Posts Tagged “feature”
There has been a small turn around in California strawberry fields following a three-year trend of declining acreage, while shipments are up significantly.
At least for this year, the trend for decreased acreage has been halted, with an estimate of a bit more than 36,000, on par with 2016 numbers, according to the California Strawberry Commission Acreage Survey for 2017.
In 2016, total strawberry shipments from California topped 196 million trays, representing about 3.4 percent gain over the previous year even with 5 percent fewer acres.
2017 has not gotten off to a very good start due to several rain storms having drenched California during the first six weeks of the season. However, it is still running ahead of 2016 though behind 2015. By mid-January, total California shipments were in the 750,000 tray range compared to half that in 2016, but 1.2 million in 2015.
However, shipments from both Mexico and Florida were well ahead of the past two years. In mid-January, Florida strawberry shipments loaded almost 3 million trays for shippin while Mexico topped 3.5 million. In 2016, by mid-January those two competing points of origin had only delivered a total of 2.5 million trays last year and about 3.8 million the previous year.
Central Florida strawberries – grossing about $1200 to Atlanta.
California growers continue to be the leading production region in the world and are expected to supply more than 79 percent of the volume shipped in the United States in 2017.
The acreage report is published two times a year with acreage information voluntarily provided by California strawberry growers and shippers. The first “Acreage Survey” for the 2017 harvest year includes acres that were planted in the fall of 2016 as well as the forecast of acreage that will be planted in the summer of 2017 for fall production. For 2017, the commission reports a total of 36,141 acres, with 30,074 planted last fall and an estimated 6,067 slated for summer planting. As a point of comparison, last year, fall plantings totaled 29,318 acres with a then estimate of 6,721 for summer planting.
In 2013, the CSC January acreage report revealed 35,670 acres of fall plantings and 5,146 summer plantings for a total of 40,816 acres. In 2014, total acreage dropped to just under 39,000 and in 2015, the total was 38,100. Last year saw another decline of about 5 percent to 36,039. This year represents a negligible gain, but it’s a gain nonetheless.
In its report about acreage, CSC noted that while acreage has declined in recent years production has actually remained stable or increased partially due to new varieties, which has led to higher yields per acre.
Ventura County strawberries – grossing about $3600 to Dallas.
Refrigerated haulers expecting to load California citrus could very well face significant delays because rains have delayed harvest. On another front, an upstate New York apple shipper will be shipping Canadian apples this season.
California Citrus Shipments
Disruptions at citrus loading docks are expected the week of February 13-17 due to rain delayed harvests in California’s San Joaquin Valley.
A rainy week in California has citrus growers there expecting some shortages in mid-February due to excessive rains in citrus groves the week of February 6 – 10.
California citrus growers have been conducting picking operations on a limited basis between the rains. It has been a challenge getting workers and equipment into the fields after big storms. Some citrus orchards have been affected more than others depending on soil types and location. In some cases it is takes a few days for the orchards to dry out.
Delays in harvest as well as loading opportunities for citrus haulers are expected with lemons, oranges and specialty citrus, such as mandarins. Mandarins typically are more sensitive to the rain than other types of fruit.
California citrus – grossing about $4200 to Atlanta.
New York Apple Shipments
New York Apple Sales Inc., based in Glenmont, NY is shipping late-harvest apple varieties from Nova Scotia. The fruit is coming from orchards in the Scotian Gold Cooperative, which grows and harvests Honeycrisp, Ambrosia, and Sonya apples. The product is grown in the Annapolis Valley, near the Bay of Fundy. The three Nova Scotia apple varieties being imported and distributed by New York Apple Sales differ from U.S.-grown counterparts.
Nova Scotia apples have the latest apple-growing season in North America, according to a news release, and trees don’t bloom until the later weeks of May, with the Honeycrisp harvest typically starting during the last week of September, and Ambrosia and Sonya picking to follow.
The Scotian Gold Growers have been providing apples to New York Apple Sales for the past three years.
Here’s an update on Chiquita’s involvement with Port Everglades. On another front, Parker Farms will be a new shipper of Vidalia onions.
The Broward County Commission voted recently to terminate the lease for most of Chiquita Brands International’s facilities at Port Everglades. It was leasing 13.1 acres with 14,097 square feet of offices and 28,352 square feet of warehouses to support its banana shipments. Under the termination, the Chiquita would keep 6.59 acres of land under a short-term lease, but not the buildings.
The move does not impact Chiquita’s headquarters at the Design Center of the Americas in Dania Beach, where it moved in 2015. The company also has a separate warehouse lease at the port for a banana ripening facility that would remain in place.
Chiquita first leased space at Port Everglades in 2013 and later that year extended its lease to Sept. 30, 2018.
In 2014, Chiquita signed a deal with Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC) to provide cargo service for its bananas, so Chiquita started using MSC’s facilities at Port Everglades for its shipments. Then in 2015, Chiquita was sold to Cutrale-Safra.
Port Everglades officials contacted Chiquita about its plans and the company said it wanted to divest its terminal and base all of its shipments out of MSC’s terminal.
Under the proposed termination of the deal to be executed by March 1st.
“The early termination of the Chiquita lease agreement will benefit the port by creating opportunities for the currently dormant Chiquita land and the warehouse and office space to be made available for other Port users to expand their businesses and generate new revenue through both ship calls and cargo throughput,” the county memo stated. “The port will also continue to receive grid revenue from Chiquita for the 6.59 acre parcel they will continue to use.”
Parker Farms
Parker Farms, based in Oak Grove, VA, is adding Vidalia sweet onions to its program this year.
