Posts Tagged “feature”
Updated estimates continue to show fewer Red River Valley potatoes for hauling this season, plus here’s a look at California strawberry loads and Texas citrus.Fall Potato production in North Dakota is 20.8 million hundredweight, down 25 percent from 2015, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Yield, at 325 hundredweight per acre, is down 20 hundredweight from a year earlier. Area harvested, at 64 thousand acres, is down 16 thousand acres from 2015.
Red River Valley potatoes – grossing about $1700 to Chicago.
California Strawberry Shipments
January rains in California may have disrupted the harvest and shipments of strawberries, but the welcome moisture should bode well in the weeks and months ahead. Volume is building out of Ventura County leading up the popular St. Valentine’s Day, February 14th. Oxnard shipment should continue through April. In the meantime, light volume from the Watsonville area as well as Santa Maria will start in March.
Strawberries and vegetables from Ventura County – grossing about $6200 to New York City.
Texas Citrus Shipments
Citrus acreage in Texas is expected to increase from 27,000 acres this year to as much as 30,000 acres by next year, despite challenges like citrus greening and the Mexican fruit fly.
Most of the state’s citrus are Texas red grapefruit varieties, but there also are early and mid-season oranges, navels and valencias.
The season has been progressing smoothly and orange shipments should continue through March and possibly into April.
The firm started grapefruit in early November and expects to continue through April.
Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas grapefruit, oranges and imported Mexican vegetables and tropical fruits- grossing about $2500 to Atlanta; $2800 to Chicago and $4200 to New York City.
Vienna, VA – Floundering on New Year’s resolutions? Need an excuse to get back on track? February is American Heart Month and the perfect time for a reset. The U.S. Apple Association agrees and recommends starting each day with apples, a habit proven by multiple studies to combat many of the factors that contribute to heart disease.
The U.S. Apple Association – which represents apple growers and producers nationwide – developed a new, heart healthy Apple Smoothie Bowl recipe to celebrate American Heart Month.
“People who regularly eat apples and apple products are more likely to have lower blood pressure, trimmer waistlines and reduced levels of oxidized LDL – the bad cholesterol,” said Korenna Wilson, Director, Consumer Health, USApple. “This year marks the first time the U.S. life expectancy has dropped in decades. There’s a renewed urgency to prevent heart disease, and incorporating apples into a regular diet is just one small step we can all take now.”
“An Apple Smoothie Bowl, a new spin on the traditional morning power drink, is not only heart healthy, it’s filling and packed with energy. This recipe stars apples, bananas, granola and kale, but the fruit and vegetable combinations are endless,” Wilson added.
“Apple Smoothie Bowls”
Developed by the Seaside Baker on behalf of USApple
Makes 1 large smoothie or two small smoothie bowls
Ingredients
- 1/2 small apple, cut in quarters-seeds and stem removed
- 3/4 cup chopped kale, ribs and thick stems removed
- 1/2 banana
- 1/2 cup apple juice
- 1/2 cup ice
- Granola
- Sliced apple and other fruit for garnish
Prep
- Combine first 5 ingredients in a high powered blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour into bowls and top with granola and sliced fruit.
- Enjoy immediately.
Seeking more apple inspiration for American Heart Month? Visit USApple.org for a bounty of heart healthy recipes and details on essential apple health research.
About US Apple
U.S. Apple Association is the national trade association representing all segments of the apple industry. Members include 40 state and regional associations representing the 7,500 apple growers throughout the country, as well as more than 400 individual firms involved in the apple business. More information on the organization is available at USApple.org.
By Idaho Potato Commission
EAGLE, ID — Following an online “Fully-Loaded Idaho® Potato Cook-off” recipes event, Kenmore® awarded Crystal Schlueter’s unique and easy-to-make Mashed-Up Kimchi Reuben Tater Bombs with Sweet Onion & Gochujang Aioli the grand prize. The poppable hors d’oeuvres balance sweet onion, salty reuben, savory mashed potato filling, and spicy gochujang dipping sauce to create an unforgettable flavor experience.
