Posts Tagged “feature”
As a veteran I 
had about as good a duty as you get. My first 18 months was in the Philippines. I was editor of a base newsletter at the Cubi Point Naval Air Station, plus I had an additional job as editor of the officer’s club newsletter at nearby Subic Bay. That meant $100 extra per month for an E-2 grade sailor right out of boot camp. As icing on the cake I had full access to the officers club since I interviewed and photographed acts performing at the officer’s club ranging from Johnny Mathis to the Ink Spots. From the Philippines I spent 2 months on a heavy cruiser based out of Norfolk, VA before transferring to a submarine base in Groton, CT, where I served in the public affairs office on the admiral’s staff, which included doing a Navy news program on local radio.
I point this out because today is Veteran’s Day – and I want to honor those that are the real heroes. I could have easily received duty where I may have been killed in a Vietnam jungle as 50,000 American heroes did, including a handful of friends I grew up with. I well remember flying home for leave from a U.S. Air Force base in the Philippines to Anchorage Alaska on a medivac flight that was filled with injured service men from Vietnam. Now those are real heroes.
I’ve often thought that young people in America who have never spent time in poor countries, where poverty and sickness are rampant, often don’t really appreciate what they have here in the United States.
So here is to the real American heroes, our service men and women who serve and have served so valiantly to protect and preserve the freedoms we enjoy in this great country. God Bless you. —
JO2 Bill Martin, USN
Here’s a round up of produce shipments, ranging from sweet potatoes from the four leading states, to Washington apples, Texas grapefruit and pineapple imports.Due to dry weather Mississippi sweet potato shipments are down this season along with yields of the crop. The state has over 100 sweet potato growers with 23,200 acres of the crop. That is up about 12 percent from acreage planted in 2014. Mississippi, as well as neighboring Louisiana, plus the Atwater, Livingston district in California, are all averaging between 40 and 50 loads of sweet potatoes being shipped weekly. By contrast, the industry leading North Carolina is shipping nearly 300 truck loads a week, primarily from the eastern part the of state.
Washington Apple Shipments
The Washington state apple harvest is virtually finished. Estimates now vary between a low of 110 million bushels and a high of 115 million bushels to be shipped this season. There will still be plenty of opportunities for apple haulers, even with the small crop.
Washington apple shipments – grossing about $4400 to Chicago.
Texas Grapefruit Shipments
The Texas grapefruit harvest, which got underway in late September should continue through April. Normal shipments are seen this season, with heaviest volume occurring during January and February from the Lower Rio Grande Valley. About a 25 percent decrease is expected compared to last year’s record-crop of 150 million bushels.
Texas grapefruit, oranges, as well as numerous imports from Mexico – grossing about $2200 to Atlanta.
Pineapple Imports
El Nino weather conditions had hit Costa Rica pineapple exports, where most pineapple are sourced this time of the year. As a result, shipments of the fruit to the United States and are now about 17 percent below normal. The lower volume is expected until January.
Here’s a look at the final months of California table grape shipments and the outlook for the new crop of California Navel oranges.
Adverse weather reduced California table grape shipments the first part of the season, but the second half of the season has been more stable with steady shipments. Approximately 15 percent of the crop is left to harvest and about 25 percent of the crop has yet to be shipped. Still, about 2,000 truck loads are being shipped weekly from the San Joaquin Valley.
Actually more shipments are now occurring in the fall and less in the off-season, considered to be spring and summer. Loadings can go up to four million boxes a week during the season and only about two-and-a-half million boxes when not in season.
California grapes – grossing about $5100 to Atlanta.
California Orange Shipments
With harvesting of the California Navel orange crop under way, there is a pre-season estimate of nearly a 10 percent increase in volume. California is projected to ship an estimated at 86 million cartons this season, with all but 3 million of that coming from the Central San Joaquin Valley. This would represent an 8.5 percent increase over last year’s volume.
A survey of orchards indicate a fruit set per tree of 412 in California’s 122,000 acres of bearing trees. That number is 20 percent higher than the five-year average of 336.
California citrus shipments occur from October into July, with the January to April time frame being the peak season. California is bracing for above-average rainfall for the first time in five years as the El Nino weather condition is expected to drop a lot of water, especially in the southern half of the state. The Central Valley runs from the south to the north, but the majority of citrus groves are in the southern half.
