovative panel design provides a custom fit on the narrow, curved top surface of Carrier Transicold X4™ and X2™ series trailer refrigeration units and Vector™ 8000 and 6000 series units. The charge controller is integral to the panel, which simplifies installation.
“The location of the TRU-Mount panel has multiple advantages,” Forman said, “The lower positioning on the TRU makes it less susceptible to overhead scrapes that can affect trailer-top-mounted panels. Unlike some competitive units, Carrier’s TRU-Mount system is not suspended over the exhaust path, helping to avoid efficiency losses that occur when solar cells are exposed to high temperatures. The system also conveniently stays with the TRU if the TRU is removed and reinstalled on another trailer.”
The panel uses three engineered layers to maximize strength and efficiency. The light-trapping upper layer is scratch-, impact- and weather-resistant. The middle layer is composed of uncut monocrystalline cells that maximize output and minimize power loss from intermittent shading. The copper bottom layer serves as a heat sink that keeps the panel cooler for greater efficiency.
The new TRU-Mount Solar Charging System is now available for field installation and will be offered as a factory-installed option later this year. For additional details, turn to the experts in Carrier Transicold’s North America dealer network.
About Carrier Transicold
Carrier Transicold helps improve transport and shipping of temperature-controlled cargoes with a complete line of equipment and services for refrigerated transport and cold chain visibility. For 50 years, Carrier Transicold has been an industry leader, providing customers around the world with advanced, energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable container refrigeration systems and generator sets, direct-drive and diesel truck units, and trailer refrigeration systems. Carrier Transicold is a part of Carrier, a leading global provider of innovative HVAC, refrigeration, fire, security and building automation technologies. For more information, visit www.transicold.carrier.com. Follow Carrier on Twitter: @SmartColdChain.
Fewer plantings of California leafy greens are expected to result in less shipments during the next few months. This is because of declines in foodservice demand related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
RaboResearch conversations with vegetable shippers reveal they are likely to cut acreage by 10 to 15 percent over the next 60 days.
Because of reduced demand over the past six weeks, growers for foodservice have walked away from fields. Many are hoping to redirect shipments to retailers.
The acreage not being used now represents 50 to 85 percent of the land normally planted for product destined to restaurants, schools and other foodservice accounts. Vegetables generally are directed to foodservice accounts more than fruits. Tomatoes and lettuce are two of the higher volume vegetables going to foodservice.
About 15 percent of fresh fruit is shipped for foodservice.
Retail performance
Increased shipments to retail have helped compensate for lagging foodservice demand.
Retail statistics for the four weeks ending April 12 reveal fresh produce sales increased 17 percent compared with the same period last year.
Fresh fruit sales were up about 9 percent for the four-week period, while fresh vegetable sales were up 25 percent.
Orange sales for the period were up 55 percent, but sales of grapes, melons and pears were down.
The 25 percent overall increase in vegetables was highlighted by gains in potatoes and sweet potatoes, at 80 percent and 55 increases, respectively.
Packaged salad sales for the four-week period ending April 12 were up only 7 percent.
On the plus side foodservice shipments are likely to increase when states end lockdowns.
In recent years Texas has been accounting for a growing share of Mexican imports.
Grow Farms Texas of Donna notes volume gains range from Mexican berries to broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and celery and the company believes this is only the beginning..
USDA statistics reveal 2019 crossings of Mexican open field tomatoes were twice as high in Pharr, Texas, compared with Nogales, Ariz., and crossings of Mexican adapted environment-grown tomatoes were just 9 percent less in Pharr than in Nogales.
An important factor in the growth of Mexican imports through South Texas is the proximity to population centers, especially in the eastern half of the U.S.
In the next five to 10 years, Grow Farm Texas believes avocados will continue to grow along with tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, lettuce and bell peppers.
USDA reports market shares for U.S. ports of entry for select commodities show:
- Avocados: Nogales, Ariz., 2 percent; Pharr, Texas, 45 percent; Tampa, Fla. (boat), 1 percent; Laredo, Texas, 51 percent, Otay Mesa, Calif., 1 percent; Progreso, Texas, 1 percent.
- Cauliflower: Pharr, Texas, 58 percent; Otay Mesa, Calif., 9 percent; Rio Grande City, Texas, 26 percent; Nogales, Ariz., 7 percent.
- Watermelon: Progreso, Texas, 21 percent; Rio Grande City, Texas, 3 percent; Pharr, Texas, 1 percent; Nogales, Ariz, 72 percent.