In November, participants entered their favorite holiday-themed recipes to showcase their love for Idaho® potatoes. Kenmore® selected four winners, including a “Social Spud,” the most liked recipe on social media channels.
Grand Prize
Mashed-Up Kimchi Reuben Tater Bombs with Sweet Onion & Gochujang Aioli
Crystal Schlueter, Northglenn, CO
Prize: $1,500 cash + full suite of Kenmore® small kitchen appliances
2nd Place
Cream of Potato Jalapeño Soup
Tamie Joeckel, Richardson, TX
Prize: Kenmore® small kitchen appliance + 15 lb box of Idaho® potatoes
3rd Place
Beggar’s Pouch Mashers with Spinach and Parmesan
Sharon Damante, Napa, CA
Prize: Kenmore® small kitchen appliance + 15 lb box of Idaho® potatoes
Social Spud
Grandma’s Shepherd’s Pie
Anna Feliciano, Mahopac, NY
Prize: $500 + 15 lb box of Idaho® potatoes
Idaho Potato Commission President and CEO, Frank Muir, acknowledged the strength of IPC’s partnership with Kenmore® and Momma Cuisine–a well-respected cooking personality with an impressive following on Twitter–for this online event. “Idaho® potato lovers are some of the most dedicated fans out there and we knew that by partnering with Kenmore®, one of the country’s most trusted brands, and Momma Cuisine, we would get some fantastic entries,” Muir explained. “I’m impressed with the quality and creativity of the entries. Thank you to all the participants and congratulations to our winners.”
About The Idaho Potato Commission
Established in 1937, the Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) is a state agency responsible for promoting and protecting the famous “Grown in Idaho™” seal, a federally registered certification mark that assures consumers are purchasing genuine, top-quality Idaho® potatoes. Idaho’s growing season of warm days and cool nights, ample mountain-fed irrigation, and rich volcanic soil give Idaho® potatoes their unique texture, taste and dependable performance, which differentiates Idaho® potatoes from potatoes grown in other states.
For contest requirements and judging criteria see our news post from Nov. 17, 2016.
Consistent loading opportunities for imported melons are expected in coming months. However, an expected bump in avocado shipments leading up to the Super Bowl will not be as big as originally thought.
Steady imports of imported melons are seen throughout the winter season for distribution throughout the U.S. and Canada by truck.
Guatemala’s imports finished in late January, but will be ramping up again in March.
Imported Mexican watermelon volume is much better this winter and are dealing with El Niño-affected volumes like last year. Current Colima production will shift to Sonora from May through July.
Excellent fall and winter growing conditions in Guatemala have been very good for record melon yields and imports.
Mexican melons, tomatoes, vegetables crossing at Nogales, AZ – grossing about $3400 to Chicago.
Mexican Imported Avocados
There will not be any increase in imports of Mexican avocados for U.S.. produce truckers anytime soon from the state of Jalisco, which was planned for shipping in time for the February 5th Super Bowl. Avocado shipments typically increase significantly prior to the big game since it so popular with Super Bowl parties, etc. Still, there should be enough avocados to meet the demand.
Shipments from Mexico’s state of Jalisco — thought to be on track in mid-January — are expected to be delayed for three or four months. However, final clearances have not been approved and some issues apparently have to be resolved.
Jalisco’s share of Mexico’s 3.4 billion pounds of output is estimated at about 5 percent. The USDA reported that 2016-17 acreage of avocados in Jalisco totaled 44,000 acres, about 9 percent of Mexico’s total avocado acreage of 503,000 acres.
Mexico accounted for about 95 percent of U.S. avocado supply in mid-January, with light volume also noted from Chile, the U.S. and the Dominican Republic.
Mexcian avocadoes crossing through the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas – grossing about $4200 to New York City.
by Schmieding Produce
According to research from PaleoLeap, the average weight gain between Thanksgiving and Christmas is 3.5 pounds, but overweight people gain an average of 5 to 10 pounds during this time frame. January is a key month for Americans to lose weight.
“We are extremely excited about the launch of our new 100 Calorie- Skinny potato product next week,” says Scott McDulin- Vice President of Marketing/Retail Sales with Schmieding Produce. During January, everybody wants to focus on health.
