Posts Tagged “feature”
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re Florida spring produce shipments finally getting back on track? It’s been a lousy year for Florida growers and shippers, not to mention produce truckers.
After an unseasonably warm fall, the region was hit by severe storms and record-breaking rains. Rainfall was 139 percent above average in November, 199 percent above average in December, and nearly 350 percent above average for the month of January. Planting, spraying and harvesting schedules were delay for many of the area’s signature crops, including sweet corn, green beans, lettuce and leafy greens, parsley, radishes and sugar cane.
While produce shipments are late for some crops because of some delays in planting, loadings should become more steady heading on into spring.
Over the next couple of months, there should be good volume with items ranging from tomatoes, to green beans, blueberries, cabbage, celery, sweet corn, melons, lettuce, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, potatoes, radishes and squash. However, the strawberry season is drawing to a close.
Florida produce shipments ranks number one in the U.S. with a number of fresh fruits and vegetables including grapefruit, snap beans, squash, sugar cane, cucumbers, oranges, tomatoes and watermelons.
By mid-April, new-crop shipments of tomatoes and other items should start coming out of the Palmetto/Ruskin area of Florida.
Florida vegetables – grossing about $1900 to Chicago.
Shipments of both avocado and mangoes are on the rise and will continue to increase as we get further into the year.
California avocado shipments are now providing steady loadings for produce truckers from both southern California and the San Joaquin Valley. The California harvest is now exceeding 10 million pounds per week and will continue to increase through the spring. Shipments are expected to peak in late June, and remain strong throughout 2016. A significant dip in avocado shipments is not expected until after the Super Bowl, Feb. 5, 2017, in Houston.
While California avocado shipments tend to be hauled to markets in the western half of the U.S., much of the avocado supply for U.S. markets is coming from Mexico, which tends to serve destinations in the eastern half of the U.S. Mexican avocado shipments also are heavy this year, with the majority of imports crossing the border at McAllen, Tx.
Huron head lettuce and San Joaquin Valley citrus – grossing about $5600 to New York City.
Mango Imports
Mexican mango shipments imported to the USA were unseasonably low during March. For the week ending on March 19, 1.2 million boxes arrived from Mexico, making it 4.8 million boxes for the season. That is down from the same week in 2015, when 1.5 million boxes arrived and 5.9 million boxes had come in for the season. However, mango imports are now on the rise and big volume supplies are crossing the border from Mexico, as well as arriving at US ports by boat from Guatemala.
Lower Rio Grande Valley citrus, Mexican mangos, tomatoes, vegetables – grossing about $2600 to Chicago.
Eating green leafy vegetables could reduce the risk of glaucoma, a serious eye disease, by 20 to 30 percent, according to a new study.
The study tracked over 100,000 men and women for nearly 30 years and revealed that the participants who consumed the most green leafy vegetables were less likely to develop glaucoma, which is a primary cause of vision loss and blindness.
These vegetables contain high amounts of dietary nitrate which helps blood circulation. In glaucoma scientists believe there is an impairment of blood flow to the optic nerve, according to Researchers at Harvard Medical School and Brigham, and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
Some of the vegetables in the study included various lettuces, like Romaine, as well as kale, mustard or chard greens, as well as cooked and raw spinach. Also included were broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. The benefits were derived mainly from green leafy vegetables, researchers report.
To achieve the benefit, people would need to eat close to two cupfuls of lettuce each day.
According to the Glaucoma Research Society of Canada, glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in older North Americans and more than 400,000 Canadians have glaucoma.
Georgia, known as the Peach state, has been growing the fruit for 140 years. Excellent peach shipments are forecast.
There are approximately 10,000 acres of Georgia peach farms stretching across the historic Fort Valley plateau. 90 percent of Georgia peaches are grown in this region of Georgia, located just south Macon and west of Interstate 75.
Georgia peach shipments are expected to get underway the third week of May, with good volume shipments occurring for deliveries prior to the May 30th Memorial Day holiday. Georgia peach shipments will continue through the end of summer.
