Posts Tagged “feature”
Today, we’ll take a look at some loading opportunities starting in South Texas before extending up to Colorado and then over to Idaho and Oregon.
South Texas Produce Loads
The Lower Rio Grande Valley of south Texas is becoming more important every year for produce haulers. It’s not so much the area is growing more fruits and vegetables, as it is farming operations in Mexico, many with investments by people north of the border, who are expanding operations. Much of that produce is being shipped into the US for distribution throughout the states and Canada.
Everything from Mexican grown carrots to lemons, plum tomatoes, other vegetables and tropical fruits are crossing the border at McAllen is greater volume. In the Texas valley itself, shippers are gearing up for shipments of grapefruit and oranges, that will start in the next few weeks.
Colorado Produce Shipments
The San Luis Valley is easily providing the biggest volume and loading opportunties, averaging about 500 truck loads of potatoes per week. In the north and northeastern part of the state, the volume is much lower, but potatoes and onions are providing at least some partial loads.
San Luis Valley potatoes – grossing about $2200 to Houston.
Onion Shipments
The potato harvest in Idaho continues, but there are still about 1,600 truck load equivalents of spuds being shipped each week, although a higher percent is going by rail than in most other produce shipping points around the country….In Malhuer County, Oregon and eastern Idaho, about 750 truck loads of onions from storage are being shipped.
Idaho potatoes – grossing about $3100 to Chicago.
Here’s a round up of some produce items being shipped from Florida, Michigan, Washington state, central Wisconsin and West Texas.
Florida Produce Shipments
The Florida grapefruit harvest got underway from the Indian River District September 30th and light shipments are underway. By mid October loadings should be in good volume.
Florida’s citrus season usually begins with fallglo tangerines in mid- to late September, followed by grapefruit and navel oranges. Initial estimates on the navel orange crop indicate shipments this season will be similar to a year ago.
Michigan Produce Shipments
Michigan is shipping light to moderate volume of several fall produce items. While sweet corn and several other vegetable items are ending their season, there are partial loads of items such as celery and carrots. Volume is now increasing on what promises to be a record amount of apples this season. There also is increasing volume with potatoes and onions.
Washington Produce Shipments
Washington state is shipping nearly 2,000 truckload equivalents of apples weekly with the new crop, primarily from the Yakima and Wenathee valleys. There also are about 750 loads of storage onions coming out of Washington’s Columbia Basin and the adjacent Umatilla Basin of Oregon.
Washington apples – grossing about $4500 to Chicago.
Wisconsin Potato Shipments
The Badger state is moving over 500 truck loads of potatoes weekly, primarily from Central Wisconsin, as volume continues to increase.
West Texas Potatoes
The High-Plains region in west Texas, south of Lubbock, is shipping about 250 truck load of spuds a week.
Intrusive and excessive government regulations have been reported numerous times in HaulProduce.com and further proof of probably the greatest threat to the trucking industry, and particularly owner operators, comes from Dale Gray of Trenton, ON.
Dale is a veteran and drove a truck in the military before becoming a driver in civlian life in 1997. For over two years now he has been driving for Scotlynn Commodities Inc., of Vittoria, ON a Canadian transportation operation that has a sister company with several farms in Ontario and the USA that grows numerous items ranging from sweet corn to pumpkins.
Trucking both in the states and in Canada, Dale says American “rules are not as lienient.”
Although the hours of service regulations in both countries are similar, he prefers those in Canada because it allows him to be more profitable. For example, he can legally truck 13 hours in his country, compared to only 11 hours in the states.
“I prefer the the 13 hours driving time, because I can drive more hours. It makes a difference if you are paid by the mile,” Dale says.
He also notes he can split his sleeper berth hours by doing 8 1/2-hour increments during the day. In the US, the hours must be in 10-hour blocks.
“I can’t sleep for 10 hours,” he states. “Canadian rules are more user friendly.”
