Washington state apple shipping estimates indicate that the 2013-14 apple crop will be the second largest in the state’s history. The statewide total is placed at 119.8 million boxes, down 10 million boxes from last year’s record-setting season. But that’s still a bunch of apples to ship this season. Nationwide, apple loadings should be up 13 percent.
There were 10 million boxes left to ship August 1st on the old storage crop. But an orderly transition is expected to take place betwee the old crop and the one that’s gearing up.
Shipments for the new season apples got underway the third week of August and Galas and Gingergolds are already being hauled.
A volume breakdown for top apple varieties for the 2013-14 season is as follows: Red Delicious/33.75 million boxes; Golden Delicious/10.5 million boxes; Granny Smith/15 million boxes; Fuji/16.5 million boxes; Gala/26.4 million boxes;’ Cripps Pink/3.3 million boxes; Jonagold/1 million boxes; Braeburn/2.3 million boxes; and Honeycrisp 5.7 million boxes. The balance of the overall estimate is taken up by all other varieties.
National shipments of apples are expected to be up 13 percent this season, with the biggest increases coming from the Midwest and East. Michigan is making a big time recovery from last season’s weather disaster.
During the 2012-13 season, Washington apple shippers picked everything they could get their hands on to supply the nation, which had experienced bad weather in some other major shipping areas.
Yakima Valley apples – grossing about $6500 to New York City.
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A potato packing facility that had just closed last spring has been purchased and re-opened as a new growing-packing-shipping operation in Washington state’s Skagit Valley.
Three veteran potato growers in the Skagit Valley got together last spring and bought Sterling Hill LLC, Burlington, Wash. It has recently started shipping its first potatoes.
Leading the new enterprise are brothers Jim and Norm Nelson Jr. and Tony Wisdom. The Nelsons had run Sterling Hill Potatoes, a growing operation, for 12 years after having been growers with their father, Norm Sr., at Norm Nelson Inc., in Burlington.
Wisdom had managed Country Cousins Inc., a growing arm of Valley Pride Sales Inc. of Mount Vernon, Wash., for 10 years.
The three started the new company March 1, when Mark, Kent and Tim Knutzen closed Puget Sound Potato and sold them the company’s packing and equipment storage facilities and its 40-acre site for an undisclosed sum, Wisdom said Aug. 28.
Country Cousins had been packing the Nelsons’ potatoes before this year, so it was an easy transition, Wisdom said.
Sterling Hill LLC, which employs about 30 workers, grows, packs and ships red, yellow and white potatoes, plus specialty varieties at customer request.
Skagit Valley potatoes typically ship from late August through early June.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service’s August consumer price index (CPI) report forecast a low supermarket food inflation rate of 1.5% to 2.5% for 2013, and a slightly higher rate of 2.5% to 3.5% for 2014.
These rates are consistent with USDA’s July report forecast, when the agency dropped its 2013 inflation estimates.
“Most commodity prices other than those affected by the drought have seen moderate inflation or even deflation,” Richard Volpe, USDA research economist, told SN by email.
Fuel price inflation has been low, and the dollar has been strengthening, which has weakened imports for many foods. These are all factors that have contributed to our forecast revision.”
Overall food inflation that includes restaurant prices is expected to range between 1.5% to 2.5% for 2013, which is lower than the historical average of 2.8% for the past 20 years, according to USDA.
For example, the overall food inflation in 2012 was 2.6%, while the rate was 3.7% in 2011.
“In general, the impact of the 2012 drought on food prices has been smaller than expected,” Volpe said.
“For most of this year and last, the PPI [Producer Price Index] for finished and intermediate foods has grown faster than the food at home CPI, suggesting that margins have shrunk and that retailers have been slow to pass on higher commodity costs to consumers,” said Volpe.
Even though the USDA expects inflation for the rest of 2013 to increase at a faster rate than earlier in 2013, this annual rate is not expected to climb higher than 2.5%, according to Volpe. The expected increase in month-over-month inflation is contributing to the 2014 forecast, as well as the USDA leaving room for poor weather.
Compared to July 2012, eggs and produce have had the highest rates of interest so far this year, with egg inflation up 6.8%, fresh fruits up 2.5% and fresh vegetables up 3.6%.
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By BC Tree Fruits
The Okanagan orchards are buzzing with preparations with this year’s BC Tree Fruits apple harvest. Apple shipments start this month and will be running to the end of February 2014. Apple season is one of the busiest times of the year for the 500 grower fruit cooperative.
Apples are largest crop grown by BC Tree Fruits of Kelowna, BC with this season’s apple harvest estimated at 2.5 million cartons. From familiar favourites such as the McIntosh and Granny Smith to the newer and very popular Ambrosia, which was a chance seedling created in Oliver BC, a total of twelve apple varieties are harvested. “All our growers are excited for this year’s apple season,” shares Hank Markgraf, BCTF Field Services Manager and Orchardist. “Our orchards consistently produce the best quality apples in Canada, and having a wide variety keeps our fans searching for that familiar BC Leaf at the produce aisles.”
