Posts Tagged “feature”
The face of Florida spring produce shipments long have been centered around citrus, mixed vegetables and tomatoes. This will continue to be the case in the foreseeable future, but there are some other products that have entered the picture and could provide substantially larger volume in the future.
Florida peach shipments have started in recent years, and the state is heavily promoting the stone fruit, particularly in April, when it has a shipping window pretty much to itself. Florida peaches are shipped as imported Chilean peaches are winding down, and before the product is ready in California, Georgia and South Carolina.
Asian vegetables are relatively new to Florida produce production, which are grown across the state and have a growing concentration in the St. Augustine/Hastings area of North Florida.
These items range from Chinese cabbage, to bok choy, beans, bitter melon, Chinese broccoli and many other Asian herbs and vegetables. As these items become more mainstream, there will be more loading opportunities for produce haulers.
There also has been increasing acreage with sweet potatoes in recent years. Florida has the first domestic sweet potatoes of the growing season prior to the traditional Louisiana, Mississippi, California and North Carolina sweet potato seasons that start in late summer.
Brussels sprouts are another up-and-coming crop in Florida, particularly in the Hastings area. Cabbage traditionally has been a staple crop in this area, but growers in the area have recently branched out to other crops, such as broccoli and cauliflower and Brussels sprouts.
Florida Tomato Shipments
Grower, shippers such as Oakes Farms Inc. of Immokalee and DiMare Co. of Homestead launched tomato shipments in October and continue into June. Tomato volume typically has a substainal volume increase starting in the middle of March.
Between March and May, Florida accounts for 55 percent of grape and cherry tomato shipments in the U.S. and 41 percent of the round tomatoes.
On average, Florida supplied 100 percent of temple oranges, 70 percent of sweet corn, and 55 percent of snap beans shipped the U.S. from 2014-17.
Florida produce shipments – grossing about $3200 to New York City.
Imported Mexican shipments are expected to remain steady with good volume for the next six weeks. Meanwhile, here’s a break down of U.S. potato shipments when comparing russets and other varieties.
Mexican produce shipments from bumper spring crops are now occurring Mexico with items such as tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, bell peppers, watermelon and mangoes. Table grapes, among others, will begin in a few weeks.
March and April are often seen as a secondary shipping peak for northern-grown Mexican products as demand typically increases with improving spring weather in U.S. markets. Imported Mexican produce shipments are expected to remain very steady through April.
Russet Potatoes
Russet potato shipments have been giving away, at least to a certain degree, to other varieties of spuds, although russets easily remain the category. At least this is the case from a study of potato movement from July through December. It has been a long time since russet shipments have seen an increase compared to other potato varieties.
In data collected by Nielsen, fresh russet volume was up 0.43 percent for the six-month period. Russet potatoes accounted for 66.08 percent of potato category sales, up from 65.46 percent a year ago.
Red potato shipments ranked second behind russets for the July through December period, accounting for 16.03 percent, down from 17.03 percent in the same period a year ago. Red potato sales for the six-month period were off 1.48 percent compared with year-ago numbers, and red potato volume was down 6.78 percent compared with a year ago.
The third-ranked potato category in July through December last year was yellow potatoes, accounting for 10.75 percent of total fresh potato sales compared with 9.85 percent last year. White potatoes, the fourth-ranked fresh potato category, suffered declines in volume and sales compared with a year ago.
White potato sales were off 6.20 percent compared with a year ago, while volume of white potatoes sold at retail from July through December was off 12.21 percent compared with the same period a year ago. White potato sales accounted for 5.55 percent of potato category sales, down from 6.19 percent the same period a year ago.
Fingerling potato sales account for just 0.23 percent of total potato category sales from July through December, up just slightly from 0.22 percent the same period a year ago.
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Grand Forks, ND red potatoes – grossing about $4600 to New York City; $2000 to Chicago; $2800 to Dallas.