“We think the January timeframe is perfect since people are actively looking for diet friendly items to help with nutritional meal planning. The Skinny potato is a 100-calorie potato that offers consumers an opportunity to use smart portion control while keeping potatoes as part of a healthy diet,” mentioned McDulin.
100-calorie products
Supermarkets are filled with 100-calorie packs of yogurt, pretzels, popcorn, snacks, etc. “Nabisco recently launched 100-calorie packs of Oreo’s,” shared McDulin. “It shows that the 100-calorie measurement resonates with today’s consumers so we wanted to add the same portion controlled serving to the potato segment.”
The serving size for this Non GMO potato is 4.8 oz. or 135g which equates to 100-calories. “Since it’s a natural product, not all potatoes will exactly have the same weight, but they will have a tight spec during sorting,” mentioned McDulin. Schmieding Produce sells the premium product in 3 lb. bags, offering approximately 10-12 potatoes in a bag.
Opportunities in declining Russet market
The development of the 100 Calorie- Skinny potato program is the result of the declining Russet market. “The potato industry is witnessing tremendous growth in the specialty segment with consumers increasingly demanding smaller, convenience-type of packs”, declared McDulin. Larger, 15 lb. bags are declining while growth of 5 lb. and 10 lb. bags is flat. “Breathing life into the Russet potato segment will provide us and the retailer tremendous incremental growth opportunities given the significant size of the overall Russet market. Today, Russets represent 53 percent of overall potato sales dollars. So, we are going to fish where the big fish are.”
Premium product
Since only 8% of potatoes fit this size profile, it will be offered at a premium. Offered in conventional and organic, the suggested retail price of $1.99 per bag for conventional and will be promoted back to $1.49. The suggested retail price of the organic alternative will be $3.49 with a $2.99 ad. It is available in Hy-Vee and other select markets across the nation.
By Larry Oscar
Well we have entered another year. Last year sure was an exciting one.
In January 2016 who would have predicted the Cubs would take the World Series? Especially after they were down three games to one. Who would have thought that Hillary Clinton would have missed her coronation as President of the United States? Especially to Donald Trump. I guess that just goes to show that nothing in this world is for certain.
It was the great New York Yankee catcher Yogi Berra that once said “It ain’t over till it’s over.” I for one would not have imagined a more exciting outcome to either of these two events. Both embody the spirit of what this country stands for…competition. Competition is something that lies at the core of what it means to be an American.
It was what drove Commodore John Cox Stevens, a charter member of the fledgling New York Yacht Club, to form a six-person syndicate to build a yacht with the intention of taking her to England and making some money competing in yachting races. On August 22, 1851, his yacht America raced against 15 yachts of the Royal Yacht Squadron in the Club’s annual 53-nautical-mile regatta. They raced around the Isle of Wight. America won, finishing 8 minutes ahead of the next yacht. Queen Victoria, who was watching America cross the finish line, was reported to have asked who was second, the famous answer being: “Ah, Your Majesty, there is no second.“
There you have it. Another high class ass hammering by a bunch of beer swilling Americans. This coming year will be the 35th defense of “The America’s Cup”. And after Oracle Team USA came from behind 8:1 to defend their crown in 2013, it’s shaping up to be one of the main events of 2017. The race will be held in Bermuda this time around. I think the Aussies and the Limeys complained about all the San Francisco high priced hotels the last go around. If they think San Fran was expensive wait until they land in Bermuda. I’ll bet the countries that compete for the America’s cup won’t get a “pc participation“ trophy.
I hope that 2017 will bring a new spirit of competition in all aspects of our country’s institutions as well. Maybe the competition for the oldest sports trophy in history will inspire some of our leaders to institute competition in our schools. Maybe in 2017 we can have a choice in where and what the children of our new generations can study. And just maybe we can have the same spirit of
fair and honorable competition spread to our corporations when they compete against foreign corporations. No more stacking the deck to achieve some politically correct outcome.