The sweet onions, which will be sourced from B.G. Williams Farms in Uvalda, GA., will be sold under the company’s new Diamond Sweet label. B.G. Williams grows about 400 acres of sweet onions annually.
Park Farms plans to eventually source sweet onions from more regions so it can offer the product the year around, as it does with the other commodities it supplies. The company will also ship sweet potatoes and seedless watermelons under the Diamond Sweet label.
Parker Farms is a longtime shipper of sweet corn, broccoli, squash, bell peppers and cucumbers.
Whether recent weather issues in Mexico will adversely affect quality of imported Mexican mangos remains to been seen.
Through the third week of May, a normal projection of 29 million boxes is projected, with much of this production to be imported by the U.S.
As much as 30 to-40 percent of the Mexican mango crop was reported affected by winds. This is expected to decrease import volume by U.S. importers in February, but quality appears normal — so far. Mexico ships mangos most of the year and various production regions begin at different times.
Volume for imported mangos from Peru has increased 20 to 30 percent from last year after a bumper crop in a season that started earlier than usual. Peak volume imports to the U.S. are occurring, but will start declining in the next couple of weeks or so.
Mango imports by the U.S. during January included much less fruit from Ecuador than last season, down from about 18.5 million pounds to about 3.5 million pounds. This was due to the Ecuador season starting two to three weeks earlier than usual. Peak season for imported mangos from Ecuador is mid October through mid November (last year). The season is now virtually complete, with the exception of one late season variety that will continue until March.
Total mango imports by the U.S. during January were about 32 million pounds, down from about 52 million pounds for the same period last year. The big decline was due to a change in timing for one country’s season.
The Peruvian mango season was early by about four weeks in 2016, resulting in peak volumes to be shipped earlier in December and well into January of 2017. Last year this time, Peru had already pretty much finished their season.
Imported Mexican tropical fruit, and vegetables through the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas – grossing $1100 to Dallas; and $3200 to Miami.
by Solidus Solutions
Pure Hothouse Foods has recently introduced their new Cloud 9 snacking tomato brand with high-flavor tomato. To pack this new tomato brand, Pure Hothouse Foods decided to use solid board enriched with tomato plant fibres, which is uniquely produced by SOLIDUS SOLUTIONS, manufacturer of solid board and solid board packaging.
Pure Hothouse Foods Inc® is a Canadian grower, shipper and and marketer of greenhouse grown vegetables and value-added Living Lettuce sold under the Pure Flavor® name across North America.
Pure Hothouse Foods is the first Canadian company packing tomatoes in their own plant fibers, contributing to a circular economy. During the Produce Marketing Association show in 2016 the Cloud 9 tomato plant packaging of Pure Hothouse Foods was well received and achieved a finalist nomination at the PMA 2016 Impact Awards. The unique solid board enriched with tomato plant fibers, was almost at the same time announced winner of the Packaging Europe Sustainability Awards 2016!
Idyl is a company mainly growing tomatoes and melons, Mediterranean fruit and vegetables and fresh cut herbs. Based in the south of France, Idyl markets their own production as well as salads from Provence and a whole range of organic fruits and vegetables under the ‘Tribu Ecolo’ (“Ecological Tribe”) brand.
Idyl has developed a department specialized in the marketing of organic fruit and vegetables because they are aware of the importance of their role in sustainable development. As such, Idyl is constantly looking for new solutions to reduce the impact on the environment. They were highly interested when they learned that SOLIDUS SOLUTIONS had developed a process to manufacture solid board including tomato plants fibers.
Idyl is now packing their organic tomatoes in SOLIDUS SOLUTIONS’ trays enriched with tomato plants fibers. With this they demonstrate that it is possible to produce, to pack and to consume while limiting the waste of natural resources. With ‘Tribu Ecolo’ Idyl wants to display a strong trademark: the trademark of partnership between agriculture and nature, the trademark that federates farmers, their suppliers such as SOLIDUS SOLUTIONS and consumers, with the desire to combine economy and ecology.
You know something is up when for the first time you walk into your local Midwestern Wal-Mart store and Peruvian grapes are the only ones being sold. Sure, it is expected California is pretty much finished, but this is normally when Chilean grapes have taken center stage in the produce department. Bottom line is grape haulers should use extra caution as there are serious quality problems with many Chilean grapes.
There also is a glut of grapes being imported from Chile. Combine this with imported fruit from Peru and a trickling of late season California grapes and there’s too much fruit.
Meanwhile, there are heavy volumes of grapes in the storages all along the Delaware River.
The glut is expected to continue short term and volumes will gradually come more in tune with demand. Starting the Chilean grape season we were told there were light supplies, but good quality, despite rains in the early producing northern growing areas of Chile. Instead, much higher volumes, combined with serious quality issues occurred. Meanwhile, Peru has plenty of volume and good quality grapes.
The USDA reports, as of January 21st, 2,355 40,000-pound units of Chilean grapes had come into the Port of Philadelphia, compared to 2,002 units at the same time a year ago.
Between November 28th and January 1st, Chile had shipped 138 percent more grapes to the U.S. than it did a year earlier. During this period, Chile shipped over 7.75 million boxes of grapes, where last year, it was 3.26 million.
Part of the glut came as California grape shippers continued loading red seedless grapes for destinations across North America well past Christmas and into the New Year. At the same time, Chile’s grape crop was much earlier than originally anticipated. Plus, Peruvian grapes have been available since early November.
The glut of grapes should decline a lot during the second half of February, as Chilean flames give way to crimsons.
In fact, loading opportunities for imported late season table grapes from Chile will probably not be nearly as good heading into late-March and into April.
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.