Posts Tagged “feature”
What does veteran over-the-road driver Rodney Tanner like best about trucking? The money.
What does he like like least about trucking? Not making any money.
It may sound like a contradiction, but if you know Rodney, it’s really not one.
Right now the resident of Asheboro, NC says his income from trucking is “right in the middle.” He’s made more money in the past, but he’s also earned smaller pay checks.
Rodney has been trucking over 20 years and the past two years have been driving for Highways & Skyways of Greensboro, NC. The company describes itself as a full service third party logistics management company on its website. Rodney says the company runs 75 to 80 trucks.
He had picked up a load of mixed vegetables from a distribution warehouse in North Carolina for delivery to Atlanta. The trucker drives coast-to-coast on a regular basis. He pulled a flatbed for about a year, but now hauls mostly produce and other refrigerated freight.
Rodney also has some advice for anyone thinking about getting into trucking.
“If you are married, or have kids, don’t do it,” he stated. “It takes a toll on your marriage, your family, and you don’t get to see your kids grow up. I’m speaking from experience.”
The 44-year-old driver has considered buying his own truck, but just doesn’t see it happening with the current economic situation in the country.
Rodney likes the 2013 Volvo truck he drives that houses a D13 diesel engine. He pulls a Wabash 53-foot trailer with a Carrier Transcold reefer unit.
Produce truckers should not expect this summer to bring normal loading opportunitunites for many New York state vegetables.
Shipping gaps and less volume due to torrential spring rains interrupted spring plantings on many of the Empire State’s commodites, ranging from sweet corn, to green beans, cabbage, squash and potatoes.
This situation exists pretty much in every shipping area of the state.
For example shipping gaps on New York sweet corn will start in early August. In similar situation exists for green beans.
There also are question marks relating to New York cabbage shipments. Volume is predicted to be sporatic with shipping gaps occuring in late August and early September.
Excessive rains and recent triple digit heat a few weeks ago are expected to cut Orange County, New York’s onion shipments by 10 percent this coming season. Limited shipmentes are underway. Like many New York state veggies, these storage onions are typically shipped to East Coast markets through April.
The USDA ranked New York as the 7th leading vegetable shipping in the nation in 2011 for fresh market vegetables and 7th in the nation for production of processing vegetables.
New York vegetable shipments originate from numerous areas spread across this giant states. Likewise, apples may not come from as many different regions, but still are shipped from six primary areas the Eastern Hudson Valley, Western Hudson Valley, Champlain Valley, Central, Lake Country and Niagra Frontier.
New York ranks second nationally in apple shipments. It’s new season starts in a few weeks with an excellent crop being forecast.
Summer produce shipments continue from the Carolinas, but some items are winding down, while others still have a ways to go before seasonally ending.
Southern South Carolina shipments of peaches and watermelons are running later than usual due to the cold, wet spring. Loadings are expected to continue until around Labor Day. You”ll still find some mixed vegetables in moderate volume coming out of South Carolina, particularly with shippers just south of the state capital of Columbia.
Peach shipments currently are at a peak in South Carolina and will remain so for a couple of more weeks. Volume will then decline, but shipments are expected through Labor Day. Watermelon shipments are on the final leg of the season.
Georgia peach volume is on the decline, while New Jersey volume is just getting underway and remains light.
While South Carolina watermelon volume is light and on the decline, North Carolina melons are increasing in volume….In the Western region of North Carolina a new season has started with tomatoes, with light to moderate volume….Potato shipments from the Elizabeth City area of North Carolina are on in a seasonal decline.
North Carolina sweet potato shipments are lighter than normal for the old crop that is finishing up. Loadings for the new sweet crop are still a few weeks away.
North Carolina sweet potatoes – grossing about $1500 to Atlanta.
North Carolina watermelons – about $2300 to New York City.
Coast-to-Coast produce freight rates out of California have been a little soft this year with the exception of a relatively short period of time a couple of months ago. With few exceptions, there have not been bumper crops, in large part due to weather factors. This has resulted in mostly adequate supplies of refrigerated equipment. There were a few $10,000 rates from Salinas to the Northeast last spring, but that was the exception, not the rule.
Another factor holding down rates are the large refrigerated fleets that negotiate seasonal or annual freight rates on fresh fruits and vegetables. They receive a lower than normal rate during the peak spring and summer months, but tend to take in a higher rates during the slower winter months.