Due to ideal winter growing conditions, Georgia peach shippers see a bumper crop that could become the biggest in more than a decade. Harvest should begin May 15th.
This year, Georgia growers and shippers expect to harvest 80 million pounds of peaches, which could pack 3 million, 25-pound half bushel cartons, double the 1.5 million cartons they packed last season. This would be the largest volume since the 2004 season.
Besides the Eastern U.S. and the Midwest, Georgia Texas and Canada are among the strongest destinations for Georgia peaches.
Good, steady peach shipments are expected through the end of August without significant peaks and valleys.
Produce trucking in the Southeast leaves something to be desired, despite it being April. You might get some partial loads in Florida and finish of the truck out in Southern Georgia where there are light shipments of vegetables such as carrots, kale and other greens.
Southern Georgia vegetables – grossing about $2200 to New York City.
Carrier Transicold celebrated the 10th anniversary of the debut of its hybrid diesel-electric Vector™ trailer refrigeration platform in North America at the 2016 Mid-America Trucking Show last week. By coupling a high-performance generator to a diesel engine for the sole purpose of powering an all-electric refrigeration system, the Vector platform streamlined the traditional architecture of transport refrigeration units (TRU). Its hybrid diesel-electric technology eliminated many mechanical components used in conventional systems, resulting in reliable refrigeration performance with reduced maintenance needs. Carrier Transicold is a part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).“After all these years, the Vector platform continues to remain unique among TRU designs used in North America,” said David Brondum, director product management and sustainability, Carrier Transicold. “The Vector platform design eliminated many serviceable components, such as belts, shaft seals, vibrasorbers and alternators. With fewer serviceable parts, there is less maintenance, which remains one of the key attractions of the technology,” added Brondum.
The Vector platform’s E-Drive™ all-electric refrigeration system enabled electric standby to become a standard feature. Use of electric power when a TRU is parked for loading, unloading or staging enables the diesel engine to be shut off, eliminating fuel use, noise and emissions. Any fleet with access to a 460 volt power supply can simply plug in and run the Vector unit at the same full refrigeration capacity that diesel operation provides.
Although the Vector platform was introduced to North America in 2006, the technology had already proven itself in Europe, where Carrier introduced it in 1999. Today’s 8000-series Vector units are the third generation North America units and boast significantly higher cooling capacities and operating efficiency, consuming less fuel per Btu. Designed for compliance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Tier 4 standard for particulate emissions, the Vector 8500 single-temperature unit and Vector 8600MT multi-temperature unit also produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions than prior models. The Vector 8100 is engineless – a plug-in-only unit intended as an alternative for trailers used for stationary cold storage that would otherwise use a diesel-powered unit.
“Thanks to its flexibility, efficiency and reduced maintenance requirements, the Vector platform has grown in popularity every year since its North American debut a decade ago,” Brondum said. “We anticipate it will continue to deliver outstanding value and offer regulatory compliance to North American fleets for many years.”
In the spirit of continued innovation, Carrier Transicold also showcased an expanded line of Thin Film Flexible Solar Panels at the Mid-America Trucking Show. Used for TRU battery charging, the solar panels are now offered in three different power output levels to accommodate a wider range of user needs and budgets. Additionally at the show, Carrier Transicold featured its X4™ Series of belt-driven trailer refrigeration units, Supra® diesel-powered truck refrigeration units, Comfort Pro™ auxiliary power units and more.
For more information about the Vector trailer refrigeration platform and other transport refrigeration innovations, turn to the experts within Carrier Transicold’s North American dealer network or visit www.transicold.carrier.com.
About Carrier Transicold
Carrier Transicold helps improve transport and shipping of temperature controlled cargoes with a complete line of equipment and services for refrigerated transport and cold chain visibility. For more than 45 years, Carrier Transicold has been an industry leader, providing customers around the world with advanced, energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable container refrigeration systems and generator sets, direct-drive and diesel truck units, and trailer refrigeration systems. Carrier Transicold is a part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp., a leading provider to the aerospace and building systems industries worldwide. For more information, visit www.transicold.carrier.com. Follow Carrier on Twitter: @SmartColdChain.
