Posts Tagged “feature”
In January HaulProduce.com marks it 4th anniversary. During this month we will have posted on the website 1,000 produce trucking reports and other news items and features.
This sojourn began in September 1974 as I began learning all I could about the produce and trucking industries and combining those two interests with what eventually led to creating the Produce Truckers Network. During its 20-years on the air it was broadcast on over 60 radio stations across the U.S. and Canada, before becoming a part of satellite radio for four years.
The essence of those radio reports continues to be viable to this day, as it re-emerged as HaulProduce.com.
It is very encouraging receiving the regular phone calls and e-mails saying the website is providing informative, useful information, whether it comes from owner operators, small fleet owners, carriers, or third parties.
Ironically, when I entered this industry it was a period leading up t0 the deregulation of the trucking industry. Unfortunately, this “deregulated” industry has to deal with more stifling regulations than ever.
After four decades of relationships established in both the trucking and produce industries, and collecting a wealth of information scattered throughout the internet, providing information you can use in your business continues to be a priority.
A special thank you goes to TransFresh Corp. that provides the Techtrol CO2 process that extends shelf live of berries and other items in-transit, thus reducing the chances for claims or rejected loads at destination.
Another special thank you to truck brokerage Cool Runnings.
I have known Rich Macleod of TransFresh and Fred Plotsky at Cool Runnings for decades and deeply appreciate their sponsorship since day one of this venture. Both companies represent the finest in business ethics and practices.
We are looking forward to more companies are coming aboard in the New Year.
However, without you, our readers and subscribers, none of this would be possible. Thank you so much for your continued support.
As we embark on 2015, this is wishing you a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year filled with safe travels.
— Bill Martin
There’s a possible California freeze damaging cold front barreling in from Canada that will hit the citrus shipping region of California’s San Joaquin Valley the nights of New Years Eve and New Years night….Additionally, here’s an update on loading opportunities for imported Chilean fruit.
A winter storm racing into the central San Joaquin Valley from Canada could bring temperatures of 26-27 degrees F. the nights of December 31st and January 1st, although forecasters are saying this could change as the storm nears. If the forecast holds, growers will likely begin irrigating on Wednesday to help warm the ground and protect trees. Wind machines will be turned on at night to mix the air and prevent cold pockets from forming.
Approximately 75 percent of the orange and mandarin crops have yet to be harvested. Navel oranges can withstand about four hours of 28-degree temperatures with little or no damage. However, mandarins are more sensitive, and even 32 degrees can be damaging to them.
If damage does occur, it typically takes days, if not weeks to assess how serious it was.
Chilean Fruit Imports
Apart from some recent rains that affected cherry volumes, weather conditions have been favorable for this season. Volume increases are predicted for Chilean fruit commodities, even cherries. This would be in stark contrast to the large volume decreases in 2013-14 due to severe frosts in the South American country. Exports of Chilean blueberries are expected to show a huge increase of 30 percent over last season, with volume exceeding 200 million pounds. An estimated 70 percent of exports come to North America. In the overall grape category, increases are seen for all varieties. Chilean grape imports will increase significantly in January, February and March.
As we rapidly approach the New Year, vegetable volume will be increasing from Mexico through Nogales, as well as the California desert. Here also is a summary of what recent rains in drought stricken California will mean for produce haulers in the future.
Mexican vine-ripe tomato shipments will be moving into volume shipments around January 1st.
Mexican strawberry volume is increasing along with strawberries from the Plant City, FL area as well as fruit from Ventura County, CA.
Southern California strawberry shipments started the week of December 15th with very light volume. However, increasing the volume has been hampered due to rainy, cool weather. Mexican strawberry shipments have been steadily increasing, but decent volume won’t be available until the first or second week of January.
California Drought Update
A week of storms that swept through California in mid-December came nowhere close to ending the state’s drought. But with continued warm weather in the forecast, conditions are good for rapid crop growth — and possible winter shipping gaps. Celery out of Oxnard and iceberg lettuce out of Yuma, Ariz. are both coming on fast — where less rain fell but warm weather prevailed.
It has taken a crop that was well ahead of schedule and made it even more so,. The combination of rain, with mild conditions has created accelerated growth that is unprecedented. This is expected to result in shipping gaps during the next several weeks.
A NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory study released Dec. 16 found the water storage in the Sacramento and San Joaquin River basins was 11 trillion gallons below normal seasonal levels. It could take years to replenish that. The study was based on satellite data from earlier in 2014.
Mexican vegetables crossing at Nogales – grossing about $1000 to Los Angeles.
Imperial Valley/Yuma district vegetables – grossing about $5300 to Atlanta.
Here are some of the better loading opportunities occurring in the Eastern United States, although volume from most areas is modest at best.