Idaho russets – grossing about $5100 to New York City.
San Luis Valley, Colorado russets – grossing about $2200 to Chicago $4000 to New York City.
As the the port of Philadelphia’s $392 million Main Channel Deepening Project approaches completion, cargo volumes in the port are surging, according to PhilaPort.
In 2017 container cargoes grew by 19 percent, leading all ports on the Atlantic seaboard. The growth is especially significant since the port is busy implementing its $300 million capital improvement plan.
“We have a lot of exciting developments all occurring at the same time; record cargo growth, preparation for the deepened channel and the arrival of our new cranes,” said Jeff Theobald, executive director and chief executive officer of PhilaPort. “It’s all very good news and we want to make sure we support the surge in cargo with proper training and landside and infrastructure improvements.”
The first two of a total of four super post-Panamax cranes are due soon at the port’s Packer Avenue Marine Terminal. Ocean carriers are already supporting the growth by scheduling Ultra Large Container Vessels to call the port. Several 11,000 TEU vessels started calling PAMT in December and 12,200 TEU vessels are expected in the coming days. Recently the board of directors of the port of Philadelphia granted funds to the Pilots’ Association for the Bay and River Delaware to train for these new class of vessels 12,000–14,000 TEUs.
The long-anticipated completion of the Delaware River Main Channel Deepening Project from 40 to 45 feet is drawing to a close. In March, the port expects announcements on a phased approach, which will allow vessels to utilize increased arrival and departure draft depth.
| PhilaPort, the port of Philadelphia, is an independent agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania charged with the management, maintenance, marketing and promotion of publicly-owned port facilities along the Delaware River in Philadelphia, as well as strategic planning throughout the port district. PhilaPort works with its terminal operators to modernize, expand and improve its facilities, and to market those facilities to prospect port users. Port cargoes and the activities they generate are responsible for thousands of direct and indirect jobs in the Philadelphia area and throughout Pennsylvania. |
By L&M
L&M is full swing into the Florida farming season with four times more organic shipments planned in 2018. Unlike many Florida companies that are consolidating organics, L&M is growing organics on two of their own, company-owned farms in Florida.
The company is growing organic bell peppers, zucchini, cucumbers, and butternut and spaghetti squash in Branford, FL. Over in Palatka, FL, L&M has already begun harvesting organic broccoli, green and red cabbage, and kale; and will be adding red and golden beets and cauliflower into the mix this year as well.
Over the years, L&M has worked hard on its organic program, taking the same pride in their certified organic farming and packing as they do on their other farming programs, including sustainability and food safety.
“We have made great progress on our organic program and are as proud of our attention to detail and exceptional quality on organics as we are on our conventional products. So far this year we have produced some very nice organic broccoli, cabbage, and kale; and we look forward to beginning harvest of beets, peppers, cucumbers, and squash in the coming weeks” noted Adam Lytch, Operations Manager for L&M Farms.
Greg Cardamone, General Manager of Vegetables, added, “Organics is an exciting space to move into with continued growth and popularity. Year after year, consumption of organic fruits and vegetables is increasing and we are excited to be able to meet our customers’ needs with East Coast production.
“With the recent truck shortage our customers have found it valuable to be able to load their organic and conventional items together – without giving up the valuable shelf life that large cross-dock programs often bring.”
Along with increased organic farming, L&M has also developed new purple organic packaging. Most recently, L&M added new organic broccoli and cauliflower bags and tags, butt tags for organic cabbage, 3lb mesh sweet potato bags, and hard squash labels.
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South Florida vegetables – grossing about $3500 to Boston.
