Posts Tagged “feature”
Prayers of thanks and special Thanksgiving ceremonies are common among almost all religions after harvests and at other times. The Thanksgiving holiday’s history in North America is rooted in English traditions dating from the Protestant Reformation. It also has aspects of a harvest festival, even though the harvest in New England occurs well before the late-November date on which the modern Thanksgiving holiday is celebrated.
In the English tradition, days of thanksgiving and special thanksgiving religious services became important during the English Reformation in the reign of Henry VIII and in reaction to the large number of religious holidays on the Catholic calendar. Before 1536 there were 95 Church holidays, plus 52 Sundays, when people were required to attend church and forego work and sometimes pay for expensive celebrations. The 1536 reforms reduced the number of Church holidays to 27, but some Purtians wished to completely eliminate all Church holidays, including Christmas and Easter.
The holidays were to be replaced by specially called Days of Fasting or Days of Thanksgiving, in response to events that the Puritans viewed as acts of special providence. Unexpected disasters or threats of judgement from on high called for Days of Fasting. Special blessings, viewed as coming from God, called for Days of Thanksgiving. For example, Days of Fasting were called on account of drought in 1611, floods in 1613, and plagues in 1604 and 1622. Days of Thanksgiving were called following the victory over the Spanish Armada in 1588 and following the deliverance of Queen Anne in 1705. An unusual annual Day of Thanksgiving began in 1606 following the failure of the Gunpowder Plot in 1605 and developed into Guy Fawkes Day on November 5.
Pilgrims and Puritans who emigrated from England in the 1620s and 1630s carried the tradition of Days of Fasting and Days of Thanksgiving with them to New England. The modern Thanksgiving holiday tradition is traced to a to a well-recorded 1619 event in Virginia and a sparsely documented 1621 celebration at Plymouth in present-day Massachusetts. The 1619 arrival of 38 English settlers at Berkeley Hundred in Charles City County, Virginia, concluded with a religious celebration as dictated by the group’s charter from the London Company, which specifically required “that the day of our ships arrival at the place assigned … in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perpetually kept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God.” The 1621 Plymouth feast and thanksgiving was prompted by a good harvest.
Wishing all of you a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving.
North Dakota’s 2018 potato shipping forecast is set at 23.7 million cwt, and Minnesota’s at 18.1 million; down 3 percent and 2 percent respectively from last year, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Harvested acres are estimated at 73,000 in North Dakota; down 1,000 acres from 2017, while Minnesota acres dropped to 43,000; down 2,500 from last year. Average yield in North Dakota is 325, down 5 cwt. from 2017, while Minnesota’s average yield is forecast at 420, up 15 cwt. per acre from last year.
The Red River Valley of Eastern North Dakota and Western Minnesota is the nation’s largest red potato growing and shipping region.
The Red River Valley is unlike anywhere else. A beautiful stretch of land between the rolling plains of North Dakota and the lakes and forests of Minnesota. It isn’t your traditional valley, it’s nestled on flat, fertile ground that follows the coils of the mighty Red River as it flows north from South Dakota to Canada.
The Red River Valley is the bottom of what was once Lake Agassiz, a massive glacial lake larger than even the mighty Great Lakes. As the huge glacier plowed over the land, it deposited a layer of silt, clay, sand and rock that slowly transformed into the valley’s rich soil, setting the area up to become one of the world’s most successful farming regions.
The soil is what sets the Red River Valley apart. The rich, dark soil is perfect for growing potatoes. While its black color is distinct, one truly gains an appreciation for the valley’s loam soil when they see it up close and handle it for themselves. This nutrient-rich dirt is the reason why Red River Valley potatoes taste so good.
The continental climate of this area is also a large part of why the Red River Valley produces the world’s best potatoes. Its growing season is short, lasting for only five months, but the growing days are long with as many as 16 hours of sunlight per day. The Red River Valley boasts a consistent dose of precipitation. With most crops watered by prairie rain instead of irrigation, potatoes from the Red River Valley are rich in flavor that only Mother Nature can provide.
With the Red River Valley’s uniquely ideal growing conditions, it’s easy to see why the potato was one of the first crops to be grown here. The first potatoes were planted near Pembina, North Dakota, during the 19th century and served as a valuable food source for fur traders. As settlements were established in the valley throughout the 1800s, the potato remained a mainstay vegetable. At the beginning of the 20th century, potatoes began to be produced commercially, with the first commercial planting done near Hoople, North Dakota. During WWII, the potato industry quickly expanded in the Red River Valley, as it built a reputation for its high-quality seed production and its red-skinned potatoes known as “Red River Valley Reds.”
Red River Valley potatoes – grossing about $2125 to Chicago.
