Posts Tagged “feature”
By Sunsweet
Studies suggest that one in two women and up to one in four men, age 50 and older, will break a bone due to osteoporosis.1 The good news is that a balanced diet, combined with regular exercise, can help to optimize bone health at all ages and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.2 Recently, the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) issued a position statement specific to developing “peak bone mass,” which highlights the nutrition, physical activity and lifestyle factors recommended to optimize peak bone mass and reduce the risk of osteoporosis and related fractures later in life.
The position paper, published in the journal Osteoporosis International, is considered the first systematic review of its kind. In addition to supporting the positive effect of calcium and vitamin D intake on bone strength, the authors note that a variety of other nutrients, including dietary fiber, potassium, magnesium, and vitamin C are also important for bone health.
“People often think of dairy foods for building strong bones, but a bone-healthy diet also includes fruits and vegetables, like prunes, oranges, kale and potatoes, fatty fish, like salmon, sardines and tuna, and calcium and vitamin D fortified foods,” said Taylor C. Wallace, PhD, senior director of science, policy and government relations at NOF.
Dr. Shirin Hooshmand, Associate Professor, School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences at San Diego State University, agrees as she has been conducting nutrition research on the bone health benefits of eating prunes.
“Our research suggests that the consumption of nutrients found in prunes, like potassium, magnesium and vitamin K, are important for bone health,” notes Hooshmand. “The new Peak Bone Mass Study is an exciting addition to the growing body of evidence of the role that nutrition can play in developing optimal bone health.”
Hooshmand’s recent study suggests that osteopenic, postmenopausal women who ate 50 grams of prunes per day (4-5 prunes) for six months experienced improved bone mineral density at the end of the clinical trial.3 Similar results were seen in an earlier study conducted by Hooshmand using 100 grams of prunes per day (10-11 prunes).
Sunsweet Growers is the world’s largest handler of dried fruits including prunes.
An estimated 170,000 Mexican trucks hauling mostly fresh fruits and vegetables are expected to cross into the United States during 2016. These big rigs arrive from Mexico across the international bridges on the southern border and agricultural trade between the two countries has increased significantly the past 10 years.
Demand on inspectors at the Pharr, McAllen and Brownsville, Texas land ports is expected to increase in the future as the Mazatlan-Matamoros superhighway, also dubbed Supervia, is drastically changing the fresh produce industry in South Texas and in the U.S. Connecting Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico to Pharr and Brownsville, Texas, this new route for produce transportation provides a more direct route to receivers in the eastern half of the U.S from agriculture-rich regions in Mexico.
As a result multi-million dollar refrigerated storage facilities have opened in the McAllen-Edinburg area to accommodate the inflow of these fresh food products. However, Rio Grande Valley wholesalers and warehouse owners have complained a lack of agriculture inspectors at the border has dramatically increased inspection wait times.
As a result, the agriculture and transportation industry in South Texas is calling for more USDA inspectors, and they are wanting the state of Texas to pay for it. However, budget constraints has resulted in only a handful of additional inspectors being added.
Already the Texas Legislature authorized a $652,500 grant that should substantially reduce wait times at ports between Texas and Mexico. The grant requires matching funds, so collectively about $1.3 million will soon be available to add inspectors at land ports in South Texas to handle the elevated flow of fresh foods from Mexico.
Another problem, is that once Mexican produce has passed inspection and delivered to warehouses, significant delays are being reported. Often a truck will have to pick up partial loads at different warehouses, and too often the product is not ready for pick up, resulting is significant delays for truckers.
South Texas citrus, Mexican produce – grossing about $4000 to New York City.
Crowley Maritime Corp. has started clearing certain produce requiring cold-treatment from more South American countries at the Port of Charleston, S.C.
This has become possible due to expansion of the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS) cold treatment pilot program.
“We’ve worked diligently with the Florida Perishable Trade Coalition to make the cold-treatment program a reality,” Nelly Yunta, vice president, Customized Brokers, a subsidiary of Crowley, said in a press release. “Each time the program expands to another port of entry or an additional commodity, it’s a huge win for consumers looking to have fresh produce on their tables throughout the year.”
