Posts Tagged “feature”
Imports of Peruvian onions by Bland Farmsof Greenville, GA are seasonally increasing.
Hot weather in Peru affected sizing and yields from early fields resulting in the crop being a little heavier on mediums than normal, with limited supplies of the big, colossal onions.
Bland Farms finished its Vidalia onion shipments in late August and expects to carry Peruvian onions until February, when the company will start its Mexican crop.
The grower/shipper who has its own farms in Peru, expects a shorter-than-normal season out of Peru due to reduced yields and disease problems in some fields.
Another issue is there have been a few delays in moving Peruvian ocean container shipments through the Panama Canal because of a freight backlog there.
Bland Farms has been sourcing onions from Peru for at least three decades to find the complement its Vidalia onions. After being sized in packing sheds, Peruvian onions grown by Bland Farms are shipped to the U.S. in 50-pound bags, loaded in ocean containers for transport. Upon arrival in the U.S., they are sorted, graded and packed for customers.
Packing the onions in the U.S. allows Bland Farms to put a “second eye” on the crop and make sure that any issues such as moisture or mold are dealt with before they are shipped.
Bland Farms typically brings about 1,200 to 1,500 containers of Peruvian onions annually to the U.S. market. Last season, volume was cut a bit because of high ocean freight.
By Ken Cavallaro Jr., ALC Boston
Pixar Animation Studios brought mental health to the big screen with its award-winning Inside Out, a movie highlighting the conflicting emotions humans face during major life events. These warring emotions can be especially difficult for truck drivers. Tasked with driving an 80,000-pound vehicle loaded with potentially over $250,000 worth of product through endless stretches of road and frustrating traffic snares for twelve hours a day is further complicated by carriers missing quality time with family and friends, disrupted sleep patterns, and often a less than stellar diet.
A survey by the National Library of Medicine shows almost 28% of truckers surveyed reported suffering from loneliness on the road, while 27% reported depression, 21% reported chronic sleep disturbances, 14.5% reported anxiety, and 13% reported other emotional difficulties. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), “truckers experience higher rates of obesity, diabetes, anxiety, depression, cardiovascular disease, divorce, drug use, and suicide.” After celebrating Truck Driver Appreciation Week last month, it’s important that we continue recognizing and advocating for these essential workers who contribute to making our day-to-day lives possible.
Ronald Allen of Points West Express, a second-generation truck driver, has traversed the country for the past 49 years. According to Ronald, missing family events caused the greatest stress during his lengthy driving career. He also attributes difficulty finding time to sleep as contributing to his high-stress level.
“Following what my father did, this is all I knew, which was the best way to provide for my family, and what got me through the day was knowing they were financially ok,” said Ronald.
At Allen Lund Company, we pride ourselves on providing exceptional service to shippers and growers nationwide. Supporting truck drivers that help us achieve this goal – hard-working people like Ronald – is a top priority at our company. As logistics specialists, it is important to remember the challenges drivers face and be sensitive to their struggles so we can help them feel like the respected and valuable members of the supply chain that they are. We might not be able to control their diet, exercise, or sleep habits, but we can listen attentively, share kind words, and practice patience.
Everyone should take a few extra minutes to engage with drivers and ask about their day. In the long run, our extra effort to treat a driver as a person and not just a load number will also benefit our customers. A driver who feels respected will most likely be calmer, more attentive, and ultimately deliver a load with more care. We might not be trained psychologists specializing in mental health, but kindness and sensitivity can go a long way to easing the emotional burdens of our drivers. Knowing we value the person behind the wheel as more than just another load might just be what a driver needs to settle those shifting emotions and safely deliver on time.
*****
Kenneth Cavallaro, Jr. is a carrier manager in the Boston office. He began his career at the Allen Lund Company in February of 2019. Kenneth has been in the transportation industry since May of 1999. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Salem State University.
kenneth.cavallaro@allenlund.com
The Washington State Tree Fruit Association (WSTFA) predicts the 2023-2024 apple crop will be up as much as 28%, compared to the 2022-2023 season, according to Markon Cooperative of Salinas, a produce buying operation.
Washington
- The WSTFA projects approximately 134 million cases (40-pound packs) will be shipped during the 2023-2024 season, up from nearly 104 million cases in 2022-2023
- The ample supply expectation for 2023-2024 follows last year’s short season, that was hindered by cold, rainy, and snowy weather during the growing process
- Suppliers saw yearly averages of approximately 120 million cases prior to last year’s short crop
- Expect level or below-average markets depending on variety
Michigan
- Growers saw a record-setting crop in 2022-2023, at nearly 32.4 million bushels (40-pound packs) harvested; ideal weather conditions in spring and summer 2022 bolstered the crop
- Currently, Michigan apple growers aren’t expecting another record year, but are expecting close to 90% of last year’s crop total
- Average seasonal yields prior to last season’s record crop were at 24 million bushels
- Markets will ease once the new crop season is in full swing in September
Livingston, CA – California sweet potato farmers are on a mission to end consumer confusion, entice younger buyers and increase retail sales of this superfood.
“It’s very likely that many shoppers who come into the store looking for sweetpotatoes are walking away confused and empty-handed when what they see on the shelf is labeled a Yam. Or perhaps it’s the reverse – they’re looking for yams, but the sign says Sweetpotato.” says Sarah Alvernaz, a California sweetpotato grower Band member of the California Sweetpotato Council.