Emerson has introduced a real-time tracker designed to curb thefts, with an emphasis on security of imported goods.
The GO Real-Time Secure Tracker uses GPS tracking technology and security measures that are compliant with the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) program that expedites certain loads through customs. A steel locking bolt guards against theft while shipments are on the road or being shipped on the water, according to a news release.
The GO Real-Time Secure Tracker will alert users if a container door has been opened or if shipments diverge from a programmed course.
“This latest innovation from Emerson was developed to enhance supply chain security, reduce the financial loss from stolen cargo, and assist law enforcement in the recovery of high-value items,” Frank Landwehr, vice president and general manager, said in the release.
Bananas Shelf Life
Big benefits to the banana supply chain are being provided by the RipeLock system, according to company officials at AgroFresh of Philadelphia.
The proprietary system couples 1-MCP technology with unique micro-perforated bag packaging to slow ripening and reduce spoilage. The net result is better shelf appeal and ripeness, providing 4 to 6 days extension in banana yellow life.
The RipeLock system was developed in the past five years and has been commercially deployed for about two years. It is a post-harvest solution slowing the ripening process for bananas and keeps the bananas from turning brown too quickly.
The modified atmosphere bag is packaged at the source and continues through the supply chain.
The bag can easily be used at shipping point, since bananas are typically packed in a liner anyway. The modified atmosphere packaging has to be securely sealed with a knot and a rubber band to make sure the exchange of gas will work as planned.
The bag also keeps the right level of oxygen and carbon dioxide so the bananas are fresh and healthy all the way through the supply chain.
When RipeLock boxes arrive at a distribution center, the active ingredient is applied to the fruit, which acts to extend the yellow shelf life of the bananas up to 6 days.
The systems also reduce fruit weight loss.
The modified atmosphere packaging prevents the bananas from dehydrating during the supply chain.
A Mexican labor dispute that broke out in late October has had U.S. avocado importers anxious, but the issue was resolved November 14th.
What Mexican growers consider low prices for their avocados was at the core of the dispute. As a result growers had installed checkpoints on all major roads in the Michoacan growing region, preventing picking crews and field trucks from entering the groves, according to the Avocado Producers and Exporting Packers Association of Michoacán (APEAM).
In the U.S., importers were becoming concerned as inventories were quickly declining. Calavo Growers Inc. of Santa Paula, CA was airing concerns of running of avocado supplies soon.
APEAM said its executives were working to resolve the issue through meetings and conversations with police agencies, the federal government and growers. The association expressed confidence these actions would soon lead to avocado shipments returning to normal.
Avocado prices began falling last August in anticipation of a bigger crop. In fact, by mid-October f.o.b. prices of a box of avocados were $12 lower than a year earlier.
Calavo estimated that the U.S. imported 1.9 million pounds of Mexican avocados from July 2017 through June 2018, and he that number was expected to be up to 2.1 million pounds for the current crop year.
McDaniel Fruit Co. of Fallbrook, CA was ware of Mexican grower disappointment in prices, but felt the lower prices were only temporary and the avocado market would rebound. Meanwhile, the quality of the Mexican avocado crop was looking very good.
Index Fresh Inc. of Riverside, CA was pointing out Mexico is expecting a slightly larger crop for the first time in five years.
Avocado supplies in the U.S. have been low due to the labor strife, although the average consumer probably didn’t notice it. Importers report it will be weeks before supplies return to normal, plus a lot of avocado supplies will not be ripe in time for Thanksgiving.
I you have loaded produce at one of the border crossings in California, Arizona or Texas then odds are those loadings have included Mexican tomatoes. The tomato is big business.
A new study by the University of Arizona points out Mexican tomatoes crossing the U.S. border contributed an estimated $4.8 billion in total economic activity to the American economy in 2016.
Even though Mexican tomatoes are grown and harvested south of the U.S. border, it supports economic activity jobs and income in the U.S. through forward and backward links in the supply chain.
A hypothetical decrease in the supply of fresh tomatoes from Mexico made by suppliers found a decrease as small as 5 percent could have a negative impact on consumers well-being, ranging in to hundreds of millions (of dollars) per year. Researchers for the study considered U.S. wholesale activity, grocery activity, foodservice sales and transportation.
According to the study, the $4.8 billion in total sales was generated through:
- $1 billion in direct wholesale activity;
- $816 million in direct grocery retail activity;
- $145 million in direct foodservice activity;
- $30 million in in-bound shipments to Canada;
- $2.8 billion from indirect and induced economic multiplier effects.
The study found that U.S. imports of Mexican tomatoes in 2016 were valued at $1.9 billion, while Canada’s tomato imports from Mexico totaled $255 million.