Young adults can preserve their heart health decades later by eating fruits and vegetables, according to a new study published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.The study concluded “higher intake of fruits and vegetables during young adulthood was associated with lower odds of prevalent coronary artery calcium after 20 years of follow-up,” according to the article. “Our results reinforce the importance of establishing a high intake of fruits and vegetables as part of a healthy dietary pattern early in life.”
Coronary artery calcium is used to measure the atherosclerosis, a disease that hardens arteries is a factor in many types of heart disease, according to a news release from the American Heart Association.
Researchers found that people who ate the most fruits and vegetables at the study’s start had 26% lower odds of developing calcified plaque two decade later, compared with the those who ate the least amount of fruits and vegetables, according to data from more than 2,500 study participants.
The research represents the first study to evaluate whether eating more fruits and vegetables as young adults could produce a measurable improvement in heart and blood veseels years later.
“People shouldn’t assume that they can wait until they’re older to eat healthy — our study suggests that what you eat as a young adult may be as important as what you eat as an older adult, ” lead author Michael Miedema, senior consulting cardiologist and clinical investigator at the Minneapolis Heart Institute, Minneapolis, Minn., said in the release.
“Our findings support public health initiatives aimed at increasing fruit and vegetable intake as part of a healthy dietary pattern,” Miedema said. “Further research is needed to determine what other foods impact cardiovascular health in young adults.”
Imported grapes from Peru are now being handled by a port of entry in Georgia.The Port of Savannah is now receiving Peruvian imported grapes, adding to the list of cold-treated perishables using Savannah as a port of entry. The port also is handling avocados, citrus and sweet onions from Peru, although the season for the latter commodity has recently ended.
With the introduction of Peruvian red globe grapes, Savannah is now receiving all of the grape category leaders from Peru.
The grapes, moved from Andean Sun Produce farms in Ica and Piura, Peru, are part of a USDA’s program, in which citrus, grapes and blueberries are chilled for at least 17 days prior to entry into the U.S. Removing potential pests via cold treatment reduces the need for pesticides.
By delivering fresh produce in Savannah, receivers are taking advantage of much shorter and faster refrigerated truck transportation to Atlanta and other major markets across the U.S. Southeast. For example, this means only a four-hour truck ride to Atlanta versus a day and half from the Philadelphia ports.
The USDA program to allow cold-treated produce to enter through more U.S. ports will relieve congestion at older ports of entry, while shortening the supply chain between producers and final consumers. The ultimate goal is to deliver imported fruit to our U.S. receivers faster, fresher, and at competitive prices, cutting logistics costs.
As imports of melons from Central America begin to wind down, domestic loadings will become available from California and Arizona, as well as with melons crossing the border from Mexico.
Cantaloupe. honeydew and watermelon shipments from Arizona and Mexico are expected to start earlier than normal this year as imports from Guatemalan and Honduran come to a close in early May.
Various melons from California’s Imperial Valley should start shipping in late April and hit peak volume in May, perhaps its earliest start ever. This will be closely followed by melon shipments originating around May 10-15 from Yuma and Maricopa, Az. From there cantaloupe and honeydew loadings will start from California’s Westside district in the San Joaquin Valley around the 4th of July.
California Onion Shipments
California onion shipments from the Imperial Valley should get underway in mid April, lasting about five to six weeks. Normal acreage in the 10,000-acre range is being reported. The Imperial Valley should have onions through May, when the harvest shifts to the San Joaquin Valley. The central valley had less acreage last year, primarily to the California drought.
Southern California citrus and avocado shipments – grossing about $3700 to Chicago.
Numerous compounds including vitamin C and beta carotene, as well as several polyphenolic compounds including gallic acid and their larger polymers gallotannins are contained within mangoes that have been linked to anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory activities.
The absorption, metabolism, and excretion of mango galloyl derivatives have not previously been investigated in humans. In a human pilot trial published in the journal of Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, 11 healthy volunteers between the ages of 21 and 38 years old consumed 400g/day of mango-pulp for 10 days, with blood and urine samples taken on days one and 10 of the study following mango consumption.