As early as this spring, Crowley will be able to accept those items such as: Peruvian citrus, blueberries, grapes; Uruguay blueberries, grapes; Argentinean blueberries, apples and pears.
The cold treatment process eliminates harsh chemical fumigation, but still ensures that foreign insect and larvae are eradicated from the cargo, according to the release. The program has previously been rolled out in both Savannah, GA and South Florida.
As with previous implementations, containers that do not pass cold treatment will be prohibited from entering the port without being offloaded from vessels. If containers do fail, they will be allowed transit by sea to a Northeastern port for retreatment, or will be re-exported to the country of origin.
This expansion not only serves to filter the import process, but also helps to lower transportation costs, prolong shelf-life by shortening the shipping distance, and help lower grocery prices for those items for southern-based consumers.
South Texas onion shipments could be down at least 10 percent this season. Plus, here’s an update on U.S. russet potato shipments.
A year ago Texas onion acreage had declined to less than 6,000 acres. This year, under 5,000 acres are believed plantedL.
Last season it rained almost non-stop for two months, resulting in less than half a crop, while some growers were literally rained out for the season. Much acreage was abandoned and couldn’t be harvested. The 2016 Texas onion harvest should get undeway in late March.
In late February, onion volume coming from Mexico and crossing the border in South Texas was lighter than normal, but it now showing substantial increases in volume.
Meanwhile, storage onions shipped from Idaho and Oregon warehouses will be declining soon. Also, California’s Imperial Valley was the only area with good supplies in April last year, but no estimates have been released on this area yet.
Potato Shipments
Russet potato shipments have been steady, with the vast majority coming from Idaho, Colorado, and Wisconsin. Wisconsin russet shipments should continue until around mid-July. At this time some Wisconsin potato shipments then buy and sell spuds from growers in mid-Southern states.
While volumes are similar to last year in Wisconsin, 2015-16 shipments will likely be up from the five-year average and up significantly from the average over the past couple of decades.
As always, Idaho easily lead U.S. potato shipments and is averaging about 1750 truckloads per week. Colorado’s San Luis Valley is shipping about 750 truck loads of potatoes a week, while Central Wisconsin is loading about 400 truck loads each week.
As the federal government continues to pile rules and regulations on interstate trucking it is time shippers start treating truckers as partners. Times are rapidly changing in a world of cyberspace.
Jimmy DeMatteis is president of Des Moines Truck Brokers, Inc. (DMTB) of Norwalk, IA, that bills itself as “Iowa’s first and most nationally recognized third party logistics company.” Like it or not, DeMatteis says the day is coming when businesses are going to have to change the way they deal with the trucking industry or begin facing the consequences of government penalties.
“If you do anything to coerce these guys to go against the rules, hours of service, etc., they (the government) can issue severe penalties” that he notes can start at $2500 and go up to $25,000 for repeat offenders.
An example of these changing times comes with the implementation of e-logs.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued its final rule last December requiring the use of electronic logs in all 2000 and newer trucks in interstate commerce. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) has filed a Petition for Review citing the rule as an intrusion into the rights of professional truckers and an invasion of a driver’s right to privacy.
DMTB arranges thousands of refrigerated produce and other fresh foods each year.
“There will be fines so you (shippers) have got to be careful telling motor carriers to get to their appointments, while the guy is still waiting to load at a dock. If you do anything to coerce these guys to go against the rules, hours of service, etc, they (government) can issue severe penalties. You can wait at a dock six to eight hours, and they tell the driver you have to have a load delivered in an unreasonable amount of time,” DeMatteis says. “You can’t do that anymore.”
The DMTB executive notes a down side to e-logs are many truckers feel they will make less money because of running fewer miles.
“Shippers and brokers have to be educated it is not business as usual. If you want good carriers it’s time to start treating them as partners. Carriers have always been blamed for everything and it is really inefficient shipping,,” he states.
DeMatteis calls for government to spend more time making trucking more efficient. “Instead, they too often take the adversarial route and treat everyone like an outlaw. The outlaws aren’t out there anymore.”