Pleasanton, CA — DeltaTrak’s® FlashLink BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) Wireless Monitoring Solution allows receivers to read temperature history data from the FlashLink BLE Logger without opening the vehicle doors or locating the logger inside the truck. As soon as a vehicle arrives, the smart phone application accesses data from the logger from up to ~100 feet meters away, so information is available immediately upon arrival.
| According to Frederick, president and CEO of DeltaTrak, “With the current security feature, shippers have the option to require receivers to enter an access code before they can see or download data from the BLE loggers. This gives them that extra layer of data security.” A smartphone app sends information from a mobile device to the BLE Web Application where it can be viewed remotely by authorized users. This solution is ideal for three types of applications which include 24/7 facility monitoring, pre-cooling operations, and delivery routes.
With the FlashLink BLE loggers, customers have secure access to data, immediate alert notifications, and reports in PDF and CSV formats. The FlashLink BLE logger helps suppliers maintain continuous visibility of temperature and humidity during facility monitoring and pre-cooling operations. It is ideal for thermal mapping and facility monitoring, such as in cold storage warehouses, distribution centers, greenhouses, temperature controlled processing, packing and staging areas. Alert notifications are sent to personnel which allow them to take quick corrective action before products are compromised by changes in temperature conditions. With the FlashLink BLE Wireless Monitoring Solution, pre-cooling operations will improve efficiency, increase pallet throughput and extend product shelf life. The loggers monitor produce in cooling tunnels and when required temperatures are reached alerts are sent via email or SMS notifications. Instead of pre-cooling based on time and relying on staff to take pulp temperature, this automates tracking and provides real-time temperature conditions during the process. Data can be analyzed by personnel to identify strengths and weaknesses of their operation, and assure that products are adequately cooled, while eliminating the problem of pallets not being cooled long enough. FlashLink BLE Logger settings are customizable, including device name, logging interval, and high/low alarm limits. All data is available in the cloud, where temperature and location are reviewed remotely for tracking shipments in progress, making cold chain management decisions and reports for audits, HACCP and FSMA documentation. |
By RPE
BANCROFT, Wis. — CSS Farms, a multi-state agriculture company producing onions and chip and specialty potatoes, and RPE — category leader and year-round grower/shipper of potatoes and onions — announce the selection of RPE as exclusive marketing partner of Agri-Pack, a CSS Farms subsidiary and Pasco, WA-based grower-packer-distributor of potatoes and onions.
CSS Farms Managing Partner Reagan Grabner said the partnering organizations share a collaborative mindset, strategic approach and entrepreneurial spirit, noting RPE and CSS Farms have worked effectively together since 2010 as joint venture partners in Tasteful Selections, an industry leader in the bite-size potato category, growing it from 1 ½ percent of the United States market eight years ago to 18 percent today.
Since the 2017 mid-year acquisition of Agri-Pack by CSS Farms, a commitment to positioning the business for future growth has been apparent, Larry Denke of Agri-Pack sales said. “I already have witnessed significant investment in the business to bring even more innovation to our operations in the northwest.
RPE in the past decade expanded from a company operating almost exclusively in Wisconsin to a diversified organization selling from every onion- and potato-producing state in the United States and Canada.
Russell Wysocki, RPE president, expects Agri-Pack operations to anchor a comprehensive onion program supplying food service companies, restaurants, retailers and other entities servicing and selling directly to consumers.
“Agri-Pack will be the cornerstone of an expanding onion program that contributes to growth of an entire industry, just as we have demonstrated with the potato industry during the last 10 years,” Wysocki said.
RPE as a sales and marketing entity has considerable experience working with growers and customers alike to introduce innovations while expanding the potato and onion categories.
CSS Farms, a nationwide agricultural business, provides innovative solutions and superior quality and service.
Agri-Pack is a Pacific Northwest farming and packing operation of an extensive and high-quality onion and potato crop.
RPE, a second-generation family farm, is a category leader and key grower/shipper of year-round potatoes and onions.
By CMI Orchards
WENATCHEE, WA: U.S. KIKU® growers, in the final 6-8 weeks of shipping a successful 2017 apple crop, and are making plans for the first KIKU® imports from the Southern Hemisphere.