About 9.4 million pounds of tomatoes arrived daily to the U.S. from Mexico in 2016, with 90 percent of those imports coming through Nogales, AZ: Pharr, TX and Otay Mesa, CA.
U.S. imports from Mexico in 2016 included 1.7 billion pounds of round tomatoes, 1.5 billion pounds of roma tomatoes, 167 million pounds of grape tomatoes and 61 million pounds of cherry tomatoes, according to the study.
Those imports added $4.8 billion in economic activity, supported nearly 33,000 full and part-time jobs earning $1.4 billion in employee compensation.
In total, $2.9 billion in U.S. gross domestic product was directly and indirectly supported by the value chain delivering imported fresh tomatoes from Mexico to Canada and to U.S. consumers through grocery retail and foodservice industries. This resulted in over $400 million in federal tax revenue and roughly $350 million in state and local tax revenues.
Pleasanton, Calif. — DeltaTrak® introduces the next generation FlashLink Mini PDF In-Transit Logger.
According to Frederick Wu, President and CEO of DeltaTrak, “The FlashLink Mini PDF has been upgraded to include our patented Shadow Log® feature which sets it apart from other brands. Shadow Log® means that temperature data is recorded even if a shipper forgets to start the unit, so receivers will always be able to download trip data when a load arrives.”
The reports also have a new look, including both F° and °C scales on one chart, making it user friendly for receivers worldwide. Reports are automatically generated when the logger is plugged into the USB port of a PC, tablet, or printer, where they can be saved and shared by email in PDF and CSV formats.
The FlashLink Mini PDF has a compact, single use design that incorporates a USB connector and on-board software, making it quick and easy to access data without special reading devices or installing software. One model can be used for all domestic and export trips up to 85 days, so shippers don’t have to stock multiple brands with various recording periods.
These accurate, reliable temperature recorders are ideal for compliance with Food Safety, HACCP, FSMA, and global regulations, to verify if products have been kept within their proper temperature range. Each unit comes mounted on a bright green shipping card, making it easy to locate when a shipment arrives. A peel-away barcode label with the logger serial number can be attached to shipping documents and scanned into the shipper’s ERP system for complete traceability.
The FlashLink Mini PDF In-Transit Logger is an essential tool to help shippers, third party logistics companies, importers and exporters ensure consumer safety and deliver high quality products that are safe to eat.
About DeltaTrak®
DeltaTrak® is a leading innovator of cold chain management, environmental monitoring and food safety solutions for the food, produce, life science, and chemical industries.
Eighty percent of the nation’s domestic citrus shipments originate from California and loadings this season look favorable despite more than a month of triple digit heat. Meanwhile, a look at apple shipments in the United States reveal a double digit drop in remaining volume compared to last season.
The state has a $3.3 billion industry with over 3,000 growers farming about 320,000 acres of citrus.
Technically, the California citrus season starts each year at the beginning of October with production and lemon shipments coming out of the Imperial County. The harvest then gradually moves north to the San Joaquin Valley for mandarins and navels. This year’s crop faced 34 consecutive of temperatures well above 100 degrees. This caused citrus trees to kind of shut down, which is expected to result in fruit with a lot more smaller sizes that a year ago. Still, the industry generally believes overall quality will be good. An upside of the hot weather should be better flavor.
California citrus – grossing about $7100 to New York City.
Apple Shipments
U.S. fresh apples remaining for the 2018-19 shipping season are down 14 percent compared to a year ago. The U.S. Apple Association reports as of November 1st there were 155.5 million cartons remaining in storages. The amount of apple shipments remaining are 11 percent less compared to the five-year average of 130.3 million cartons.
Total Honeycrisp fresh apples still in storage as of November 1st were 11.15 million cartons, up 6 percent from 10.56 million cartons last year and 58 percent higher than two years ago, when 7.06 million cartons of Honeycrisp were in storage.
At the same time, fresh market gala apples remaining in storage totaled 24.4 million cartons, down from 15 pecent at 28.6 million cartons last year and off 6 pecent from two years ago. Fresh market red delicious holdings were 27.6 million cartons on November 1, down 19 percent from 34.1 million cartons a year ago and 29 percent less than holdings of 39 million cartons two years ago.
A processing/packing facility is opening by Church Brothers Farms and its processing company, True Leaf Farms. It is located just across the U.S. border in Mexico to increase year-round supplies.
The plant, in San Luis Rio Colo., south of Yuma, Ariz., will be growing whole leaf lettuce, broccoli florets, iceless broccoli and green onions with an opening anticipated by the end of the year.
The plant, at almost 111,000 square feet, will handle vegetables grown in Mexico and the U.S.
“The new facility will allow us to produce during the summer months, where in the past we were limited to only green onions and other seasonal items,” the company said in a news release. “Now we will be sourcing from Mexico year-round to meet our U.S. customers’ growing needs.”