California citrus – grossing about $6600 to Boston.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Compounds found in purple potatoes may help kill colon cancer stem cells and limit the spread of the cancer, according to a team of researchers.
Baked purple-fleshed potatoes suppressed the growth of colon cancer tumors in petri dishes and in mice by targeting the cancer’s stem cells. Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S. and responsible for more than 50,000 deaths annually, according to the American Cancer Society.
Attacking stem cells is an effective way to counter cancer, according to Jairam K.P. Vanamala, associate professor of food sciences, Penn State and faculty member at the Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute.
“You might want to compare cancer stem cells to roots of the weeds,” Vanamala said. “You may cut the weed, but as long as the roots are still there, the weeds will keep growing back and, likewise, if the cancer stem cells are still present, the cancer can still grow and spread.”
Sweet potato production is surging in the United States, according to a an article issued by the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
“U.S. sweet potato production has increased substantially over the last 15 years,” the authors wrote. “In 2000, total U.S. production was 13.8 million hundredweight and close to the 10-year (1990-99) average of 12.42 million hundredweight. In subsequent seasons, sweet potato production increased by an average of 6.1 percent per season, ultimately resulting in record high production (29.6 million hundredweight) for the 2014 marketing year.”
While sweet potatoes are grown across the United States, the authors said, “They are best suited for cultivation in southern states which have warmer climates and longer frost-free growing seasons relative to other regions of the United States. In particular, North Carolina’s climate and soil conditions are ideal for sweet potato production. Since 1971, this state has been the No. 1 sweet potato producer and, in 2014, North Carolina produced 53 percent of all sweet potatoes grown in the country.”
North Carolina’s industry grew 185 percent over the past 15 years, buoying the domestic industry. “However, other states make significant contributions and have also experienced gains. Over the same 15-year period, California production has increased by nearly 100 percent; Mississippi’s production has increased by 155 percent,” the report stated. These two states accounted for 30 percent of domestic sweet potato production in 2014.
North Carolina, California, Mississippi and Louisiana accounted for 91 percent of aggregate sweet potato production, and the authors attributed increases to gains in yield and area harvested. “North Carolina leads the nation in area harvested and total production; however, California typically posts the highest average yields,” the report stated. “In 2014, California producers harvested an average of 275 hundredweight per acre; in North Carolina farmers realized 220 hundredweight per acre.”
A new report claims that over 14,000 U.S. farms grew organic produce and other agricultural products in 2012.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistic Service’s 2014 Organic Survey, recently released, analyzes data from the 2012 Census of Agriculture. About 3.7 million acres of land had organic products in 2012, 687,000 of them in industry leader California.
Of the 14,093 certified or exempt U.S. farms, 2,805 were in California.
The value of U.S. organic agricultural products in 2012 was $5.5 billion, according to the report. California accounted for about $2.2 billion of that total. About 164,403 acres of organic vegetables, potatoes and melons worth $1.25 billion were harvested in 2012.
Organic grape production totaled 98,805 tons and was worth about $188 million. About 563 million pounds of organic apples, worth $250 million, were produced in 2012. In the “other fruit, nuts and berries” category, about 3,523 farms produced $579 million worth of product in 2012.
They may not necessarily be truck loads, but at least partial loads should be available in a number of Eastern produce shipping areas, ranging from the deep south, to New York and Michigan.
Georgia Produce Shipments
Southern Georgia should ship around 110-120 million pounds of pecans this year, making it one of the best seasons in the last three years. Georgia is No.1 in U.S pecan shipments…..Elsewhere in South Georgia are a number of vegetables being shipped, but it is light volume with only partial loads available. For example, about 75 truck load equivalents of beans are being loaded weekly. There also is light, but increasing volume with items ranging from peppers to eggplant and greens.
North Carolina Produce Shipments
Eastern North Carolina sweet potato shipments are currently your best bet in the Tar Heel state. About 250 truck loads per week are being loaded….Meanwhile the cabbage harvest has just started, with very light loadings just getting underway.
North Carolina sweet potatoes – grossing about $2500 to New York City.
New York Produce Shipments
The Hudson Valley provides the majority of apple shipments, although there is lighter volume from other parts of the state including central and western New York. All total, New York apple shipments are averaging a little over 300 truck loads per week….Cabbage shipments from central and western areas are averaging about 225 truck loads weekly. Storage onions, primarily from Orange County, are amounting to around 150 truck loads per week.