There will be winners and losers in life’s struggles. There is no disgrace in losing. There is only disgrace in failing to compete. And there is disgrace in being a poor loser. Just look at the deplorable
behavior of the left wingers who lost the election. Many of our younger generation are afraid of competition. Why, if they lose then they could “feel bad”. We are raising a bunch of wimps. The American spirit of competition is what drives capitalism. It is what has made this country the most powerful nation in the history of the world. There are no participation trophies in life. And there are no guarantees of success. But there is a guarantee of failure if you don’t compete.
For the past eight years the leadership of this country has taken us down a miserable road of political correctness and envy of other peoples success. This path has given us the
slowest economy in decades with only 1-2% growth per year. Our country is fully capable of doubling that growth rate. All we have to do is turn America’s businesses loose to freely compete without being taxed and regulated to death. Finally, we may have some wind in our sails.
(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.)
A small decrease is expected for Florida citrus shipments this season, while increases are projected for California and Texas.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates in its Jan. 12 report that Florida orange shipments will 71 million 90-pound boxes, one million less than expected in the USDA December forecast, a decrease of about 1 percent.
Loadings for midseason and navel varieties remains unchanged at 36 million boxes, but the forecast for the later valencia oranges is now 35 million, down about 3 percent from the earliered total of 36 million. These small changes are considered normal for season to season.
The good news is observers believe the citrus industry is gaining ground on fight citrus greening disease (huanglongbing) as new trees are now being planted.
The overall forecast of 71 million boxes of Florida oranges is 13% less than last season’s production.
Florida is projected to ship 9 million 85-pound boxes of grapefruit, off about 3 percent from the December forecast, with the expectation for red grapefruit steady at 7.3 million boxes and the outlook for white down from 2 million to 1.7 million.
The projection for tangerines and tangelos in Florida was up slightly to 1.52 million boxes from 1.5 million in the December forecast.
Southern and Central Florida citrus, strawberries and vegetables – grossing about $2400 to New York City.
California Citrus Shipments
California is expected to ship 53 million 80-pound boxes of oranges, up about 5 percent from the December forecast of 50.5 million. The state is expected to ship 44 million boxes of non-valencia oranges and 9 million boxes of valencia oranges. In December, the forecast was for 42 million boxes of non-valencias and 8.5 million of valencias.
The Golden State is expected to produce 4.1 million 80-pound boxes of grapefruit, up 2.5 percent from the December prediction of 4 million.
Forecasts for lemon shipments were down nearly 5 percent in California, from 21 million 80-pound boxes to 20 million, and down nearly 14 percent in Arizona, from 1.8 million to 1.55 million.
The expectation for California tangerines and tangelos was unchanged at 23 million boxes.
Southern California citrus, tomatoes and kiwifruit – grossing about $3900 to Chicago.
Texas Citrus Shipments
The Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, should ship 1.45 million 85-pound boxes of non-valencias, up from a December projection of one million, a 45 percent increase. The forecast for 350,000 boxes of valencias was unchanged from last month.
The USDA projected Texas production will be 5.3 million 80-pound boxes, up nearly 13 percent from the December forecast of 4.7 million.
In the last 10 seasons, the January citrus forecast for the various regions has deviated from final production by an average of 5 percent, ranging from 15 percent below production to 10 percent above production.
South Texas citrus, Mexican tropical fruit and vegetables – grossing about $2800 to Chicago.
By California Avocado Commission
IRVINE, Calif. – Despite some consumer media stories stating that California had a short avocado crop in 2016, the California Avocado Commission (CAC) reported that last year’s harvest was above average in volume at 401.4 million pounds. It also delivered the third highest California avocado crop value on record. However, for 2017 a smaller California avocado volume forecast will mean a tighter window for supply and shipments.
“The California avocado harvest for 2017 is projected to be around 225 million pounds, and sizing of the fruit on the trees is looking very good now,” said Rick Shade, California Avocado Commission chairman. “CAC representatives and I have been out in groves in the various California avocado growing regions, and early sampling of the crop confirms the quality should be excellent this year.”