According to George Harter of CMI Orchards, the 2017 KIKU® brand apple season was very successful despite a smaller overall harvest. “Between CMI and our partners Rice Fruit Company in (Gardners) Pennsylvania and Applewood Orchards in (Deerfield) Michigan, we had less volume to sell…,” said CMI Orchard’s George Harter.
Even with the volume reduction, Harter says that the Nielsen national scan data underscores the success of the strategy this year. The data reveals that the top 15 KIKU® retail chains nationally increased sales by 124 percent with volume up over 100 percent.
“The top 15 KIKU® retailer banners in the U.S. more than doubled their KIKU® volume for the season,” said Harter. “More importantly, they increased their volume while sustaining higher average retail prices. In a year where most retailers are experiencing significant category price deflation, having an apple brand like KIKU® drive sales and higher retail prices has been a huge win.”
Harter says the U.S. KIKU® growers will probably be completely sold out by mid May, well ahead of last year.
With supplies of domestically grown KIKU® winding down, the focus is now shifting to KIKU® imports from Chile and New Zealand. Robb Myers, Import Manager for CMI Orchards, says the company is setting plans now for the import KIKU® season beginning June 1.
“We’re expecting a strong import season on KIKU® from our growers in the Southern Hemisphere,” said Myers. The import KIKU® season will kick off in early June with supplies available through September, he added.
Myers said shipments already are being planned retailers get ready for the first of the import KIKU® arrivals on June 1.
About KIKU Apples
KIKU® brand apples come from select growers in strategic regions across the United States, and exclusively from CMI Orchards from their Southern Hemisphere partners. One of the owners of CMI Orchards (Columbia Fruit Packers) was granted the exclusive opportunity to develop the North American market for KIKU® brand apples.
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Washington apples – grossing about $4600 to Chicago.
The Port of Savannah breaks a record for volume, while a new service has been established at the Port of Pensacola.
Savannah
Savannah set a record last year for annual cargo volume by increasing 11 percent to over 4 million 20-foot equivalent units.
“This is the first time we’ve handled more than 4 million TEUs in a 12-month period, which is an important milestone for Savannah,” said Griff Lynch, Georgia Ports Authority executive director, in a Georgia Ports Authority news release.
The complex is investing in a deepening project called the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project, supported by state and federal funds as part of establishing itself as a regional cargo gateway.
With three dredges currently working in the Savannah River, the project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2021.
The port is set to break ground on the Mason Mega Rail terminal in early spring, which will double Garden City Terminal’s rail lift capacity to 1 million containers per year. That project should be finished by the end of 2020.
“What sets Savannah apart is its ability to grow capacity, increase cargo and do it in an efficient manner without congestion,” Georgia Ports Authority board chairman Jimmy Allgood said in the release.
Another project designed to increase capacity is a $3.5 million upgrade to four of the port’s ship-to-shore cranes. The port also received four Neopanamax cranes in November and is set to receive six more in 2020, for a total of 36 cranes.
Ocean Shipper Adds Route
World Direct Shipping is adding a service to Port of Pensacola, FL. It already has a regular ocean shipping route from Mexico to Port Manatee.
The new route, which started February 1st, includes weekly sailings from Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, to Pensacola. Another port in the northern region of Mexico’s Gulf Coast will be added.
“With Pensacola and Port Manatee, World Direct Shipping enhances its service network between Mexico and the Southeast United States,” Carlos Diaz, director of World Direct Shipping, in a news release.
Diaz said the Veracruz-Florida connections give more opportunities for exports through Pensacola from the Southeast U.S. Pensacola Port Director Amy Miller said the deal brings a new level of commerce to the port.
“Breaking into the container markets is a big deal for a smaller port like Pensacola,” she said in the release. “While large-scale container operations may be out of reach for us, we’ve always
known that there were smaller, niche container markets out there that made sense.”
