Posts Tagged “feature”
SANTIAGO, CHILE — The Chilean cherry industry has reached a milestone as an industry, overtaking the historic cherry export limit of 20 million cartons, by shipping more than 30 million cartons during the current 2017-18 season; a figure that is expected to keep rising as exports continue.
“Up until last week we had reached more than 27 million cartons exported, but with the shipment that went out at the weekend, the industry has now overtaken 30 million cartons, the equivalent of 150,000 tons of cherries,” announced Cristian Tagle, President of the Cherry Committee of the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association (ASOEX).
According to Tagle, the volume reached to date has now surpassed the record 2014-15 campaign, when Chile exported over 21.7 million cartons or 103,081 tons of cherries.
“We estimate that Chilean cherries will continue to supply the Chinese market past Chinese New Year, which takes place on 16 February,” he said.
Tagle noted that the record exports have only been possible thanks to growers receiving favorable climatic conditions, particularly at the start of the season. However, he added that the achievement was also the result of hard work by producers and exporters, which had led to a greater planted area and an emphasis on better-tasting, more productive varieties, as well as the implementation of technologies that have enabled improved management and care of orchards.
ASOEX President Ronald Bown commented: “As we reach the record volume that we forecast, we have planned an important and intensive promotional campaign. The good news is we are ready and investing to boost consumption of these high volumes that are now a reality, particularly through promotional actions in China, which is the principle market for Chilean cherries.”
Of the 150,000 tons of Chilean cherries exported to date, some 89.1% was shipped to Asia, with China accounting for 94% of this total. In terms of other export destinations, the U.S. received 4.8% of the total volume, followed by Europe (2.4%), Canada (0.4%) and the Middle East (0.1%).
The Port of Savannah will soon see its container capacity increase with the addition of four cranes to help move those containers. The port is the largest single container facility in the U.S.
The four Neo-Panamax cranes arrived in late November, bringing the total number of the cranes at the facility to 30. Six more cranes are scheduled to arrive in 2020, and when all are operational, the port will be able to move 1,300 containers an hour, according to a news release.
“(As) we reflect on all the success we’ve enjoyed, we also look forward to the new era of prosperity these cranes will help usher in,” Georgia Ports Authority board chairman Jimmy Allgood said in the release. “Our considerable investments today ensure Georgia’s ports reputation for excellence.”
Upgrades to the Mason Mega Rail Terminal will double the Port of Savannah’s annual rail capacity to 1 million container lifts, expanding the port’s access to the Midwest.
The Neo-Panamax cranes can lift containers 152 feet above the dock and the booms reach out 192 feet. Each crane can lift 72 tons. The cranes operate over nine berth spaces.
All of the new cranes, a $47-million investment, will be operational by April.
L.A. is now receiving imported Chilean fruit….U.S. apple shipments are cranking up with the New Year.
The port of Los Angeles received its first breakbulk vessel shipment of Chilean summer fruit just before Christmas.
The ship unloaded 227,000 boxes of fresh cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots and table grapes on December 22. The fruit was primarily delivered by truck to North American markets west of the Rockies, from Southern California to Vancouver, British Columbia, and reaching into West Texas.
The Chilean fresh fruit import season usually runs from December to April. Last season, the port handled more than 82,000 metric tons of Chilean fresh fruit, which accounts for nearly 20 percent of all fruits and vegetables imported through Los Angeles.
U.S. Apple Shipments
There will be plenty of apple shipments in 2018, although U.S. volume will not be setting any records, according to a report from the U.S. Apple Association, based in Vienna, VA.
National apple volume, projected by the USDA in 2017, was for 248.7 million bushels, which would be below the record shipments of 281.3 million in 2014 and 268.4 million in 2016. The 2016 crop was the fourth-largest of all-time.
When the USDA’s estimated 2017 crop of 248.7 million bushels is included, the five-year rolling average of annual apple production stands at 257 million bushels, which is more than 2 million bushels greater than the previous record 5-year average of 255 million bushels in the period from 1994-98.
Washington led U.S. apple shipments with an estimate of 142.3 million bushels designated for the fresh market, according to USDA. New York was next, at 28 million, and Michigan, third, at 20.3 million.