Participants refrained from consuming dietary supplements and foods which could be sources of gallic acid such as berries, grapes, and tea for one week prior to the beginning of the study and during the 10 days of mango consumption.
It was first necessary to study how these compounds are metabolized in the body to determine if these polyphenolic compounds have potential benefits to human health at realistic food consumption amounts.
Following 10 days of mango consumption, seven metabolites of gallic acid were identified in the urine of healthy volunteers, and of those two microbial metabolites were found to be significantly more excreted. The presence of gallic acid and pyrogallol metabolites in human urine after the consumption of 400gms of mango indicates the absorption, metabolism, and excretion of mango galloyl derivative and confirms the bioavailability of these mango-derived metabolites.
The research shows that mangoes have the potential to enhance the diet as a source of gallic acid and gallotannins, which may possess anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties.
Source: news-medical.net
By Larry Oscar
With the end of winter, thank God for global warming, We can expect an increase in stupid behavior.
Now most of us old timers know the best place to enjoy the show will be lake area boat launching ramps. Nothing like sitting back in the warm sun with a cold beer and taking in the show. Interesting thing is how regardless of how many times you tell folks what they need to do before they put their boat in the water they never listen and learn. It must be something in the human mind that turns off their common sense, or maybe they never had any to start with.
Physics is the study of matter and energy and the interaction between them. Merely by observing, we have been able to develop the mathematics of a great deal of the universe. It has been amazing to me how much of the interactions in the universe we can now accurately predict. Yet we cannot predict, with any mathematical certainty, most of human behavior. There are several psychologists who have sophisticated theories on human behavior, but none seem to work better than good old common sense.
For example: Water flows downhill because it takes the path of least resistance. So does electricity, and so do humans for the most part. Even though humans are supposed to have enough intelligence to stop and reason things out, they seldom do. This behavior is observed in governments, businesses, and in our personal lives. Why is that governments continue to spend beyond their means when they are warned the day of reckoning down the road will be much more painful than dealing with the problem today?
Why is it people will let their business deteriorate to the point it collapses before they pull their head out and change course? The old saying that if you don’t learn from history then you are doomed to repeat it is taking place right before our eyes.
My parents grew up in the Great Depression and spent their young adult years in the shadow of World War II. They saw the National Socialist German Workers Party (The Nazi Party) lead by Adolf Hitler rise to power in Germany. Germany was a left wing socialist nation lead by a man most consider pure evil. Adolf Hitler’s belief system was also developed in the aftermath of World War I.
Funny how you won’t hear that from the left wing Democrats that are spewing the so called values of socialism today. An absolute fact they won’t ever mention. Adolf Hitler used a from of deception and promotion of the seven deadly sins to sway the German people to support him to the point of idol worship. The lessons learned then that helped guide my parents throughout their lives are not part of our modern culture today. My parents worked hard to instill the values of freedom, individual responsibility, and capitalism into their offspring.
Today we are facing a generation who has not been exposed to the human destruction and misery that socialism brings with it. We are, in fact, repeating history. Evil almost never confronts you head on. Evil uses deception and works to promote the envy, lust, greed, sloth, gluttony, wrath, and pride in human nature to it’s advantage.
The leaders of nations and churches today, just like Nazi Germany then, are preaching the same things that Adolf Hitler preached to the German people during his rise to power. And all you have to do is look at the votes these preachers of socialism get to see how the masses of stupid people are swallowing it hook line and sinker. Frightening isn’t it. And what makes it even more frightening is that many nations today have what Adolf Hitler’s war machine was trying to develop then. The atomic bomb.
We have spawned a crop of humanity that seems to inevitably march toward socialism with the capability to push a button and annihilate the entire human race. What is surprising is how this year”s carnival of politicians lambast and berate each other and never point this out. The similarities between what happened almost one 100 years ago and what is happening today are obvious to any of us who are old enough to live between those turbulent times in world history.
“And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.” Matt 24:6-7.
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.