Good hauling opportunities should happen this spring with fruit and vegetable shipments from California’s thanks primarily to near ideal weather conditions.
Monterey County, which encompasses the valley, produced about $2.8 billion worth of vegetables in 2018, the latest year for which statistics are available from the county agricultural commissioner’s office, and just over $1 billion worth of fruit.
Coastline Family Farms of Salinas will ship about 25 kinds of mixed vegetables, including iceberg lettuce, romaine, romaine hearts, leaf lettuces, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, green onions, kale and spinach.
Coastline expects to be down overall with vegetable shipments, although its early season volume should be about the same as last year. Later season loadings look to be down because of fewer plantings due to competition from other growing areas during the peak growing season and because of the impact of COVID-19.
Misionero Vegetables LLC of Gonzalez, CA. has year-round programs for salads, value-added lettuces and mostly organic vegetables. The grower-shipper grows in the desert during the fall and winter and transitions back to the Salinas Valley for spring and summer.
Bengard Ranch Inc. Salinas is shipping Iceberg lettuce, romaine, romaine hearts, broccoli, cauliflower, green leaf and red leaf. Additionally, the company is shipping celery from Oxnard that will switch to Salinas in June.
Lucky Strike Farms of Burlingame, CA notes while shipments are rolling along, distribution avenues are going to change drastically until restaurants open again. Although restaurants in California were closed because of the outbreak, more than half were open for takeout orders. The company handles a full line of vegetables, citrus, some melons and fruit.
California Giant Berry Farms of Watsonville, CA reports Salinas berries are showing good quality. It’s blackberry loadings got underway in May and continue. Raspberries started in mid May and blackberries should be ready for harvest by the middle of June.
Grower-shippers in California’s Kern County say they started on-time start with this season’s vegetable shipments, in spite of heavy rainfall.
Danny Andrews Farms of Bakersfield, CA reports minor delays due to rain on the start of lettuce and cabbage, but harvest of those items began April 13.
Andrews started vegetable shipments with iceberg lettuce, green and red cabbage. The company will have carrots in June and melons in July.
It remains to be seen whether the rains will adverse affect quality and yields of melons.
Johnston Farms of Edison, CA wrapped up citrus shipments in mid-April and started its potato season nearly a week ago, with peppers expected by June 1.
Kirschenman Enterprises Inc. of Edison, CA started its potato season with shipments from the Coachella Valley, and now is focusing on its Bakersfield crop which includes white, red and yellow spuds.
The company expects to launch its table grape season in Kern County at the end of June. Kirshenman reports the grape industry expects to have 10 percent less volume this year, not because of COVID-19, but due to overproduction, declining markets, and some grape varieties being pulled in favor of new varieties.
TD Produce Sales of Bakersfield started shipping white potatoes in late April and red and yellow potatoes in early May.
Teen age boys who are at higher risk for heart disease than their peers may benefit from eating a lot of strawberries, according to a recent small study.
“The literature to date strongly supports the concept that the regular consumption of strawberries can be associated with improvements in cardiovascular health,” according to a University of California-Davis news release.
The study by UC-Davis researcherss Roberta Holt, Carl Keen and others, “Effects of short-term consumption of strawberry powder on select parameters of vascular health in adolescent males,” was published in the Food & Function journal. The study is the result of the 2019 Berry Health Benefits Symposium.
The goal of the study is to better inform dietary recommendations about the amount and frequency of strawberry intake to support cardiovascular health at each life stage.
The research team prioritized teenagers for their study because heart disease risk can begin in childhood.
The study used only 25 teens, recording results an hour after consumption and again a week later. More studies, especially longer-term studies, are needed in a variety of populations because many factors influence how polyphenols in strawberries affect the heart, according to the release.
Freight volumes and rates took a hit in April thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic., according to transportation analysis firm DAT.
Transportation analysis company DAT of Portland, OR reports in a news release its DAT Truckload Volume Index, a measure of dry van, refrigerated (reefer) and flatbed loads moved by truckload carriers, fell 19 percent from March and 8 percent from April 2019.
“With so many businesses closed or operating at low capacity, truckload shipments have plunged, which put spot rates in dangerously low territory for owner-operators and small carriers,” Ken Adamo, chief of analytics at DAT, said in a news release. “Some carriers parked their trucks to wait for better business conditions, but there’s still lots of available capacity as a result of the low volumes, which has kept rates down.”