The M/V Queen B, at 435 feet long, has the capacity for 657 twenty-foot equivalents. It is one of two ships on the Veracruz, Mexico, to Pensacola route.
Here’s a news roundup ranging from Texas onion loadings to increasing shipments by an Ontario company, as well as a Colorado produce shipper, and finally, an update on blueberry imports.
Texas Onion Shipments
South Texas onion shipments get underway within the next couple of weeks, but due to industry consolidation and decreasing numbers of onion growers and shippers over the past 15 years, there has been a 31 percent decrease in the number of onion producers and a 34 percent decrease in the number of handlers.
The Rio Grande Valley of South Texas has about 60 onion growers and about 30 shippers. Total shipments of south Texas onions were about 3 million 50-pound equivalents for the 2015-16 season,
Texas onions, Mexican imported produce – grossing about $3400 to Chicago.
Red Sun Shipments
Red Sun Farms of Lemington, ON is expanding its shipments of tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers to include Golden Sun Avocados.
Best known as a North American greenhouse grower, Red Sun Farms will be handling avocados produced in Mexico, and distributed through the company’s supply chain to service customers throughout North America.
Red Sun Farms will begin distributing the Mexican avocados during the second quarter of 2018.
Sakata Sweet Corn
Sakata Farms of Brighton, CO is changing its farming operation and discontinuing sweet corn production, and concentrating on onions and other crops.
The company is holding a farm equipment auction March 10 at 9:30 a.m. Mountain time. The company will no longer raise sweet corn, broccoli and cabbage.
Blueberry Imports
Fresh blueberry shipments take place in the U.S. the year around, made possible in large part by the increasing amount of imports from South America, which supplies product during the offseason of U.S. blueberry shippers. Chile is the leading country supplying “blues” this time of the year to the U.S., accounting for 52.7 percent of fresh cultivated blueberries over the past five years.
Since 2013, however, Mexico, Argentina and Peru significantly increased exports to the U.S. Argentina has upped exports to the U.S. by 35 percent from 2013 to 2017, Uruguay is up 46 percent and Mexico is up 414 percent.
Percentage wise, the biggest increase has come from Peru, with U.S. imports from that country up 3,971 percent from 2013 to 2017.
Overall, blueberry imports are up 44 percent.
Consumer confidence is at an all time high. Businesses are bringing back thousands of jobs and foreign investment in the United States is growing by leaps and bounds. GDP is over 3.3 percent, double the Obama years, and may top 4 percent by the end of 2018. We have a stock market at an all time high, and businesses are planning on expanding and adding new services.
Yes, the rich are getting richer, but who cares. All of your money, my money, and Bill Gates money is just a number in a bank’s computer anyway. Regardless of how you may feel about Donald Trump you must ask yourself this simple question. Are the poor among us better off with jobs that create value and pay higher wages? Or are the poor better off having to work at teenager jobs that pay minimum wage?
It is well past time that we set aside the petty emotions of envy and jealousy of the rich that are among us and face the realities of modern life. People do not and will not thrive in a socialist society. There is no such thing as “free. Everything in life must be paid for. No system is perfect and some people will always be left behind. There will be winners and losers in everything that life has to offer. But the vast majority of people are better served when they are free to prosper and grow as they desire. When people are free to use their own ideas, talents, and hard work to create value we are all better off as a society. Life does not come without risks. You will make some bad decisions and suffer the consequences from them. And we will always have the poor. They are the bottom 16 percent of the bell curve. It’s simple math folks.
The poor will always be with us, but they will be much better off in a society with a median income of $60,000 than a society with a median income of $9,000. As a free people we will prosper. Too much government is a bad thing. For some reason this is a hard lesson for some folks to learn.
(Larry Oscar is a graduate from the University of Tulsa and holds a degree in electrical engineering. He is retired and lives with his wife on a lake in Oklahoma where he brews his own beer, sails, and is a member of numerous clubs and organizations.)