A year ago, Michigan was No. 2-ranked in production, behind Washington, with 28 million boxes.
Washington state is shipping about 2500 truckload equivalents per week, while New York and Michigan are shipping around 150 truck equivalents of apples weekly.
Apples from the Yakima Valley and Wenatchee Valley of Washington – grossing about $8000 to New York City.
By Mucci Farms
KINGSVILLE, ON – Mucci Farms (the “company”) recently announced a large-scale, multi-year investment in Huron, Ohio. The company confirmed it was starting a multi-year, three phase construction project which will cover a total of 60 acres and feature the newest and latest state of the art greenhouses equipped with grow lights which extend the growing season. The constructed facility will also include a 272,000 sq. ft. distribution warehouse to support the company’s growing U.S. customer base. The company has already broken ground on the first phase which is the construction of a 24-acre range and expects produce from this facility will be available as soon as March 2018.
This new, state-of-the-art facility will include the latest grow light technology which simulates sunlight by providing or supplementing the necessary light to optimize plant growth. The use of this grow technology allows for year-round production, keeping our produce – “always in season”.
Mucci Farms already has a sustainable, successful business with a well recognized brand with a number of large U.S. retailers.
Expanding operations to include a U.S. growing facility was strategically done to meet U.S. customer demands for locally grown, year round, fresh and favourful produce.
Making this investment in Ohio allows us to reduce the food miles for our U.S. retailers and gives our U.S. consumers the confidence that they can bring fresh and flavourful Mucci Farms’ produce into their homes all year round.
The company has been actively exploring a number of U.S. expansion opportunities for the past 18 months and the site located in Huron, Ohio was a perfect fit due to its easy access to a number of current and potentially new retailer distribution facilities as well as its proximity to our corporate headquarters in Kingsville, ON.
The company has enjoyed establishing a number of working partnerships during the development stages of this expansion with the City of Huron and Erie County officials and the Company looks forward to what it expects will be a number of promising opportunities for continued community partnerships ahead.
The company anticipates when the first phase of construction is completed it will employ up to 100 full-time positions. The company expects this number will increase to 250 full-time positions by the completion of the third phase of construction.
Fresh potato shipments out of the Red River Valley of North Dakota and Minnesota are expected to be the largest volume in possibly a quarter of a century. Also, in Washington state, Henningsen Cold Storage is building a new cold storage.
About five million hundredweight(cwt.) of red as well as yellow potatoes should be shipped this season. During the ’60s and ’70s the Red River Valley actually shipped more spuds. However, there were a lot more wash plants in those days before consolidations took place. There also was not nearly the competition from potato producing regions in other parts of the country.
Another change in the valley has come with production of yellow potatoes. Volume has tripled over the past six year and now accounts for about 18 percent of the tonnage. Most of the balance comes with the more traditional red potato.
The valley has historically had transportation problems with shortages of trucks. Part of the problem was truckers having difficulty getting loads into the sparsely populated region. However, new federal regulations requiring electronic logging devices are making it even more difficult as many drivers are forced to reduce the number of hours they operate.
Red potatoes from Grand Forks, ND to Chicago – grossing about $2000.
Henningsen Cold Storage
by Henningsen Cold Storage Co.
HILLSBORO, Ore. — Henningsen Cold Storage Co. announces plans to build a new 5-million cubic foot temperature controlled warehouse to support the growing demand of customers in the Yakima Valley and Columbian Basin regions of Washington state. Construction will begin immediately with completion in the summer of 2018.
Grandview is located near the eastern border of Yakima County in south-central Washington State, and is equidistant, 40 miles, from the city of Yakima and the Tri-Cities of Richland, Pasco and Kennewick. It is in the heart of a thriving agri-business region and is an excellent distribution point to services customers throughout the entire Pacific Northwest.
The new location will offer over 20,000 pallet positions, with a variety of configurations and temperature ranges. It is designed to accommodate both production support and high-volume distribution business. A flexible racking design and layout will enable Henningsen to meet the needs of a wide variety of customer requirements.
Henningsen Transportation Services will augment the operation by offering local, regional and nationwide transportation services to manufacturers, retail and foodservice distributors, and international customers utilizing the new facility. About Henningsen Cold Storage Co.