Continuing, he adds, “I want the carriers to survive. Shippers need to be more honest, efficient and accurate with shipping schedules and get the trucks out when they say they are going to get them out.”
ABOUT DES MOINES TRUCK BROKERS:
James A. DeMatteis starting hauling produce in 1951. As a small fleet owner in 1963 he became a broker of exempt commodities. This eventually evolved in 1969 into DMTB. The company was a one man operation until Jimmy DeMatteis joined in 1984. The third party logistics provider operates in 48 states, Canada and Mexico. It delivered over 10,000 loads last year, with over 98 percent of the deliveries being on time.
According to the DMTB website: “Our reputation on paying carriers fast is second to none. Its claims ratio is less than one half of one percent over the past five years.”
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Rimmed by hills and oil derricks, stretch miles of mandarin orange groves along the Maricopa Highway at the southwestern end of the San Joaquin Valley. These used to be cotton fields, but is now the epicenter of an agricultural boom that has turned mandarins into a rising star.
Since that expansion started in the late 1990s, California’s mandarin plantings have increased 10-fold, from 5,000 to 50,000 acres. The state now ships 92 percent of the nation’s mandarin crop, while Florida, troubled by citrus greening disease and obsolete varieties with seeds, has had its share drop to 8 percent, from 66 percent.
In the process, thanks to new offerings and skillful marketing, mandarins — popularly known as tangerines — have become very popular with American consumers. Mandarin consumption has doubled, to five pounds a year for every American, while orange sales have declined.
Native to China and northeastern India, mandarins are one of five original types of citrus (along with pummelos, citrons, kumquats and papedas) from which all others, like oranges and grapefruit, are derived. Until recently, because most mandarins were relatively small, delicate or full of seeds, they remained less cultivated than other citrus in the United States.
In the late 1990s, two companies with deep pockets and marketing savvy, Sun Pacific and Paramount Citrus (now Wonderful Citrus), gambled big with huge mandarin plantings on the Maricopa Highway, 25 miles southwest of Bakersfield, where they were isolated from other citrus whose pollen could make the fruit seedy.
As the Easter shipping period for a number of produce items approaches, here’s a look a few commodities coming out of California, Mexico and Florida.
Decent California strawberry volume is expected following a weeks of challenges regarding production. A wild winter for strawberries should stabilize enough to provide steady loading opportunities for Easter, which falls on March 27th.
The should mean steady volumes from the Oxnard and Santa Maria growing regions of California and from the Ruskin, FL area.
Because Easter is early this year, and based on the timing of this year’s crop, Florida strawberry shipments should be situated perfectly for Easter.
The past couple of Easters have fallen after peak Florida shipments.
Asparagus Shipments
Thanks to the early Easter this year, there should be enough asparagus shipments from Mexico and California. Mexican volumes will be declining for the season, but because of the early Easter, it should serve as a good supplement to California, which is having peak shipments.
Avocado Shipments
California avocado loadings should be plentiful this spring and summer, with volume expected to be up to 40 percent greater than last year’s. California is expected to produce 392.5 million pounds of avocados this season, up significantly from the 279 million pounds shipped last year. That would be approaching 10,000 truck load equivalents.
The California avocado harvest started in January, hit good volume by late March, with peak shipments occurring from April to July.
Most California avocado shipments are destined for markets are in the western U.S.,, while Mexico will continue shipping heavily into the Midwest and to the East Coast.
Kiwifruit Shipments
The California kiwifruit shipping season continues and about 40 percent of the six-million seven-pound trays remain. The fuzzy brown fruit is shipped out of California’s Central San Joaquin Valley. Loading will continue through May and as late as June.
Over the past 20 years blueberry shipments have soared.Total blueberry shipments nationally in 1996 was 164 million pounds, with the largest producer being the Great Lakes at 45 million pounds, versus 25 million pounds from Oregon and Washington.
In 2015, total production was 711 million pounds, with 75 million pounds from the Great Lakes versus 196 million pounds from Oregon and Washington. That 2015 total production is equivalent to 17,775 truck loads.