To highlight the work BC Tree Fruits’ growers put into apple season the focus this year is educating consumers on what goes into each apple. “Many people don’t fully realize the care and skill our orchardists put into each of the apples they produce,” says Chris Pollock, BCTF Marketing Manager. “We plan to share as much of the process as possible with consumers so they feel an even stronger connection when they ‘Look For The Leaf’ this season.”
Through traditional and social media, BC Tree Fruits will feature an insider look into their apple harvest. Their website currently offers a full description, including tasting notes, for each apple variety, as well as other seasonal fruit. Apple fans can keep up to date with full apple harvest and apples season details from September to February on the BC Tree Fruits Facebook and Twitter pages.
About BC Tree Fruits:
BC Tree Fruits Industries Limited is part of the BC Tree Fruits Cooperative and is owned by 520 local grower families. The organization markets and distributes a variety of BC-grown fruit including apples, pears, cherries, peaches, apricots, prune plums and blueberries. BC Tree Fruits’ head office is based in Kelowna, B.C.
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Today, more than half of the wholesalers and other businesses on the Hunts Point Terminal Market will meet at a community Chamber of Commerce to air their grievences over the tactics of the Business Integrity Commission, an obscure New York City agency that regulates the wholesale market in the South Bronx. Now the BIC is expanding its scope to include businesses located just outside the 113-acre facility.
Hunts Point receives thousand of truckloads of produce each week from across North America and around the world. It is the globe’s largest wholesale produce terminal.
About 30 of Hunts Point’s 42 businesses are expected to attend the CoC meeting. They are upset over BIC’s tactics, including a requirement that the companies’ employees—mostly low-wage, minority workers—complete an 11-page form that asks personal questions about the workers’ spouses, employment history and addresses over the past decade. The information is used to vet their eligibility to work at the companies, and there are significant fees associated with completing these forms.
“We see this as a violation of the employees’ civil rights,” Josephine Infante, president of the Hunts Point Economic Development Corp., told Crain’s in an online article published September 11. “People feel threatened.”
BIC, a law enforcement agency is focused on rooting out organized crime in the carting industry and public wholesale food markets and has had success in eliminating mob infiltration at the former Fulton Fish Market. But the agency is now at the center of a dispute between the city and the vendors over a plan to redevelop the market and ink a 30-year lease, Crain’s reports. The market, says BIC’s involvement in its operations is the chief reason it has not struck a deal and may move out of the city.
In 2009, legislation expanded the agency’s authority to wholesale businesses located in a defined geographic region beyond the walls of the meat, produce and fish markets. Hunts Point community leaders say BIC has recently ramped up its outreach in the area, and they are concerned that it will have a chilling effect on economic growth in the neighborhood.
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While there are the more obvious fresh produce loads available out of California this time of year such as Salinas Valley vegetables and San Joaquin Valley grapes, the state has significant volume with other items ranging from Asian pears to apples, kiwifruit , persimmons, and strawberries.
Asian Pears
Asian pear loadings got underwa y in late July from the Central San Joaquin Valley and should be available into October, with normal volume expected.
Apples
Early variety apple shipments started in mid July and volume should total abouit 4.8 million boxes for the season, which will wind down this month. Last year California loaded 7.1 million boxes of apples. Volume this season is about 32 percent bellow the five-year average. Primavera Marketing Inc. of Stockton and Bidart Bros. Marketing of Bakersfield account for about 90 percent of California’s apple shipments.
Kiwifruit
California expects to load about 7.5 million of kiwi in 7-pound trays this season. Fruit originating out of Butt County in northern California will be similar to a year ago, as will production coming out of southern areas of the San Joaquin Valley. Kiwi shipments should continue though May 2014.
Persimmons
San Joaquin Valley persimmons is more of a speciality item with small volume compared to many California produce items, with shipments from October through Thanksgiving. It can help fill a load and is compatable for shipments with items ranging from grapes, to stone fruit, strawberries and even artichokes.
Strawberries
Strawberry shipments have been declining as loadings shift from the Watsonville District southward to the Santa Maria area and Ventura County. Quality hasn’t necessarily been awful this season, but at times it also has left a lot be desired.
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North Dakota potato shipments could be off 22.6 percent this season, according to the North American Potato Market News. If this holds 5.7 million less hundredweight than in 2012 will be loaded. Blame is being placed on a cold, wet spring. Hardest hit are red potatoes for the fresh market and chip crops, with the processing potatoes closer to normal. Total US potato loads also will be off from last season.
The Red River Valley potatoes from North Dakota and Minnesota is the fourth largest spud shipping region in the country.
If predictions hold, North Dakota harvest acres could be down nearly 11 percent from last year with the average yield dropping from 300 bags per acre in 2012 down to 260 this year.
In neighboring Minnesota, it is predicted there will be a 2.7 percent increase in potato shipments, sighting close to ideal weather conditions which should push the average yield up from 400 to 410 hundredweight per acre in the state.
Additonally the Market News sees a 5.4 percent drop in shipments of fall potatoes across the U.S. North Dakota and Nebraska will have by far the largest drops in shipments on a percentage basis at 22.6% and 18.2% respectively. However the largest drop in actual shipments will occur in Idaho potato shipments projections show a drop of 14.4 million cwt. compared to last year. Idaho easily leads the nation in potato shipments every year.