Florida produce shipments and truck rates tend to get a little funky during the holidays as there is a rush to deliver product for Christmas, then reorder between Christmas and New Year’s. Rates tend to fluctuate more than normal during this time.
Tomato shipments in Florida’s Homestead region should kick off in January, but overall Florida volume will likely fall off as Mexican tomato shipments ramp up. Many Florida tomato growers simply don’t grow as heavily for winter as they do for fall and spring. Shipments in the Ruskin/Palmetto growing region of Florida pretty much finished last week, with Immokalee taking over the lion’s share of the Sunshine State’s tomato volume.
Florida strawberry shipments were slow to pick up thanks to cool weather, but that began changing last week. Volume should hit, good, normal levels in early January.
Central and South Florida produce – grossing about $3200 to New York City.
Sweet Potato Shipments
Domestic shipments in the USA for sweet potatoes has risen by 40 percent since 2008, with exports rising exponentially during the same period. North Carolina is the leading state in sweet potato shipments.
North Carolina sweet potatoes – grossing about $3000 to Chicago.
New York Produce Shipments
Apple shipments are originating out of Western and Central New York, as well as the Champlain Valley, but the biggest volume is from the Hudson Valley. Cabbage loadings continue from Central and western areas, while most onion shipments are coming out of Orange County.
Hudson Valley apples – grossing about $2000 to Atlanta.
The Q3 2014 edition of the FreshFacts on Retail report, which examines overall retail trends in produce, has been released by The United Fresh Produce Association.
The study shows that during this quarter, fruit and vegetable volume remained steady compared to the previous year, while dollar sales increased slightly due to a small increase in average retail price. The report, produced in partnership with the Nielsen Perishables Group and sponsored by Del Monte Fresh Produce, measures retail price and sales trends for the top 10 fruit and vegetable commodities, as well as value-added, organic and other produce categories.
It also features a more detailed look at the berries, citrus and packaged salad categories, as well as produce in the deli. Highlights of this quarter’s report include the following:
•Cherries posted the highest growth in the fruit category, with dollar sales increasing 16.9 percent and volume increasing 36.7 percent
•Packaged salad posted the highest growth in the vegetable category, with increased dollar sales 9.1 percent and volume increasing 6.8 percent
•Value-added fruits posted average weekly dollar and volume sales growth of 10.5 percent and 3.1 percent, respectively
•Average weekly dollar and volume sales for snacking vegetables both increased by double digits compared to Q3 2013
•Shoppers continued to seek out organic produce, resulting in significant dollar and volume sales increases for organic fruits and vegetables.
This quarter’s FreshFacts report also features a spotlight on consumer demand of value-added convenience produce items. Multiple convenience items experienced double-digit growth, including fresh-cut fruits, mixed melons, snacking vegetables and value-added vegetable side dishes.
One of my favorite Christmas gifts as a kid was an electric football game. It was simply a metal (not plastic) green colored field with all the stripes, yard markers etc. Each team had its plastic players with the down linemen, receivers, backs, etc. One team was red, the other was white. You lined the defense and offense up and flipped the switch, which vibrated the field making the players move.
Today, I suppose my old football game would be like comparing a 78 rpm vinyl record to an ipod, or a trailer with block ice for refrigeration versus today’s computerized reefers units.
Many fond memories remain of my youth; the holidays with Mom and Dad, and other relatives, who are no longer with us. Then you become the Dad, and the grandpa.
There is so much to be thankful for anytime of the year, but at Christmas, reminders are so prevelent.
The only gifts I really want anymore, I already have – a loving family – and some close friends. There will be a donation to the John 3:16 Mission, and a helping hand to a family is less fortunate.
I remain so thankful for the men and women who serve and have served our nation – and their scarifices. I still consider America the greatest place on earth to live and am thankful for freedom we have here.
To those in trucking, no private industry provides a more important service to our country. It requires experise, professionalism and hard work, delivering to Americans virutally everything found in our homes.
I’ll close by providing you with part of the lyrics to a wonderful Christmas song you probably never heard by musician Don White from Tulsa, OK. I have also posted the video of Don performing the song below . God Bless, and wishing you a very Merry Christmas. — Bill Martin
IT’S CHRISTMAS TIME, I’M COMING HOME – by Don White
Far away, I’m feeling so lonely
Hi Mom, just calling to say
This year I’m coming home
I know I won’t forget
the reason we celebrate the season
But it’s Christmas
I’m coming home
Mid December rains on the West Coast will benefit produce truckers hauling California citrus next year, plus will be helpful long term with produce shipments throughout much of the state.
The rain storm hit the main citrus shipping regions, but more importantly provided more water for storage, as an initial start to climbing out of a three-year-long drought. The rains are helping to reinvigorate citrus trees, which helps with fruit sizing.
California citrus is about seven weeks into the season with another 25 weeks of shipping ahead.