California apple shipments have got underway with the gala variety. The state isn’t known for its apple production and basically fills a nich between dwindling imports and Washington’s new crop that starts in few weeks.
California granny smiths and early fujis shipments will start in late August, with cripps pink getting started around mid-October.
Shipments from California for the 2012-13 season were about 2 million boxes, down from the usual 2.6 million to 2.8 million.
Grape Shipments
California is estimating 106.9 million, 19-pound- boxes will be shipped this season, which would be another record. A new estimate will be out shortly. Shipments are now coming out of the San Joaquin Valley.
San Joaquin Valley grapes, stone fruit, melons and veggies – grossing about $7800 to New York City.
Salinas Valley vegetables and berries – about $5300 to Chicago.
It is approaching the latter part of the shipping season for New Mexico onions and from a trucking stand point just make sure your receivers know the quality of the product being loaded. About one-third of the crop is only rated as fair, while two-thirds is seen as good or excellent.
USDA reports 31 percent of the New Mexico’s onion crop is rated excellent, 35 percent rates as good, and 34 percent as fair. New Mexico produced nearly 3,600 truckloads of onions this season.
Chili pepper growers in the Hatch-area apparently are shipping a quality crop. The USDA says over 50 percent of the state’s peppers are in excellent condition.
Drought conditions he lack of Rio Grande River irrigation water has once again forced growers to pump high salinity ground water on their crops, resulting in onion yields being down in the Hatch area.
In 2011 the state’s total onion shipments was nearly 3,400 truck loads, and 2010’s total yield was 4,125 truck loads.
The largest onion hauls in New Mexico in recent years were in 2007 when shipments hit over 4,400 truck loads and in 2003 when there were 5,300 truckloads and finally in 2002 with 5,500 truck loads.
New Mexico’s chili pepper shipments the Hatch area should get underway in early August, with shipments exceeding those of a year ago.
New Mexico onions are grossing about – $3200 to Chicago.
By Mann Packing
As part of the company’s “moms helping moms” initiative, Mann Packing Company of Salinas, CA created the Girlfriends Guide for Moms electronic brochure for distribution this summer.
The Girlfriends Guide for Moms is available free online via Mann’s Facebook page and via links tweeted from the @veggiesmadeeasy Twitter account.
The Girlfriends Guide for Moms was created to provide moms with summer recipes in one printable brochure so they can serve a great meal and enjoy summer at the same time, said Gina Nucci, director of healthy culinary innovation.
Nucci also wrote a personal note as part of the brochure.
“We want to let our fellow moms know that we understand the challenges of balancing kids’ activities, work, household chores AND putting a meal on the table every night,” Nucci said. “This guide has some of our favorite recipes featuring easy-to-make healthy items with Butternut Squash, Broccolini®, Sugar Snap® Peas and Broccoli Slaw.”
Further plans include two additional editions of the Girlfriends Guide to release in the late summer and early fall.
For more information about Mann Packing, please visit www.veggiesmadeeasy.com.
About Mann Packing Company
Mann Packing Company, Inc., located in Salinas, Calif., is one of the world’s leading suppliers of fresh vegetables. Mann Packing Company is certified as a women’s business enterprise through the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), the nation’s largest third party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women in the US. We encourage the commitment to supplier diversity that is embraced by corporations and government agencies today
Here’s a look a several East Coast produce shipping areas that have already started, or will be getting under way soon, ranging from Michigan to North Carolina, New Jersey, New York and Maine.
Michigan
Michigan is the nation’s number one shipper of blueberries and should ship over 100 million pounds of fresh and frozen “blues” this season. Peak loadings will begin heading into August.
North Carolina
Shipments of the old crop (2012-13) of sweet potatoes in North Carolina is winding down. For the new season, it appears there will be a significant reduction in North Carolina sweet potato shipments. It’s looking like the new harvest may extend into October instead of instead of a month or more. Initial projections see truck loadings will be down 10 percent this coming season.
North Carolina is the nation’s top shipper of sweet potatoes and production this season is expected to fall from about 62,000 to 57,000 acres.
North Carolina watermelon shipments are underway and are paying truckers as much as 25 percent on freight than sweet potatoes, which the latter is historically are one of the cheaper produce items to haul.
New York
Excessive rains and recent triple digit heat may cut Orange County, New York’s onion shipments by 10 percent this coming season. Limited harvest is underway. These storage onions are typically shipped to East Coast markets through April.