New York cabbage – grossing about $1200 to Boston.
Michigan Produce Shipments
Not much going on here. Your best bet is with apples, primarily from the Grand Rapids area. Michigan is averaging about 250 truck loads weekly. There also very light volume with storage onions.
Michigan apples – grossing about $3400 to Orlando.
Here’s a national produce shipping round up ranging from both domestic and imported onions, to South Texas and imported Mexican items, to Western U.S. vegetable shipments.
Caution is recommended for hauling onions out of the Northwest, including Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Weather problems earlier in the year are being blamed.
Meanwhile, quality apparently is much better for onion shipments out of Utah and Colorado. Loadings involve red, white and yellow storage onions. Northeast Colorado onion shipments will continue through the end of the year and Utah onion shipments will be available into February.
Imported Peruvian sweet onions continues, with the heaviest volume being available through Thanksgiving. Lighter volume imports of onions from Peru will continue into February.
Western Idaho and Malheur County, Oregon onions – grossing about $3400 to Dallas.
Columbia Basin, Washington, potatoes and onions – grossing about $4200 to Chicago.
South Texas Produce Shipments
Texas grapefruit shipments and Texas orange shipments from the Lower Rio Grande Valley got underway a couple of weeks ago and are moving into steady volume. Total volume this season is expected to be about normal. There also are numerous items from Mexico crossing the border into Pharr, TX. There’s over 600 truck loads of avocados and nearly 400 truck loads of limes crossing the border weekly. There ‘s also lesser amounts of lemons and other items.
South Texas citrus and imported Mexican tropical fruit – grossing about $2500 to Chicago, $3900 to New York City.
KALE SHIPMENTS
The trendy vegetable item kale will continue to be shipped from the Salinas Valley, while loadings out of Yuma, AZ will start in mid November, along with several other desert vegetable shipments such as lettuce.
Grapefruit consumption has declined, according to USDA data.
While consumers haven’t completely abandoned grapefruit, as of 2013, Americans ate just over 2.5 pounds of fresh, pulpy citrus on average each year.
In 1976, at the height of America’s love for grapefruit, few fruits were more popular. The average American citizen ate almost 25 pounds of grapefruit each year. Since then, however, fresh grapefruit consumption has plunged by 70 percent, and total grapefruit consumption, which includes the processed kind often used for juice, has tumbled by almost 80 percent.
Grapefruits are likely falling victim to the growing demand for convenience in the United States. Americans want foods that are fast and easy, fruits that can be eaten with a single hand.
It’s not a convenient fruit eat, especially when people can grab a banana, an apple, and head out the door.
USDA data show that this is, in many ways, true. Americans eat almost 40 percent more fresh fruit that they did some 40 years ago. Bananas, in particular, have grown in popularity over the years, with consumption being over 60 percent greater per person than it was in the 1970s.
Nothing, however, has been more detrimental to America’s ability to enjoy grapefruits over the years than an insect-borne disease called citrus greening, which has ravaged production. The disease, which first crept into Florida, where some three-quarters of all grapefruits are grown in the country, in the early 2000s, has turned grapefruit farming into a nightmare.
Grapefruits, which are typically among the cheapest citrus, have gotten more expensive over the years. And higher prices have meant even lower demand.
For the first time in about a decade, total North American blueberry shipments in 2015 were lower, according to preliminary estimates.
The crop was down 22 million pounds from last year’s 744.8 million pounds. The final numbers would be released in March.
The only regions that grew in volume were the western U.S. and Mexico. The rest of the United States and Canada saw comparable or smaller blueberry shipments.
The biggest drop in volume for any region was in Michigan, which had a rough year due to weather, and the states of Georgia and New Jersey were moderately down. British Columbia remained the largest producing region on the continent and experienced flat figures this year. Meanwhile, Washington State saw the largest increase as the U.S.’s leading blueberry state.
Elsewhere, California and Oregon saw only minimal increases and Mexico registered a gradual increase. However, Mexican production was still relatively small, and will have less than 30 million pounds of blueberries. Weather was a major factor for the decline, while labor was also an issue in many areas. North American blueberry shippers have been growing at 80-100 million pounds a year for a number of years, so perhaps a decline was over due.