Posts Tagged “feature”
Here’s an update on the Michigan apple shipments, as well as U.S. potatoes, and mango imports from South America.
Michigan’s apple growers will harvest approximately 24 million bushels of apples this year for the 2015-16 shipping season. In 2014, Michigan shipped 24 million bushels (1.008 billion pounds) of apples, after shipping a record crop of 30 million bushels in 2013. In 2012 Michigan had only three million bushels, due to extreme weather conditions.
Apples are Michigan’s largest and most valuable fruit crop. The state ranks third in national in apple shipments, behind Washington and New York.
Potatoes
It is estimated U.S. fall potato shipments for 2015-16 will be 404 million hundredweight, slightly higher than the 403.7 million loadings for the 2014-15 season….North Dakota potato loadings are expected to come in at 23.5 million cwt., down 1.6% from a year ago.
Mango Imports
Peak U.S. arrivals of mangos from Brazil are expected to begin arriving this week, while imports from Ecuador will be arriving late this year.
The Brazilian season, which started in August, is running a little lighter than last year’s crop, although it’s on par with volumes from previous seasons. Total imports are expected to reach 6.7 million boxes by the time it wraps up in November.
Ecuador mango imports should be delayed this season because of cool weather. While shipments usually ramp up in October, sizable volumes could be delayed to as late as November. Additionally, it is estimated cooler weather could cut yields by 20 to 25 percent.
The popularity of organic products with consumers has reached an all-time high, according to the Organic Trade Association, in Washington, D.C. The group issues an annual survey on organic sales trends.
The industry is expecting growth to continue, as organic becomes “more mainstream and conventional grocers continue to increase their interest in the industry.
In 2014, traditionally conventional grocers not only increased their interest in organic but they also indicated they would continue to carry organic products. For example, Safeway was mentioned as having established itself a veteran with its O organic line. Major retailers, such as Kroger, Target, Wal-Mart, and Costco have declared their interest in organic as a part of their future growth strategies.
“Obviously, the numbers show tremendous growth, with consumers driving organics as a whole, and that’s not going to change,” said Laura Batcha, CEO and executive director of the OTA.
Batcha emphasized the only restraint on the category is supply.
“We hear from folks across the supply chain that the limiting factor is the availability of product, and we’re seeing so many retailers not only getting into organics but making it a strategic priority,” she said.
That includes regions in which organics had not been big sellers in the past, including the Midwest and Southeast, Batcha said.
“Our expanding customer and grower base goes to prove that organics is not going away,” said Cherie France, marketing manager with Porterville, Calif.-based Homegrown Organic Farms.
Batcha pointed to markets in the Southeast, in which 68% of households are purchasing organics, as showing unprecedented sales of organics.
Recently aboard the International Space Station, astronauts got a rare treat: fresh lettuce. In space, food is freeze-dried, prepackaged, and often not very tasty.
NASA’s Veggie Project had on goals – to bring salad to space. The result was red romaine lettuce.
“It’s just one of those things that we have to learn if we’re going to step into the solar system and go to Mars,” says Trent Smith, the Veggie project manager. “How will you grow your plants?”
It turns out, farming in space is not as simple as you’d think. First, there’s the problem of water. On Earth, gravity pulls it down toward the roots, but in space, it can ball up in the corner of a pot and leave the roots high and dry. Smith’s team has developed a solution: a “pillow” of aerated clay, to which you add water. The clay provides structure for the roots to spread out in zero G.
Second, plants also need fresh air to breathe. On Earth, wind keeps fresh air coming, but inside the space station, there is no wind. So fans must constantly circulate air.
Finally there’s the issue of light. The space station is whipping around the Earth fast: “Every 90 minutes there’s a new sunrise, so for a plant, that would be extremely confusing,” Smith says. The Veggie team added some artificial lights to keep the orbiting lettuce on an Earthly schedule.
The system took years for engineers on Earth to develop. But growing Monday’s salad on the space station didn’t take long at all.
“July 8 it started. We had 33 days of growth, and the plants were just fantastic, I mean, big, large leaves,” Smith says.
The astronauts went with a simple balsamic dressing and reported that the space salad tasted out of this world.
This wasn’t the first time astronauts had grown lettuce in space. Last year, astronauts grew an equal amount of tasty greens. They were frozen and returned to Earth for careful analysis — though Smith suspects the crew at the time may have sneaked a bite: “I am fairly certain we didn’t get all the lettuce home last time,” he says.
This lettuce could be just the tip of the iceberg. There are plans for cabbage, cherry tomatoes and even potatoes. As we leaf into the final frontier.
