Posts Tagged “feature”
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orth Carolina sweet potato shipments all of a sudden are not looking nearly as good this season, while fall vegetables soon will transition from Georgia to Florida.
While North Carolina may have dodged the proverbial weather bullet that clobbered South Carolina, the Tar Heel state still got hit pretty good. From a produce trucking standpoint, the biggest change will be with opportunities for hauling North Carolina sweet potatoes. The state’s leading produce item had fields hit with rains for two weeks. Then they have to wait for fields to dry to continue harvesting. Meanwhile, farmers are fighting the clock when the first hard freeze will end diggings. Bottom line – No specifics yet, but undoubtedly there’s going to be substantial losses in North Carolina sweet potato shipments for the 2015-16 season. This means reduced yields and quality problems….There’s currently a mixture of the old and new crop being shipped, averaging only about 200 truck loads per week. We’ll provide more info as it becomes available.
Eastern North Carolina sweet potato shipments – grossing about $2500 to New York City.
Georgia Vegetable Shipments
Blessed with sandy soil in much of Georgia, it helps absorb excessive rains that occurred recently with Hurricane Joaquin. Items such as cucumbers and squash are being shipped in light volume, but will be declining as we approach November. There are a number of Florida vegetable shipments that will start increasing with Georgia’s decline. Still, we’re talking pick ups in terms of pallets, not truck loads.
By The American Pistachio Growers
FRESNO, Calif. — Eating pistachio nuts does not contribute to weight gain or an increased body mass index – a measure of body fat based on height and weight – when included in a balanced diet, according to a scientific review of several clinical studies. This is among the many findings described in a review article published in the British Journal of Nutrition titled, “Nutrition attributes and health effects of pistachio nuts.” The article analyzes the results of more than 100 research studies and clinical trials regarding nut consumption and health, highlighting the potential health benefits of pistachios, which are a source of plant-based protein, vitamins and minerals and also a good source of fiber.
Pistachios and Weight Management
Reviewers analyzed randomized controlled trials that looked at pistachios’ effect on body weight and found that diets that include pistachios have not been linked to weight gain. In fact, one study found a decrease in body mass index, and another noted a significant decrease in waist circumference for those who ate pistachios.
An important component of weight management is satiety, the feeling of fullness after eating, and evidence shows that all nuts help promote satiety, suppress hunger and inhibit eating.
Heart Disease
Researchers also looked at five studies that examined the effects of pistachios on heart disease. Many of the studies found that diets that include pistachios tend to be linked to significantly lowered cholesterol and blood pressure levels, even for those who are at high risk of diabetes.
Nutrition
Researchers found that a one-ounce serving of pistachios (about 49 nuts) provides 10 percent of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of protein and 11 percent of the RDA of fiber for adults. With three grams of fiber per serving, pistachios rank among the top two nuts in fiber content. The authors note that fiber intake is linked to decreased weight gain and helps lower the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some types of cancer.
Pistachios vs Other Nuts
- Vitamin Content: Pistachios contain Vitamin K and the B vitamins, including thiamin (B1), pyridoxine (B6), and folic acid (B9).
- Mineral Content: Pistachios contain a number of minerals, including potassium, magnesium, calcium, copper, and manganese, which are thought to play a role in blood pressure control, bone health management, and the prevention of several chronic diseases.
- Antioxidant Support: Numerous studies suggest that pistachios contain phytochemicals that may act as antioxidants in the body.
- Role in Eye Health: Pistachios contain approximately 13 times more lutein and zeaxanthin (carotenoids) than the next highest nut. High amounts of these carotenoids are found in the retina of the eye and are known to benefit eye health, which may help prevent vision loss associated with aging.
by Columbia Marketing International (CMI)
Recently released crop estimates for the 2015 Washington state apple shipments predict a decline of 10.5% from the record harvest in 2014. According to some industry experts, the predicted decline in the overall crop is a reflection of significant changes occurring at the orchard level.
The report released last week estimates significant production increases in Honeycrisp and sharp declines in Red and Golden Delicious—two apples that have been icons of Northwest apple growers for more than 50 years.