California Navel loadings began in mid-October, but a lack of rainfall over the summer had led to a smaller-than-usual fruit sizing.
The California Department of Water Resources says the state needs about five or six of these storms this winter and spring to have an above-average water year and to begin to make up the deficits racked up over the past three years. Because of the mid December storms, three of California’s largest reservoirs – Oroville, Shasta and Folsom – rose for the first time since last spring. But each of those reservoirs, which provide much of agriculture with the summer irrigation water it needs, still stand at only about one-third of capacity.
For the drought to be declared over, several cold weather storms that drop snow in the higher elevations are needed. Currently, the snow pack remains below normal. Each year’s snowpack and spring runoff provides California with the vast majority of its reservoir water.
But there is no doubt that the rains have helped.
Southern California citrus – grossing about $4200 to Chicago.
With the USDA forecasting imports into the United States will exceed exports, that is good news for produce haulers. Imported produce continues to grow, especially during the winter months. U.S. ports, particularly in the Southeastern USA are handling more imported fresh perishables than ever.
The USDA is projecting stronger growth for U.S. imports of fresh fruits and vegetables. Fresh fruit imports in FY 2015 will total $10.3 billion, 8.9 percent higher than 2014 and 23 percent above fiscal year 2013. Fresh vegetable imports are forecast at $7.1 billion in 2015, 7 percent above FY 2014 and 8 percent above fiscal year 2013. The top imported fresh commodity in 2014 was Mexican tomatoes at $1.6 billion, 1 percent above 2013. U.S. imports of Mexican avocados surged in value in 2014, rising from $920 million to $1.23 billion.
U.S. imports of fruits and vegetables will continue to outpace exports. U.S. fresh fruit and vegetable exports will reach $7.9 billion in fiscal year 2015. Strong exports of fresh fruits and vegetables will help total U.S. horticultural exports reach record levels. At $7.9 billion, fresh fruit and vegetable exports for fiscal year 2015 (October 2014 through September 2015) are forecast 6.4 percent ahead of fiscal year 2014’s total of $7.42 billion.
The U.S. exported $600 million in fresh berries to Canada in FY 2014, representing the biggest commodity export value to any country. U.S. berry exports to Canada were 2 percent down from 2013, but 5 percent above 2012. U.S. exports of lettuce to Canada topped $400 million, and both grapes and apples tallied more than $200 million in export sales to Canada. The top export to Mexico was apples at $257 million, down about 25 percent compared with 2013.
Imports from distribution centers near South Florida ports – grossing about $2300 to Chicago.
Nogales produce shipments have been light and inconsistent for the past couple of months, which is pretty typical this time of year. However, volume should show significant increases once we are past Christmas and heading into the New Year.
Everything from Mexican grown peppers to cucumbers, squash, eggpland, beans, tomatoes and melons should be crossing the border into Arizona in good volume.
A lot of people are keeping a close eye on the volume coming through Nogales to see if the port is losing business to the port of entry in McAllen, Tx, which is now receiving vegetables from West Mexico, with the completion of the 143-mile Autopista Durango-Mazatlan highway. West Mexican vegetables have historically moved through Nogales to destinations across the United States and Canada. With the new highway opening, it cuts a days travel time off of loads destined to points east of the Rocky Mountains.
While some Nogales distributors see the area losing business to Mexico, most say this is not the case. Between September 2013 and April 2014 movement across the Arizona border had increased 17 percent. Another advantage some are citing with Nogles over McAllen is the Arizona distribution facilities are fairly close together, while more spread out in Texas. This is a disadvantage for truckers picking up product at multiple distribution centers in McAllen.
Finally, some products in central Mexican – especially toprical fruits and avocados – that used to go through McAllen, are now being hauled westbound over the new Mexican highway and crossing the border at Nogales, for destinations in the Western half of the United States and Canada.
Mexican produce crossing at Nogales – grossing about $4100 to Chicago.
by Florida Department of Citrus
Florida citrus growers are optimistic after the first citrus crop forecast of 2014-2015 was released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture with groves looking healthier and exterior quality having improved compared to the last couple seasons. The forecast includes a projection of 15 million boxes in Florida grapefruit shipments (four million white and 11 million colored), which though a slight decline from the previous season is an indication of grapefruit production stabilization for the industry.
Florida remains the largest grapefruit production region in the world with just over 44,900 acres of grapefruit trees. It’s estimated that there are 4.6 million bearing grapefruit trees in Florida.
“Despite the slight reduction to the size of the overall grapefruit crop, we expect the improved exterior quality to allow for more Florida grapefruit to be packed and shipped to our key export markets compared to last season,” explains Michael Schadler, director of international marketing at the FDOC.
As the season continues, the initial crop forecast will be adjusted to reflect any changes. However, many in the industry are hopeful the numbers will remain strong.
Central Florida citrus shipments – grossing about $3400 to Boston.