The April load-to-truck ratio for vans was 1.0 nationally, which DAT said was the lowest level since February 2016. In fact, for three weeks in April, the ratio was less than 1.0, meaning there were more trucks than freight posted on the DAT network, according to the release.
For the week of April 7, the USDA reported that fruit and vegetable truckload volumes were 110,327 (10,000-pound) units, down from about 147,016 units for the week of April 2 a year ago.
Spot reefer volumes were weak but ended April on an upward trend as fruit and vegetable harvests started to get underway. DAT said the reefer load-to-truck ratio was 1.7 in April compared to 5.6 loads per truck in March, matching at all-time low in April 2017.
The national average reefer spot rate was $1.92 per mile, down 25 cents compared to March and 23 cents lower year over year. according to DAT.
U.S. average diesel costs were much lower, at $2.39 per gallon in early May compared with $3.17 per gallon a year ago.
Truck Demand Should Improve
With the market bottoming out in April, the outlook should improve for truck demand.
Ratecast and Market Conditions Index—predictive metrics from DAT anticipate higher prices and volumes as states relax their stay-at-home orders, produce season begins and port markets like Los Angeles, Houston, Savannah, Ga. and Elizabeth, N.J., see more traffic.
“Carriers will not be able to sustain operations very long at current levels,” Adamo said in the release. “Spring produce shipping should offer some relief and put some needed upward pressure on prices in May.”
(PEACH COUNTY, GEORGIA) – Georgia Peach growers are anxiously awaiting first harvest of what is shaping up to be the best crop in years. Harvest is expected to begin around the 15th of May and continue through the 15th of August.
Genuine Georgia expects to pack nearly 3 million boxes of Georgia Peaches during the summer months. Offering convenient Grab-and-Go 2-pound bags as well as fresh peaches sold loose by the pound or the each.
With the current situation surrounding COVID-19, many retailers are expecting a huge lift in southern peach sales this summer.
“Many are touting fresh peaches as the feel-good fruit of the summer. With these uncertain times, we’re glad to be able to support our peach partners throughout the summer season. Everyone needs a taste of familiar comfort these days and we’re ready to bring back some normalcy to consumers nationwide with the juicy, healthy and unmatched flavor of a Georgia peach,” says Will McGehee, partner with Genuine Georgia.
“Retailers have the opportunity to merchandise peaches according to their shopper’s preference,” said Duke Lane III.
2020 Genuine Georgia partners can look forward to customized marketing support programs featuring everything from digital ad programs, social media support campaigns, a dietitian toolkit and customer specific merchandisers highlighting sweet Georgia Peaches.
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 or to partner for the 2020 season, go to www.genuinega.com or call 478.822.9210.
By Crowley Logistics
Crowley Logistics recently expanded its on-terminal, perishables handling capabilities by constructing a new USDA inspection dock in Port Everglades, Fla. The new $1.6 million dock has capacity for 80 refrigerated (reefer) containers, more than double the previous size, to better serve perishable shippers moving fruits and vegetables into the U.S. The new dock has individual shoreside power plugs for each reefer, allowing for continuous temperature control.
“This is a one-of-a-kind investment in the perishables market,” said Pat Collins, vice president, Crowley Logistics operations. “It allows for less handling time of the reefer container and cuts out the need to move the container to a separate location for separate USDA inspections. It also allows our trucking partners quicker access to assigned loads facilitating a quicker terminal turn time, allowing them to make more trips per day. Overall, it’s another upgrade we’ve made to more efficiently speed goods to market.”
Once a vessel arrives in Port Everglades, Crowley unloads the reefers first, which allows them to be immediately moved to the expanded dock for inspection and quickly released for immediate customer pick-up. If further inspection or fumigation services are required, Crowley offers a local service for that as well.
While reefers are at the inspection dock, they use electric power sources, allowing their diesel-powered generators to be turned off – a more environmentally friendly power option. The additional electric plugs expand the overall plug-in capacity for the terminal to over 260 plugs.
The new dock also has integrated features to promote safety for employees assigned to it. LED lighting facilitates brighter visibility for both our employees and our regulatory partners. Construction includes poured concrete and steel designed to withstand hurricane conditions and the everyday wear and tear of a marine terminal. And, the newly installed safety interlocked shore power receptacles have an LED indicator light to indicate to the reefer mechanic that the cable is energized.