Here’s a round up of California produce shipments ranging from kiwifruit, to lettuce and honeydew.
California’s kiwifruit shipments should be a similar to last year, with initial production estimates pegged at around 6.5-6.8 millon 7-pound-tray-equivalents.
Last season, volume finished with about 7.4 million tray equivalents. Harvest should get underway for most growers the first two weeks of October. Fruit can be held in storage and marketed until about April of next year.
About 75 to 80 percent of production will be shipped within the U.S., with Mexico and Canada being the p;rimary export markets.
California Lettuce
California lettuce shipments have been down and will continue to be significantly lower than normal shipments until loadings shift to Huron in the San Joaquin Valley the second week of October.
Salinas lettuce continues to have quality problems because of trip digit temperatures this fall, which is resulting in seed seem that reduces yield and weight of the lettuce heads. Lettuce shipments out of Huron will last about three to four weeks as the new harvest of lettuce begins from the desert areas of California’s Imperial Valley and Yuma, AZ.
California honeydew
California honeydew shipments from California are down, partly due to less acreage planted due to the California drought. The state’s water shortage has growers cautious about overextending themselves with too many supplies and too little water.
Central San Joaquin Valley fruits and vegetables – grossing about $6000 to Orlando.
Salinas Valley vegetables – grossing about $5200 to Detroit.
If there’s any doubt Idaho is the king of potato shippers, consider the state is home to about 600 farms which grow potatoes for the fresh market and process.
Overall, potatoes are grown on approximately 324,000 aces, and will ship about 13 billion pounds of potatoes this season. That would fill about 500 football stadiums 10 feet high.
By early September, 50 percent of the potato harvest in western Idaho had been completed. The eastern side of the state was facing greater challenges with a lot of moisture and heat. Harvesting will finish in mid-October, with quality looking good.
Approximately 40 percent of Idaho potato shipments go to the fresh market.
Idaho potatoes – grossing about $5100 to Philadelphia.
U.S. Potato Shipments for 2014-15
About 442 million cwt. of potatoes were produced in the U.S. in 2014, 2 percent more than in 2013.
Table stock (fresh) shipments accounted for about 107 million cwt. of that total.
About 1.05 million acres of potatoes were harvested in the U.S. in 2014, up slightly from 2013.
The average yield last season, 421 cwt. per acre, was 7 percent higher than in 2013.
While production was up in 2014, prices were lower. The value of the 2014 crop was about $3.66 billion, down 7% from 2013. The average price, $8.88 per cwt., was 87 cents lower than the price for spuds harvested in 2013.
Of the 442 million cwt. total, 404 million cwt. were harvested in the fall.
California’s upcoming Navel orange shipments are expected to be 86 million 40 pound cartons.
Of those cartons, 83 million are projected to be produced in the three-county Central Valley region comprising District 1 and represents an 8.5 percent increase over the 76 million cartons shipped last year.
The crop is believed to be at least the same as last year and probably bigger. Fruit size is reported to be larger, and fruit set — especially on late varieties — is better in most groves. The improved fruit size is attributed to timely rainfall and good growing conditions following petal fall last spring. Early rains this fall could result in additional growth that would equate to more cartons.
The external quality is very good and the extended periods of high temperatures this summer have increased Brix, so flavor is expected to be excellent this season. The crop is maturing well, with harvest expected to begin in early October.
Thousands of acres have been removed during the current California drought. The estimate of a 2,000-acre reduction in citrus groves is believed by many observers as probably conservative, in which case shipments could eventually come in below the 86 million carton estimate.
Central San Joaquin Valley fruits and vegetables – grossing about $6400 to New York City.
Northwest pear shipments are underway and estimated at 19.9 million boxes for the season. Both apple and pear shipments are increasing.
This is down slightly from an earlier estimate last spring. However, this will still be the fifth largest crop on record. It’s 4 percent less than 2014 but just 1 percent less than the five-year average. The record is 21.6 million in 2013.
Overall, the Northwest provide good loading opportunities, not only for pears this season, but apple shipments are predicted to be the third largest volume on record.
The Wenatchee district forecast was revised downward from 9.4 million to 9.24 million boxes.
The next district in volume, Yakima, is forecast down 12 percent, the Mid-Columbia (Hood River, Ore.) is down 7 percent and the smallest in volume, Medford, is up 16 percent.
Washington state is shipping nearly 500 truck load equivalents of pears a week, with weekly volume from the new crop still increasing.