Speed limits are another matter, according to the 57-year-old driver. He notes Canadian speed limits in most of the country are 100 to 110 kilometers (65 – 70 mph). He prefers the higher American speed limits which range from 55 mph in California to 80 mph in Utah (75 mph in North Dakota where this interview took place).
Dale drives a 2012 maroon 386 model Peterbilt powered by a 485 hp Paacar MX diesel. The truck has a 60-inch sleeper with a 244-inch wheelbase and 13 speed tranny with overdrive. He pulls a 53-foot Utility trailer with a 2100 Advance Carrier refrigeration unit. Dale notes the reefer has a 120-gallon fuel tank that will run for a week.
“The reefer unit has a larger fuel tank so it can be shipped by rail,” he says.
Dale’s favorite thing about trucking is even though he is a company driver it is similar to being your own boss. “There is no one looking over your shoulder all of the time. In part of my military career, I was stuck in an office. I didn’t like that,” he states.
The worst part of driving is the attitudes of both four wheelers and truckers seems to have worsened over the years.
Dale hauls a lot of fresh produce grown by Scotlynn, plus he delivers a lot of frozen doughnuts and dry freight. On this particular day he was waiting to pick up a load of macaroni in Grand Forks, ND for delivery in Ontario.
National Public Radio reports a third of the world’s food goes to waste every year. In the USA alone, nearly 40 percent of food is thrown out, whether it occurs on farms, grocery stores, or in homes.
Doug Rauch, former president of Trader Joe’s, is introducing Daily Table, a new perishable foods project aimed at tackling the overwhelming problem of food waste. He is determined to repackage perfectly edible produce just past its sell-by date that ends up in the trash.
“Most of what we offer will be fruits and vegetables that have a use-by date on it that’ll be several days out,” says Rauch. Daily Table will open in early 2014 in Dorchester, MA preparing and repackaging food at deeply discounted prices.
The idea behind the project is to bring affordable nutrition to the underserved living in the inner-cities of America. Rauch suggests the format is a hybrid between a grocery store and a restaurant, primarily taking this repackaged food, prepping it, and cooking it for what he calls “speed-scratch cooking.”
This is in an attempt to offer this food at prices that compete with fast food. Despite the fact that the food is past its sell date, Rauch ensures the products are absolutely safe to eat.
“This is about trying to tackle a very large social challenge we have that is going to create a health care tsunami in cost if we don’t do something about it,” says Rauch. “I don’t regard Daily Table as the only solution – there are wonderful innovative ideas out there – but I certainly think it is part of and is an innovative approach to trying to find our way to a solution.”
The Supermarket News on line publication SN.com has named up-and-comer Sprouts Farmers Market to receive its 2013 Retail Excellence Award.
Sprouts is known for healthy, organic and natural, convenient, fresh, local and affordable produce and groceries.
Based on its integration of those trend-forward attributes and its successful financial model that has helped it absorb two rivals and triple in size in the last three years, the Phoenix-based chain has been selected for the award.
“Sprouts is at the intersection of two mega-trends in the industry today — health and wellness and value, and that’s really what we hang our hat on,” said Steve Black, chief information and marketing officer, Sprouts, in an interview with SN. “That’s the model we’ve built for the last 10 years — to make healthy eating easy, understandable and affordable. That’s what we talk about with our tag line, ‘Healthy Living for Less.’
As the chain’s president and chief executive officer, Doug Sanders told SN in a separate interview at the launch of the company’s recent initial public offering that Sprouts is well positioned to be a gateway for shoppers of conventional supermarkets seeking a more healthy diet.
While traditional supermarkets seek to lure some share of consumers’ food spending away from restaurants by touting the healthfulness of home cooking, Sprouts seeks to take that one step further and teach those shoppers how to live even healthier.
“Most people want to eat better, they just don’t feel like they can afford to, and they don’t know how to,” Black explained. “That’s the secret to our success — that it’s affordable, and we have team members in the stores that can help you understand the vitamins and the supplements.
If you are on a gluten-free diet, or wherever you are in life from a health perspective, we have people in the stores who can help you with that.”