If you count British Columbia and California, the shift from the East to the West is even more dramatic during that period, from 38 percent to 59 percent of total production.
Blueberry plantings continue at a brisk pace. Between 2007 and 2014, worldwide plantings grew at a compounded annual rate of 10 percent.
In North America, the figure for that period was 8 percent. By the end of 2014, blueberry acreage in North America totaled 143,636 acres. Worldwide, the total was 273,929 acres.
No slowdown in plantings is seen thus far, although like many other produce commodities over the years over production is bound to hit the blueberry industry.
One major change is that wild blueberries are becoming a direct competitor with highbush blueberries.
Wild blueberry growers now differentiate their product as “the better blueberry,” claiming wild blueberries taste better and provide twice the amount of antioxidants of planted blueberries.
The first domestic blueberry shipments each year usually start in late March from Florida.
B
y South Carolina Department of Agriculture
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina peach shippers are looking forward to an excellent peach crop in 2016 in spite of the challenges they faced last year. Favorable growing conditions have given growers a positive outlook for a fruitful crop of everyone’s favorite summertime treat.
After delays from heavy rains in the fall, growers immediately began working on the upcoming season. Planting new trees, installing irrigation lines, and pruning established orchards keep South Carolina growers busy year round. Countless hours of hard work are required in the fall and winter to set up ideal conditions for the spring and summer.
“We are off to a good start for the 2016 peach crop,” said Matt Forrest, President of the SC Peach Council and co-owner of Dixie Belle Peaches. “After a late start to winter, we now expect to accumulate more than enough of the necessary chill hours and are anticipating a normal bloom date in a few weeks.”
With an unusually warm fall, growers have been monitoring weather stations daily. Peach trees require between 600 – 1000 chill hours, depending on variety, to overcome dormancy. Farmers choose plant varieties that coincide with their location based on these figures to ensure the highest quality fruit. As the weather has finally turned cool, these hours below 45°F are steadily accumulating and South Carolina peach farmers feel confident that these requirements will be met.
“Although we had a late start to our winter season, once the cold temperatures arrived, we have been in an excellent position to accumulate chill hours with very consistent temperatures and highs in the 50s and lows in the 30s,” said Chalmers Carr, president of Titan Farms. “We are well-beyond the minimum chill hours necessary and look forward to a great spring leading into an even better peach season.”
With a firm foundation already laid for the 2016 peach season, South Carolina farmers are anticipating a successful season. As the top peach producing state on the East Coast, and second in the nation only to California, South Carolina represents a large percentage of the nation’s peach crop. Customers from across North America are expecting quality South Carolina peaches to put on their tables. South Carolina farmers are excited to again provide them with the tastiest peaches in the country.
In 2014 f.o.b. prices for San Joaquin Valley walnuts topped $2 a pound for higher-quality nuts. But even California walnut growers guilty of over production knew it wouldn’t last.
Walnut growers haven’t been told how much they’ll get for the nuts they sold last year, but some experts estimate that top prices may be no higher than 75 to 80 cents per pound. Those declining prices are the result of China increasing its production, while U.S. growers have become victims of their own success.
Walnuts have been one of the more stable and valuable agricultural commodities in the Central Valley — where about 90 percent of U.S. walnuts are grown. But over the past decade, farmers have planted more trees to expand their acreage, while others replaced other crops with walnuts in hopes of better returns.
Many trees reached maturity within the past couple of years, significantly increase walnut supplies. Additionally, China, normally a major buyer of U.S. walnuts, is expanding its own walnut industry and competing with U.S. growers. A strengthening U.S. dollar compared to the Euro, is also hurting prices.
While 2015 was a “bumper” year for walnut growers, what happens next season is uncertain, because of the heavier-than-average production per tree that generated a record 575,000 tons of nuts.
The industry was left with about 60,000 tons of unsold walnuts from last year — 20,000 tons more than average — which will have to be sold this year with the new nuts. A “bumper” harvest tends to be followed by less productive years, which should help reduce the glut of walnuts on the market and help elevate prices.