Henningsen Cold Storage Co. is one of the largest public refrigerated warehousing companies in the U.S., with 11 facilities in six states providing 60 million cubic feet of temperature controlled storage. Henningsen is a fifth-generation family owned corporation with roots dating to 1923. To learn more about Henningsen, visit www.henningsen.com
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Raw broccoli sprouts, a rich source of potential cancer-fighting compounds, have become a popular health food in recent years. But conventional heat treatment used to kill bacteria on produce can reduce levels of the broccoli sprouts’ helpful phytochemicals. Now researchers report in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry that high-pressure processing could wipe out harmful bacteria while maintaining high concentrations of its health-promoting ingredients.
I’m not sure where 2017 went, but ready or not I’m plowing right into 2018!
I’ve been very blessed in many ways, one of which is the way HaulProduce.com continues to have more folks signing up for our free subscriptions. This tells me you are finding worthwhile information here relating to produce hauling, as well as other news such as the health benefits of eating fresh fruits and vegetables.
There have now been over 1900 posts published on the website since it was launched on January 12, 2012. Six years! Where has the time gone!
The primary sponsors of HaulProduce – Allen Lund Co., Cool Runnings, and DMTB, I have personally known the owners a combined 105 years! They are all good, honest people that I can’t say enough good things about. The bottom line is they care about maintaining impeccable business reputations and they truly care about the trucking industry and particularly the hard working Americans that deliver well over 9o percent of the fresh produce to destinations across North America.
So, here is a shout out to 3 of the finest men I’ve ever known – Allen Lund, Fred Plotsky and Jimmy DeMatteis.
It looks like we are entering another cycle in the trucking industry. If you are old enough you have witnessed several of these over the years. The economy slows down, excess equipment is out there and freight rates plunge. Luckily, it looks like what started in 2017 is just really getting started with this new cycle in trucking. The economy is picking up, equipment and qualified drivers are harder to find, and freight rates are on the rise.
Of course, we can always count on the federal and state governments to put a damper on things, particularly with more rules, regulations and taxes, most of which seem to do more harm than good, and often increase costs of operation.
I continue to be amazed, especially with the owner operators and small fleet owners, that continue to persevere.
This is wishing each of you much happiness and health in the New Year. – Bill Martin
2017 had its share of bad weather conditions of different varieties that presented challenges for produce truckers.
Heavy snows early in the year resulted in collapsing buildings in the Northwest holding onions, among other items. During the spring a Southeastern killer freeze wiped out the majority of peaches and blueberries.
On the Gulf Coast and in Florida two hurricanes were devastating.
On the positive side, winter rains eased the California drought significantly.
Citrus hauling was adversely affected with Irma causing at least $760 million in losses to citrus, with many growers losing at least half of their crop. Vegetable and strawberry shipments also were adversely affected by Irma, but not nearly as much.
Banana imports by boat were diverted from Galveston to Florida ports after the storm. The port of Houston remained closed for months. The 50 inches of rain dumped on the Gulf Coast area was the most on record in the U.S. for a single storm.
In Georgia, a March freeze knocked out 70 percent of the peach shipments and an even higher percentage of blueberries.
Wave after wave of late-winter rains flooded fields, caused crop delays and played havoc with planting schedules and ultimately produce shipping schedules in California. However, Salinas Valley produce grower and shippers were so desperate for rain they weren’t complaining.
The rains brought a much-needed cleansing of the soil in the Salinas Valley by helping to leach unwanted salts below the farmed portions of the soil. Still California needs another two or three years like 2017 to end its drought.
In January 2017 in the Treasure Valley region of Western Idaho and Eastern Oregon, two major snow storms in less than two weeks resulted in collapsing of a number of onion storage sheds and other structures. At least eight onion companies lost one or more buildings, while at least five had three or more cave in.
In 2016 Washington state shipped 120 million pounds of blueberries, which was six times more than a decade earlier and is now America’s largest blueberry shipper. In 2017 the final total was more like 132 million pounds. In 2018, if growing conditions cooperate, the state’s blueberry shipments could hit 145 million pounds.