The late summer crop estimate is issued each season by the Washington State Tree Fruit Association. This year’s report reveals a total apple shipments estimate of 125,210 million cartons compared to a 140 million box crop last year, a decline of over 10%. The report predicts in the coming year that production of Honeycrisp will leap by 33%, Red Delicious will drop by 26.2% with Goldens declining by 24.5%. Gala is predicted to decline by 3.5%, Fuji will drop 5.8% with Granny Smith production unchanged.
According to Steve Lutz, Vice President of Marketing at CMI, the industry report reflects significant changes growers have made over the last few years in response to market conditions and shifting consumer demand. “Market prices for apples send very clear signals to our growers on what varieties they should expand and which apple trees should be removed,” said Lutz. Lutz says that it is not uncommon to see a decline in total production in the year immediately following a bumper crop like the Washington industry experienced in 2014.
Lutz added that production trends at CMI are consistent with the statewide estimate. “Our growers are reporting they expect production declines in Reds and Goldens to be larger than the state average,” he said. “We will have significant increases in Honeycrisp, particularly from newly planted orchards with high-colored fruit, so we’re really excited to bring these apples to our customers.”
“The hidden news in the 2015 crop report is that newer variety apples continue to make up for the erosion in production of the legacy varieties,” said Lutz. “CMI growers have made huge investments so that we have plenty of high-colored Honeycrisp on the way. To maximize the success of this variety, we’re introducing our new Happy Bee™ Honeycrisp pouch bag program, which will drive retail excitement this Fall. We’ll also have significant increases in production of our popular branded apples like Ambrosia™, KIKU® and Kanzi®.”
Lutz says organic apple and pear production also appear to be a bright spot in the coming year. “CMI leads the organic apple and pear category with our #1 Daisy Girl brand. Our growers estimate that in the coming year our production of our Daisy Girl Organic apples and pears will jump by about 10%.” He added, “That’s great news because organics have been the hottest growth driver in the category.”
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Columbia Marketing International (CMI) is one of Washington State’s largest growers, shippers and packers of premium quality cherries, apples, pears and organics. Based out of Wenatchee, WA, CMI delivers outstanding fruit across the U.S.A. and exports to over 60 countries worldwide.
California strawberry shipments are on a normal track, while Washington state cranberry shipments may be in big trouble. Shipments of California strawberries through late September were up slightly over last season.
About 173.8 million crates of fruit had shipped year-to-date through Sept. 26, up from 172.7 million crates last year at the same time, according to the Watsonville-based California Strawberry Commission’s weekly Pink Sheet newsletter. Shipments were down in the Oxnard growing region but up in the Santa Maria and Watsonville/Salinas regions, with Watsonville/Salinas leading the way with 86.1 million crates. Volumes shipping the week ending Sept. 26 were higher than expected, according to the report. About 3.46 million trays shipped, up from a projected total of 3.22 million trays.
Salinas/Watsonville strawberries – grossing about $4800 to Houston.
Washington Cranberry Shipments
Severe drought persists on Washington’s Southwest coast, complicating the region’s cranberry harvest. The lack of rain, however, threatens to extend the harvest, putting berries at risk of rot, frost and ripening into a dark color unsuited to consumer expectations, following the hottest July on record.
The growing season, May through August, was the sixth driest on record. Washington state is the nation’s third leading shipper of cranberries for the fresh market, behind Wisconsin and Massachusetts, which account together for about 90 percent of the nation’s fresh cranberries.
By Full Tilt Marketing
New York, NY— What began as a grassroots effort to celebrate the nutritional benefits of kale as a trending superfood, has grown into a worldwide movement. This year will mark the third annual National Kay Day, which is today.
In recent years, kale’s popularity has grown in both supermarkets and on restaurant menus. In fact, Whole Foods Market now buys and sells more kale than all other greens combined and other retailers have reported triple digit sales increases. This growing interest in kale has growers and manufacturers excited about the opportunity to promote not just kale, but all leafy greens.