The focal point of Sprouts’ relatively small stores is they measure about 25,000 to 28,000 square feet — is the farmers’ market-style produce display, where Sprouts leverages its longtime relationships with growers and suppliers to make a statement on price. Founder Henry Boney began his food retail career with a farmers’ market in 1943, and his legacy lives in the chain’s current positioning.
Stores devote about 15 percent of their floor space to produce, which generates about 25 percent of sales, according to Sprouts’ filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission related to its recent initial public offering.
Sprouts tooks to attract both the lifestyle customer and everyday supermarket customer by featuring fresh produce at prices that are significantly lower than the conventional supermarket. The emphasis on produce not only helps enhance the stores’ healthful image, but also helps drive repeat traffic.
Produce is the focal point of Sprouts stores, where customers are attracted to the selection and value, company executives say. Stores have a farmers’ market ambiance with low shelving for better visibility and to create a bright, open-air atmosphere.
Tropical storm Manuel hit Western Mexico the week of September 15th, killing dozens and bringing extensive damage to growing areas around Culiacan, a major growing area for tomatoes, squash and many other produce commodities shipped to the USA during the late fall, winter and early spring seasons.
More than 350,000 acres of crops were damaged by the storm, mostly due to heavy rains ranging from around eight inches to 15 inches.
This is expected to hurt loading opportunities for Thanksgiving green beans and other products in the Los Mochis area of northern Sonora. Some loadings that would have started in early November will not be ready until late November. Squash, cucumbers and eggplant were among the crops most heavily affected.
A majority of these Mexician produce items cross the border at Nogales, AZ.
Salinas Valley Vegetable Shipments
Moderate amounts of vegetables continue to be shipped from California’s Salinas Valley, led by head lettuce, romaine lettuce, then celery, broccoli and cauliflower. These items also are being shipped in smaller volumes from the Santa Maria district to the south of Salinas.
Moderate shipments of strawberries also continue from the Watsonsville district, as well as from Santa Maria.
Salinas Valley vegetables and berries – grossing about $7400 to New York City.
Record cranberry shipments could occur for the second year in a row, plus here is a review of recently completed seasonal shipments for potatoes and citrus.
There were record shipments of cranberries last year and a similar amount of the fruit is expected to be coming out of Wisconsin, Massachusetts and Washington state bogs this season. Only about 10 percent of the crop is shipped as fresh, while the remainder mostly is processed for juices and sauce.
One estimate has the cranberry crop at around 11.1 and 11.5 million barrels, similar to the 2012 production of 11.2 million barrels. That 2012 crop was a record. Most shipments occur mid-September through mid-November.
Historically, about 80 percent of a season’s crop is consumed in North America, and about 20 percent of the crop is consumed during Thanksgiving week.
Potato Shipments
USA potato shipments increased eight percent in 2012, but citrus production was down 4 percent.
About 463 million cwt. of potatoes was shipped in the U.S. in 2012, according to a USDA report released September 19.
Citrus Shipments
Citrus shipments dropped four percent last season, and totaled 11.2 million tons during 2012-13.
Florida accounted for 63 percent, and California 34 percent of all citrus shipped in the USA. Texas and Arizona made up the balance.
Florida’s orange shipments, at 134 million boxes, fell nine percent from the previous season. Bearing citrus acreage in Florida, at 489,600 acres, was 5,500 acres below the 2011-2012 season.
California table grapes have been shipped at a record pace in recent weeks. According to USDA data through Sept. 13, five of the past six weeks have seen week-ending shipment totals of over 4 million boxes. Last year, only one week in the entire season surpassed 4 million.
Idaho, which rules potato shipments, will have less loads available this season, but there are still a lot of spuds for hauling.
With nearly 45 million boxes of California grapes already shipped, the industry is on pace for another record crop year.
The vast majority of California grape shipments are delivered by trucks to markets throughout North America.
August 2013 saw 18.4 million boxes shipped, a record-high for that month. This is 6 percent more than August 2012. The previous record of 18.1 million boxes was set in August 2007.