If all the state projections hold true, North Dakota would drop from 4th place down to 6th place in potato shipments in 2013-14 season, and only slightly ahead of Minnesota.
The USDA will have its fall potato projections out later this month.
Big Lake, MN red potatoes – grossing about $3300 to Atlanta.
Idaho potatoes – grossing about $5500 to New York City.
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Here’s a round up of New Jersey fall produce loads – if that is possible. Just keep in mind this is the fourth consecutive year that adverse weather has affected shipments during the spring and summer. We’ll see if the fall is any better.
So if your planning to haul Jersey fall produce, remember the loads won’t be available until the product it safely out of the ground.
New Jersey’s 11 principal fresh market vegetables are tomatoes, sweet corn, peppers, cabbage, cucumbers, lettuce, spinach, eggplant, escarole, snap beans and asparagus. The five main fruits are strawberries, blueberries, peaches, apples and cranberries for processing. New Jersey is still shipping declining volumes of summer produce. Peaches started normally this year in mid-July and will finish up any time now. Warm season herbs, such as basil and mint, are also finishing. All of these products will be done at frost by mid-October.
New Jersey fall shipments include spinach, escarole/endive, lettuces, turnips, radishes, and sweet potatoes, which have just started. There also are lesser amounts of cabbage, collards, kale, beets, Swiss chard, pickles, cucumbers, radishes, butternut and acorn squash, and herbs such as parsley, dill, coriander, arugula and cilantro.
Partial loads of New Jersey non-storage apples began in early September, with the Gala, McIntosh, Jonathan and Courtland varieties. Available anytime now will be Red Delicious, Empire, Jonagold and McCoun. Golden Delicious, Rome, and Stayman Winesap start shipping by early October. Braeburn, Fuji and Granny Smith will start in mid-October.
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Dale Hunt of Milwaukee, WI has no doubt lived an interesting life – but perhaps the most interesting adventures he has lived will never be known. After all, the former owner operator and now company driver, who used to be a Navy SEAL, will never talk about it.
As he said to me with a slight smile on his face, “If I told you anything I’d have to kill you.” I look at the Navy SEAL ballcap he is wearing and the SEAL sticker on his truck and reply, “let’s move on to another topic.”
Although the roots for Navy SEALS dates back to WWII, the group as it is known today was formed in 1962. The SEALS mission is to conduct counter guerilla warfare and clandestine operations in maritime and riverine environments. In other words, these are “bad” dudes doing brave and good things.
But Dale’s life these days appears more normal as a driver for Maglio & Co. of Milwaukee, a wholesaler and processor primarily for foodservice companies. Dale delivers produce mostly to Maglio customers.
He has been trucking 30 years, including 12 years as a Navy SEAL and five years as an owner operator.
Dale has been driving for his current company for two years and he sees advantages whether being an owner operator or a company driver. Right now he prefers being the latter, considering the weak state of the nation’s economy.
The company delivers freight to eight states stretching from Ohio to North Dakota. Although some of the firm’s drivers have no regular places they deliver, he has a regular route which brings him into North Dakota.
The Wisconsinite may be away from home as much as five days, but normally he is away from home closer to two days at a time.
Dale drives a 2013 Kenworth powered by a 435 h.p. Cummins diesel, and 10-speed Eaton transmission. He pulls a 53-foot Utility trailer with Thermo King SB-230 reefer unit.
He likes trucking because if you are an owner operator, you are your own boss, and even if you are a driver the freedom is still “sort of like being your own boss.”
“There is a demand for good drivers,” Dale says. But it is a demanding job dealing with all the traffic, etc. But it’s a good profession to be in, if you are dedicated. It’s makes it a lot easier if you like what your are doing.”
Dale has dealt with demanding work most of his life, and what could be more demanding than a professional Navy SEAL?
— Bill Martin
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Fruits and vegetables are very extremely good for us. However, it’s not always easy for people to get access to fresh produce, though, especially if they live in “food deserts” (places where fresh food is hard to find).
States with more farmers markets; acceptance of food assistance programs at the aforementioned farmers markets; and other retailers (like supermarkets and corner stores) that have lots of produce are likely to have residents that eat more fruits and vegetables daily.
The West Coast generally eats the most produce every day; the East Coast eats a lot too. However, the Midwest and the South lag behind. A Center for Disease Control report certain regions lack access to fruits and vegetables.
A number of states with the highest consumption of fruits and vegetables have more environmental supports. For example, adults in Oregon and California eat more vegetables than adults in other states. They also are among the highest in fruit consumption. Oregon and California are also above the national score on access to a healthier food retailer, farmers market density, and farmers market acceptance of nutrition assistance program benefits.
The CDC report doesn’t define what a serving of fruit or vegetables looks like. although that has been over the years by various organization. It doesn’t take too much of imagination to figure out a serving. For example, a “normal” serving would be a slice a watermelon, not the whole 20 lab melon. Just use a little common sense.
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