The facility, known as CB Mexico, will be Custom Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) certified, allowing trucks to enter the U.S. faster. CB Mexico is 29 miles south of Church Brothers’ two Yuma facilities.
Other U.S. companies with facilities in the area include Kenworth, Gulfstream and Honeywell.
Earth Blend
Agrocir, a Hermosillo, Sonora, has created a Nogales sales and distribution company. The vegetable grower has been in business since the mid-1960s. The new firm is EarthBlend LLC, which expects to handle almost 4 million cases of Mexican produce this season.
EarthBlend started shipping a variety of vegetables in the October to December timeframe, running into May. These vegetables include a wide variety of hard and soft squash, green Bells, elongated red Bells, tomatillos and a handful of hot pepper varieties.
In the fall and spring seasons, EarthBlend plans to ship seedless and mini-watermelons, honeydew and cantaloupe.
The majority of EarthBlend’s production will be coming from Agrocir’s Hermosillo and Guaymas, Sonora farms. Independent growers are located throughout Sonora and Sinaloa.
Agrocir’s cucumbers and Bell peppers will be produced in shade houses. The squash varieties and melons are produced in open fields.
By Emerson
Kennesaw, Georgia — Emerson (NYSE: EMR) announced the release of its GO Real-Time CO2 Tracker. This latest innovation is suitable for produce shippers who manage and monitor carbon dioxide to help extend shelf life of fruit, such as berries, apples, and pears. Managing carbon dioxide is one of the methods used globally by shippers to help ensure the utmost freshness of produce. In addition to monitoring carbon dioxide levels in real-time, this new version of the popular GO Real-Time Tracker also provides valuable features such as temperature, location and light sensing coupled with real-time actionable alerts.
“In the produce industry, reputations are often built on delivering quality, fresh products safely to the consumer,” said Frank Landwehr, vice president and general manager, Cargo Solutions for Emerson. “Whether in a truck or in a sea cargo container, the GO Real-Time CO2 Tracker is another tool our customers can use to help protect their brands when their perishable shipments are in transit.”
The GO Real-Time CO2 Tracker is available now. Customers can continue to leverage the online Oversight dashboard or Oversight mobile app to help monitor shipments during transport of cargo. To download the app or for more information on end-to-end cold chain monitoring solutions, visit Emerson.com/Cargo.
About Emerson
Emerson (NYSE: EMR), headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri (USA), is a global technology and engineering company providing innovative solutions for customers in industrial, commercial and residential markets. Our Emerson Automation Solutions business is a leader in helping process and discrete manufacturers automate and optimize production processes through our best-inclass technologies and industry expertise. Our Emerson Commercial & Residential Solutions business develops technologies and services that improve human comfort, safeguard food, protect the environment, enable sustainable food waste disposal and support efficient construction and maintenance of buildings and municipal infrastructure. For more information, visit Emerson.com.
Peruvian grape imports by the U.S. are expected to increase this season, according to a new report from the USDA.
The new forecast has grape exports from Peru for the 2018-19 shipping season show an increase of 7 percent.
From October 2018 to September 2019 Peruvian grape production is predicted to rise 7 percent, totaling 540,000 metric tons, according to the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service.
“Grape production is recovering after heavy El Niño rains and unstable temperatures in early 2017 delayed harvest, reduced yields, and reduced quality,” the USDA said in the report.
With domestic consumption estimated at 271,000 metric tons, the USDA projects grape exports at 385,000 metric tons in 2018-19, up 7 percent from the previous year.
For the calendar year 2017, the USDA reported the U.S. was the top export market for Peru grape exports, taking 33 percent of the total volume.
Peru’s dry coast and 12 hours of sunlight daily, combined with irrigation, allows Peru to mature its grape crop 55 percent faster than neighboring countries, according to the report.
Grapes are grown primarily in Ica with 41 percent of the production and Piura with 22 percent of the production. The total area under cultivation, is estimated at more than 74,000 acres.
The harvest season starts in late October and continues into in April.
While the red globe variety dominates production — it remains popular in the growing Chinese market. The report notes growers are moving to higher-value varieties to supply other markets such as Crimson seedless, flame seedless, thompson seedless and sugraon.
One acre of grapes in Peru requires an initial investment of approximately $16,000, not counting the cost of land.
The report said about 30 percent of the cost of production is soil preparation and the irrigation system, 25 percent is establishing the trellis, and 14 percent goes toward the plant itself.
At $3,070 per metric ton, prices in the U.S. market were 27 percent higher than the average export price of $2,419 per metric ton in 2017. In the same period, the U.S. market represented 42 percent by value and 33 percent by volume of total Peruvian grape exports.