The total volume surpassed the 100 million 19-pound box equivalent mark for the first time in history last year and set a new record. The 2013 season estimate is 105.7 million 19-pound box equivalents.
Grape loadings from California will be available through January 2014.
Idaho Potato Shipments
The 2012 potato harvest in Idaho was remarkable in several respects. Acreage was up about 25,000 acres over the previous year. In fact it was so huge potato farmers in effect dumped (or at least sold spuds very cheap) totalling over 4 million cwt to feedlots.
The 2013 harvest, which got underway with Russet Norkotah potatoes as well as some red, gold and fingerling varieties in August, should have more normal shipments. Loadings should be down eight to 10 percent for the season compared to last year for Idaho.
San Joaquin Valley grapes and other produce – grossing about $7200 to New York City.
Idaho potatoes – about $3200 to Chicago.
According to the White House leadership you have to have the help of the “big government plantation owner.” The results of this failed policy and poor leadership will resonate throughout the world for years. It will produce an increased level of social dependency, sluggish economic growth, and low self confidence for all of our nation’s citizens.
Don’t expect a return to prosperity any time soon. It ain’t gonna happen folks.
We have now created a generation of citizens who think the world “owes” them a living and that everything bad that happens to them in life is someone else’s fault.
It will take new leadership in our country that can build individual character and accountability in the minds of the youth of our country. New leadership will have to teach all Americans that your personal decisions and actions determine your future. Your actions have consequences that you must face as an individual. You must stand on your own two feet and not be a burden on the country in which you live.
And before you can help others you must help yourself. We cannot have a strong global standing in the world if we are a nation of welfare handouts. We must face reality and understand that there is no “perfect” system where everyone is successful. That system does not exist.
Capitalism has brought more prosperity and created more wealth for more people than any other “ism” there is. There will be winners, and there will be losers in capitalism. We can minimize the losers by instilling in the people a belief in themselves, and that their hard work will pay off.
We are currently creating an ever increasing number of losers with our encouragement of social dependency. This must stop if we are to survive as a prosperous nation and halt the current slide down the hole of economic ruin and national decline we are currently in.
We recently celebrated Independence Day. We should ask ourselves if we are truly independent Americans with the pioneer spirit that founded this country, or are we now a nation of handout begging losers? The choice is ours.
It will take a lot of self discipline to turn down government handouts in favor of a good education and hard work, but the future prosperity of this country will depend on it.
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.
Celery, artichokes, and herbs, especially Mexican oregano, all contain apigenin and luteolin, flavonoids that kill human pancreatic cancer cells in the lab by inhibiting an important enzyme, according to two new University of Illinois studies.
“Apigenin alone induced cell death in two aggressive human pancreatic cancer cell lines. But we received the best results when we pre-treated cancer cells with apigenin for 24 hours, then applied the chemotherapeutic drug gemcitabine for 36 hours,” said Elvira de Mejia, a U of I professor of food chemistry and food toxicology.
The trick seemed to be using the flavonoids as a pre-treatment instead of applying them and the chemotherapeutic drug simultaneously, said Jodee Johnson, a doctoral student in de Mejia’s lab who has since graduated.
“Even though the topic is still controversial, our study indicated that taking antioxidant supplements on the same day as chemotherapeutic drugs may negate the effect of those drugs,” she said.
“That happens because flavonoids can act as antioxidants. One of the ways that chemotherapeutic drugs kill cells is based on their pro-oxidant activity, meaning that flavonoids and chemotherapeutic drugs may compete with each other when they’re introduced at the same time,” she explained.
Pancreatic cancer is a very aggressive cancer, and there are few early symptoms, meaning that the disease is often not found before it has spread. Ultimately the goal is to develop a cure, but prolonging the lives of patients would be a significant development, Johnson added.
It is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths, with a five-year survival rate of only 6 percent, she said.
By Phyllis Picklesimer, Univ of Il College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental Sciences