Blueberry shipments from Washington occur basically over a five-month period from early June until the middle of October. This is longest season of any blueberry producing state in America. The first berries of the season come out of Eastern Washington, followed by Northwest Washington.
The biggest volume blueberry counties in Washington are Whatcom, Snohomish and Skagit on the westside of the state and Benton and Franklin counties in Eastern Washington.
Before long, Washington blueberry shipments could reach 200 million pounds annually.
Washington surpassed Georgia in 2015 when it became the nation’s top blueberry producer. Coming in 3rd with blueberry shipments is Michigan, followed by Oregon.
Washington has about 18,000 acres of “blues,” with about 5,000 acres located in the eastern part of the state, which now produces about 40 percent of this state’s blueberries. Eastern Washington has some of the largest blueberry growers in the world.
Whatcom County in Northwest Washington is the leading county in the state for production of blues, accounting for about 7,000 acres of blueberries. Production there has doubled in the past eight years. Notably, a third of those plants are 4 years old or younger.
Across the state there is a lot of new production from young fields and in 2016 at least 1,000 new acres of blueberries were planted. Organic blueberries now make up about 25 percent of the total crop. This follows a worldwide trend where production has increased 40 percent between 2012 and 2016. An astounding number is that between 1994 and 2014, U.S. blueberry consumption increased 599 percent!
Washington state has four sectors of blueberry production: organic fresh, organic processed, conventional fresh and conventional processed.
Blueberry production in Washington has grown so fast it doesn’t have the capacity to pack all of its fresh or processed crop. It is estimated at least 40 percent of Washington’s blueberry crop is packed or processed out of state. Oregon and British Columbia are primary destinations. But more than 2 million pounds each also are shipped to Idaho and California for packing.
Bamford Produce Co. Ltd., based in Mississaugua, ON, announced it has reserved the all-electric Class 8 Tesla trucks, as part of its long-term environmental sustainability vision to reduce its carbon footprint.
“As one of Ontario’s most long-standing produce distributors with more than 75 delivery and transport trailer vehicles in operation across the province on a daily basis, we recognized the opportunity that the new eco-friendly Tesla trucks presented in enabling our business to put in motion a plan to significantly reduce our carbon emissions,” said Steve Bamford, owner of Bamford Produce and Group of Cos.
Although production of the Tesla all electric trucks is expected to begin in 2019, Bamford Produce is confident in the decision to secure the new trucks.
“The Tesla trucks align well with our commitment to continually enhance our operations towards more sustainable business practices, as well as our dedication to provide safe and fresh produce and efficient distribution services to our customers,” said Bamford. “We anticipate that this investment will have an immense impact on our efficiencies and savings in the areas of fuel costs and fleet maintenance, and more importantly, will ensure a greater measure of safety on the roads for our trucking employees, in particular for those servicing the long haul routes.”
Tesla semi trucks can operate for 500 miles on a single charge, and the company guarantees zero breakdowns for 1 million miles and estimates a 20 percent reduction in costs when compared to diesel trucks.
About Bamford Produce
The Bamford Family is one of founders of the Ontario Food Terminal in 1954.
Before 1954, the hub for produce wholesaling was St. Lawrence Market in downtown Toronto. This is where James Bamford and Sons Produce was located. The company has been thriving since 1881. This translates to 132 years of experience.
After years away from the Ontario Food Terminal, The Bamford Family returned in 2003 with the acquisition of the Fresh Advancements stall.
Fresh Advancements marks the 4th Generation of Bamfords in the produce industry. Since 2003, the single stall has expanded to three stalls. Together with Freshline Foods, our processing and fresh cut division, along with Bamford Produce, our food service distribution division, the Bamford Family is uniquely positioned to service wholesalers, retailers and the food service industry
Today we are made up 6 companies that allow us strategic vertical integration that helps us maximize efficiencies and offer all our customers a very unique diversified model. These include; Farming/Growing and Packing Operations in Ontario, with Bay Growers and Bamford Family Farms located in Georgian Bay.
We also have our own Freight Division, FA International Logistics, which includes our own fleet of tractor-trailers specifically delivering product to our companies direct from growers all over North America, and global DSD services for retail and food service.