This year’s celebration will include online and offline events, including signature events in New York City. The day will kick off with the kale army making an appearance on the Today Show plaza and hosting a kale tasting for media influencers. The day will continue with the founders celebrating a kale lunch with students at a local NYC Public Elementary School, then joining sponsor San Miguel Produce to kick off a Cooking with Kale series at Manhattan’s Food & Finance High School and end with the signature kale party.
In addition, to consumer events, National Kale Day has touched 10 countries, retailers, restaurants and schools with some of the largest school districts in the country including New York Public Schools and Los Angeles Public Schools planning to serve up kale. Dr. Ramsey remarked, “I have been a proponent of brain foods like kale in my practice for years, and there is nothing more exciting than seeing the potential to reach kids early on in their lives and teach them about healthy foods in a fun way.”
National Kale Day is a public event of grassroots volunteers established for the celebration and promotion of the health benefits and culinary versatility of kale.
Full Tilt Marketing is a consulting firm with offices in the Southeast and Midwest. The firm specializes in produce and food marketing. Working with commodity boards and grower/shippers, Full Tilt assists clients with new product development, brand management, retail promotions, online marketing, social media and marketing communications.
While Florida leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to produce trucking in the fall, there are citrus loadings and limited amounts of vegetables.
Navel and fallglo tangerine harvets started the third week of September, with decent loading opportunties coming on in late September. This week, the harvest of navels are underway.
This season, the industry should pack about 12 million cartons of red and white grapefruit, down from the 13 million it produced last season.
Citrus shipments Wrap Up
U.S. citrus shipments fell four percent in 2014-15 season.
About 9.02 million tons of citrus were produced this season. The 2014-15 total is also 49 percent lower than the record 17.8 million tons produced in 1997-98.
Florida accounted for 56 percent of all 2014-15 loadings, California 41 percent, while Texas and Arizona amounted to three percent combined.
With about 97 million boxes, Florida’s orange shipments are eight percent lower than in 2013-14. Florida grapefruit shipments amounted to 13 million boxes, down 18percent.
California’s orange volume fell one percent to 49 million boxes. Grapefruit shipments in the state also fell one percent, but lemon loadings rose nine percent, while tangerine and mandarin volume rose nine percent.
Florida Fall Vegetable Shipments
Light Fall Florida Veggie Shipments will be staring in a few weeks, despite rains occurring nearly on a daily basis. Squash and cucumbers get underway from the Immokalee area the second week of November with bell peppers and eggplants starting only a few days later. One major shipper is Oakes Farms Inc.
Eggplant and other veggies get started in late October from the Loxahatchee area. A primary shipper this is J&J Family of Farms Inc.
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Date shipments over the past 15 years have shown steady increases as newer palms produce more fruit each season.
California date volume should exceed 50 million pounds this season. Bearing acreage over the past five years has averaged 7,700 acres, while date production volume for that time frame averaged 47.5 million pounds.
Dates are harvested in September and October from California’s desert regions. The Coachella Valley is the main production area, though dates are also grown in the desert region of Bard Valley, which straddles the California-Arizona border, and there is limited pickings near Las Vegas.
Dates are grown on a date palm tree that typically grows about 20 feet high. It is a labor-intensive crop that requires much more care than the average tree fruit. Pickers have to be at eye-level with the date bunches seven different times in a five-month-period. From artificial pollination to harvest, in California workers are typically raised to the top of the tree in some type of mechanical device.
Dates are sold from cold storage or the freezer throughout the year as they have an extended shelf life. Demand has been increasing and creating a year-round market, but holiday sales – particularly Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hanukkah are most popular. Lesser holidays popular with dates are Easter and Passover in the spring. There is also a very big demand during the monthlong Muslim Ramadan celebration. Ramadan is a lunar calendar holiday that moves 10-14 days earlier each year. It began in mid-June in 2015 and will have a start date of early June in 2016.
SunDate LLC, headquartered in Coachella, CA. SunDate is a partnership between the date growing operations of Anthony Vineyards and Chuchian Ranch.
Two major date shippers are Atlas Produce & Distribution Inc., in Bakersfield, CA, and Hadley Date Gardens in Thermal, CA.
Southern California citrus and vegetables – grossing about $4200 to Chicago.
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.