Apple shipments from Washington are hitting about 1,800 truck load equivalents each week, but still increasing as new crop volume is on the rise, and the old crop winds down.
Washington state apples and pears – grossing about $6800 to New York City.
Virginia Apples
In 2015, the U.S. Department of Agriculture expects Virginia apple shipments to total 180 million pounds.
Virginia is ranked No. 6 among apple-growing states. Quality this season is reported to be good.
by Rebecca Riffkin, Gallup
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans are more likely to say they actively try to avoid including soda or pop in their diet than 14 other foods, including sugar and fat. At least six in 10 U.S. adults say they are trying to steer clear of these drinks — regardless of whether they are diet or regular.
Americans are most likely to say they actively try to include fruits and vegetables in their diet. Gallup asked 1,009 Americans about the foods they try to include or avoid in their diet as part of its annual Consumption Habits poll in July. Previous Gallup reports have focused on Americans’ avoidance or inclusion of gluten-free foods and salt or fat.
Americans appear to be aware of the health benefits of fruits and vegetables, with at least nine in 10 saying they actively try to include each in their diet. At least three in four Americans also say they try to include chicken and fish in their diet, meats that nutrition experts often recommend to help with heart health, in lieu of beef and other red meat — which nevertheless, 63% of Americans still actively try to include in their diet.
Georgia fall produce shipments are underway, and should provide steady, although only moderate loading opportunities. The Carolinas have light volume veggies.
There are adequate supplies of bell peppers, cucumbers, squash, eggplant, sweet corn, green beans and cabbage coming out of Southern Georgia. One of the state’s largest vegetable shippers is Southern Valley Fruit & Vegetable Inc., based in Norman Park.
Another good sized vegetable shipper is Baker Farms LLC in Norman Park, Ga., which started shipping leafy greens, including kale and collard greens, on September 14th. Baker ships product throughout the year but increases its fall volume in September.
A number of Florida-based vegetable shippers also have farming and marketing operations in Georgia. One example is Pioneer Growers Co-op of Belle Glade, FL, which plans to start harvesting sweet corn and green beans in Bainbridge, Ga., in late September.
Carolina Vegetable Shipments
You’re probably not going to be finding full loads of produce in Georgia, and certainly not in the Carolinas this fall. There is light volume with greens from the Lexington, SC area, as well as from Eastern North Carolina. Even sweet potato shipments are lighter than normal from Eastern, NC. The old crop in virtually finished, while the harvest is underway for a new crop that needs to be cured before being shipped.
Otherwise, Western North Carolina has a number of vegetables ranging from bell peppers to eggplant and squash, all of which have light volume.
About 12% of all produce sold in the U.S. is organic, according to a new study — almost double the amount found in another study.
SPINS, a market research firm for the organic and natural foods industry, arrived at the 12% figure through analysis of IRI Shopper Network bar code data from 100,000 U.S. households, according to a news release from the Washington, D.C.-based Organic Trade Association.
The SPINS figure is significantly higher than FreshLook Marketing retail scan data, which found that organic accounts for 6.9% of total produce sales.
Dick Spezzano, president of Monrovia, CA.-based Spezzano Consulting, said he’s never heard a number as high as 12%.
At some of the specialty retailers Spezzano works with, up to 15% of their produce is organic, but at more conventional retailers the numbers are lower.
“Safeway’s goal is 10% — some of their stores are 8%, some 12%. Kroger is about 8% or 9%, and I’m guessing Wal-Mart is lower than that.”
But double-digit annual growth in organic produce sales is real, Spezzano said, and within about two years, the 12% share could be reality. Growers are getting better at growing organic, he said, and as a result, the price gap between organic and conventional is shrinking.
Earl Herrick, owner and president of Earl’s Organic Produce, San Francisco, can only guess at organic’s share of total produce sales, but he does know business is booming.
“Eight percent, 10%, 12% — what do I know? But we definitely agree that the market is vital, strong and continues to grow.”
Earl’s has enjoyed 15% annual growth in recent years, Herrick said.
New SPINS data also claims that all categories of organic food accounted for nearly 5% of total U.S. food sales.
Organic produce sales account for more than 36% of all organic food sales, according to SPINS. Organics’ share of all produce sales has more than doubled in the past 10 years, according to SPINS.
Organic food sales totaled $35.9 billion in 2014, 11% more than the year before, according to a new Organic Trade Association survey conducted by Nutrition Business Journal.
Between 68% and 80% of households in U.S. southern states and almost 90% of households on the West Coast and in New England purchased organic in 2014, according to the survey.
More than 200 companies responded to the survey, according to the association.