New Jersey
New Jersey has bee shipping peaches for about two weeks and loadings are now in good volume, with peak shipments hitting any time now. New Jersey peach shipments will run through the end of September.
Maine
Greenhouse tomato shipper Backyard Farms of Madison, WI, which grows 27 million pounds of tomatoes a year is ripping outits entire crop of half a million tomato plants in an effort to eradicate an infestation of white flies.
The decision to replant its entire crop means the firm’s tomatoes, marketed as Backyard Beauties at supermarkets such as Hannaford and Shaw’s, will not be available for hauling until late October.
California Giant Berry Farms of Watsonville, CA is tapping into the growing network of food bloggers by hosting a contest which will ultimately result in gaining a new set of brand ambassadors. By hosting a contest specific to food bloggers California Giant hopes to extend their reach to consumers continuing to build brand loyalty and participate in new exciting recipes created by foodies at home in their own kitchens.
The Food blogging universe has become a great way to gain access to amazing home cooks with their own set of fans making recipes that they want to share while providing step by step instructions on how to recreate each recipe in your own home. The casual formats provided by food bloggers today makes cooking interesting, interactive and very inviting to those that might be intimidated by creating recipes in the kitchen.
“Food Blogging has become a great platform for innovative cooks at home to share their recipes, ideas on entertaining, and be part of a larger network, or community of people focused on similar interests,” says Cindy Jewell, Director of Marketing for California Giant. “We are excited about building new relationships with bloggers that want to work with us and help tell our story through their own eyes and their own kitchens”, she adds.
The contest will run between July 10, 2013 and September 18, 2013 with the winner receiving an all expense paid trip to a blogger conference in 2014. In addition, the winner of the contest will be appointed as a California Giant Berry Farms Official Brand Ambassador for six months and represent the company and its products at the blogger conference they attend.
California pears, as well as Washington state blueberries are moving in good volume. Washington apple loadings should be heavy again this season.
California pear loadings started a few weeks ago and have moved into good volume. Volume is expected to hit about 4.5 million 36-pound cartons, up slightly from the 2012 crop.
More specifically, California pear shipments should total about 2.8 million from the river district, 1.2 million from the lake district and about 418,000 from the mountain district.
Washington blueberries, apples
Record Washington state blueberry shipments are currently taking place. Last year Washington loaded 70 million pounds of blueberries, which was a record. This year total shipments could set another record, with 80 million pounds of blueberries.
It will be August 10th When the official estimate for Washington state apples shipments for the 2013-13 season will be released. However, the state’s apple industry already is predicting between 110 and 125 million boxes will be shipped.
The harvest for the new crop of apples should start beginning the first week of August, with increasing shipments following in the weeks ahead. There should be good loading opportunities for Washington apples in time for deliveries ahead of time to receivers for Labor Day (September 2nd).
Washington cherry shipments are now in peak volume, but are expected to end a couple of weeks earlier than normal. This would mean the cherry season ending about the time produce haulers could switch to loading apples prior to the Labor Day weekend.
Washington cherries – grossing about $4600 to Chicago.
California pears – about $7700 to New York City.
Produce shipments for new crops of fresh fruits and vegetables have started, or will soon get underway in Colorado. Depending on the crop, loading opportunities will be better on some items than others.
Sweet corn loadings are later than usual, but have are just now getting underway near Delta, CO (the Olathe area). Loadings will continue through mid- September. The corn includes bi-colored, white and yellow varieties.
Also on Colorado’s Western Slope are peaches, but shipments will be considerable less due to early freezes. Shipments are expected to be down 40 percent this season when it gets started about August 1st. Loadings will continue through September.
The primary produce items grown in Northern Colorado are onions, cabbage, carrots, corn and leaf items, although “a smattering of other vegetables are available,” Schneider said. “Due to replanting, the growers should have good volume when it hits, but it will come on in a shorter ‘season’ as opposed to staggered through the course of the summer
Rocky Ford cantaloupe loadings should be up 20 to 30 percent over 2012 from the Lower Arkansas Valley, where cantaloupe and other melons are grown and shipped. Shipments should start about July 25th for cantaloupe, August 1st for honeydew and watermelon, with volume loading available within a week of those dates. Honeydews and watermelon shipments should continue through the first week of September, and cantaloupe lasting until first freeze, around October. 1st.