Shade has plenty of experience to be a good judge of avocado quality. A California avocado grower for more than 35 years, he learned the business from his grandfather. Shade served as CAC chairman of from late 2007 to late 2009, and was elected chairman again in November 2016. He explained that California avocados are an alternate bearing crop. Often, but not always, a larger crop one year is followed by a smaller crop the next season, which seems to be the case for 2017. Other factors contributing to a smaller 2017 California avocado crop estimate are weather-related events from 2016, and vary by region.
“The recent rains in California are good for this year’s crop as well as for next year’s,” said Shade. “We’re evaluating what the rain will mean in terms of harvest timing. While some California avocados are already in distribution in a few local chains, in general it looks like a ramp up of harvesting in mid to late spring.”
About the California Avocado Commission
Created in 1978, the California Avocado Commission strives to increase demand for California avocados through advertising, promotion and public relations, and engages in related industry activities that benefit the state’s nearly 4,000 avocado growers. The California Avocado Commission serves as the official information source for California avocados and the California avocado industry.
Southern California citrus – grossing about $5300 to New York City.
By WP Rawl
Pelion, S.C. – WP Rawl, the premier grower, processor and shipper of leafy greens has begun its yearly ramp up of both conventional and organic leafy greens along with various other vegetable production at their Bunnell, Florida facility. This facility supports an increase in production in the latter parts of the year and lends itself to seasonal production in a warmer growing region.
Over four years ago, WP Rawl broke ground on a new farming and packing shed operation in Bunnell that included a 34,000 square feet facility, similar to the facility at their headquarters in Pelion, SC. This year the company has added acreage to their 2016 – 2017 organic production to support the increasing demand from customers.
“Our goal in expanding our operations into Florida years ago was to support our growth and help us better service our customers,” said Ashley Rawl, vice president of sales, marketing and product development. “We are delighted that or production in Florida has continued to grow, and the benefit of a distribution hub has been a vital part of our success and ongoing growth.”
WP Rawl’s Florida facility grows five months out of the year (December – April), complementing the company’s other strategically located growing regions.
About WP Rawl
Dating back to 1925, WP Rawl is a fourth generation family farm which has grown to become a grower/shipper/processor, specializing in year-round bulk and value-added leafy greens and vegetables in the Rawl®, Nature’s Greens®, Palmetto Gardens® and Versatile Veggies® brands.
In the early 1920’s, the late Walter and Ernestine Rawl started a local business known as the Walter P. Rawl Farm selling peaches. Over the years the business evolved into a larger farm selling greens and specialty vegetables and became known as Walter P. Rawl and Sons.
Today Walter P. Rawl & Sons continues to operate as a “family farm” with nine family members still working in the business along with an additional 400 employees.
Chilean grape imports by U.S. importers should be much better than last season.
During the 2015-16 season, Chile exported a total of almost 85.5 million 18-pound equivalent boxes of table grapes. While there are no official estimates for 2016-17, table grape production is expected to be around 90 million boxes. The main variety out of Chile is globe, with global exports of more than 28 million boxes, followed by crimson with 18 million, thompson seedless with 16 million and flame seedless with 8.5 million boxes.
The Chilean grape season started a little earlier than normal, and by the week of Dec. 19th, Chile had shipped nearly 47,000 tons of grapes to the U.S. This compares with just 12,600 tons last season.
As of January 10th, the South American country had shipped 91 percent more than the same time last year; — 78,629 tons compared to 41,035 tons. Flame seedless, sugraone and thompson seedless were the main varieties that had shipped.
Total volume will be similar to last year and if not higher, although a significant difference will be in timing of U.S. imports, with the season starting and ending sooner than last season. In essence, Chilean grape availability will be condensed to about an eight to 10-week timeframe compared to the normal 10-12 week interval.
Heavy volume of imports are expected in the next two months from Chile’s southern region.
There were heavy rains in Chile last December the northern growing regions where early season grapes were the most affected, with some damage to flames and sugraones.
Still there is a 250 percent increase year-to-date in volume over last year, with a lot of loading opportunities coming at U.S. ports in February and March.
By contrast, Peruvian grape imports have fallen short of pre-season expectations while Chile is harvesting at a record rate, especially with red grapes.
One importer indicated that so far this year, there have been 16.3 million cases combined between Peru and Chile season-to-date compared to 12.7 million last year.