To end this confusion once and for all, the California Sweetpotato Council is launching a new campaign for California retailers that aims to educate consumers and drive sales of sweetpotatoes.
The message to consumers is simple: Yam = Sweetpotato
“Sweetpotatoes come in all kinds of colors – red, orange, white, and, even purple. You may see them labeled as yams in the grocery store, but they’re actually sweetpotatoes,” explains Alvernaz. “True yams are very different from sweetpotatoes and are a starchy, tuberous vegetable mostly grown in Africa. These are not grown and are largely not available in the U.S., despite what you might see on display signs.”
Alvernaz and the California Sweetpotato Council hope to end this confusion, particularly for younger consumers who may not be interested in eating yams but have heard that sweetpotatoes are a superfood.
“We want people to know that sweetpotato is simply a modern, more accurate term than yam,” says Alvernaz.
Freeman explains that signage for sweetpotatoes commonly found in grocery stores does not reflect today’s sweetpotato crop. As with most commodities, sweetpotato growers produce many different varieties. Older sweetpotato variety names like Jewell or Garnet are still commonly used on store signage, but these varieties are no longer produced in California.
“We are encouraging retailers to label sweetpotatoes according to color,” notes Alvernaz. “Most varieties grown in California can be accurately labeled as either red, orange, white or purple sweetpotatoes, rather than using specific variety names. And most definitely none of these varieties are yams.”
“We want people to understand the Thanksgiving yam dish that’s been in their family for generations has always been made with sweetpotatoes and that sweetpotatoes can be used in a variety of recipes not just for the holidays,” said Freeman. “Ultimately we hope to demonstrate that with proper signage and knowledge, consumers will buy more sweetpotatoes!”
A 43% plunge in orange production in Florida is predicted by the USDA following the impact of Hurricane Idalia. Expect price increases for popular by products such as orange juice.
The USDA’s latest report, published in July, puts the state’s orange yields at 15.8 million 90 pound boxes.
Florida citrus growers have experienced many shortcomings. In 2022, Hurricane Ian brought excessive rainfall and wind damage, and the ever-present greening disease continued to stall harvests.
The industry’s resilience has been key to endure these challenges, however, this coming season’s outlook brings less-than-reassuring projections.
California pomegranates for the most part apparently dodged the bullet when Hurricane Hilary hit the West Coast several weeks ago.
Trinity Fruit of Fresno, CA reports this season’s fruit quality looks better than in previous years, with a little better size and yields.
The San Joaquin Valley experienced heavy rain and wind in August. Fortunately, Hilary was downgraded to a tropical storm before arriving in the central valley. Thus, the effects to the 2023 pomegranate crop appear to be minimal.
Trinity Fruit Co. of Fresno, CA began shipping in its proprietary Sweetheart varieties in early September, with Wonderful to follow in October and November.
Pom Wonderful of Los Angeles points out Hilary’s effects have been negligible thus far for the Wonderful variety. The grower, shipper will begin harvesting in early to mid-October. At John Vena Inc. in Philadelphia, the wholesale distributor will carry Wonderful pomegranates when peak season begins in October or early November.
Once the California pomegranate season finishes in December, the company will transition to counter-season fruit from Israel. In March, when the Israeli season typically ends, Vena will offer Wonderful pomegranates from Peru, where the season runs into June.
Vena notes the year-round availability of pomegranate is fueled by arils, as well as the country’s changing demographics.
Over 50% of the population has never had a pomegranate, so the growth potential is there, the company believes.
According to Circana Integrated Fresh multi-outlet data for the 52 weeks ending July 2, 2023, dollar sales for fresh pomegranates reached more than $160 million — a 16% increase over the previous year and 27.5% higher than two years prior. Unit sales grew more than 11%, and by volume increased more than 13% over the previous year.
The nation’s leading apple shipper, Washington state, has a 2023 crop estimated at nearly 160 million bushels and valued at more than $2 billion — 9% higher than last year, according to USApple, of Falls Church, VA. The nonprofit industry association reports Washington accounts for 63.8% of U.S. apple production and 67.5% of the value.
Due to favorable weather, Washington expects to ship nearly 130 million cartons of apples this year, according to the Washington Tree Fruit Association. This compares to nearly 100 million cases shipped last season.
The Skagit Valley Food Co-op in Mt. Vernon, WA., ships about a dozen varieties of Washington apples in the fall, with four varieties available year-round.
Washington’s fuji apple has the largest volume year-round due to its price, which is often $1.49 per pound and sometimes as low as 99 cents per pound. This compares with $3.49 to $3.99 for other varieties. The apples are all organic.
Washington is home to more than 30 varieties of apples — some of them year-round mainstays, some more experimental new varieties, and others that fall somewhere in between. Of these apples, 72% go to the fresh market, according to USApple.
The state’s most popular apples are gala, Honeycrisp, red delicious and fuji.
Sage Fruit Co., Yakima, moves it biggest volume with Honeycrisp, gala, fuji, granny smith and Pink Lady. The fruit shipper handles sales and marketing for five grower-packer-shippers in the Pacific Northwest.
PITTSBURGH – Stack AV recently announced the launch of its autonomous trucking business, which leverages its self-driving technology to improve efficiency and enhance safety in the trucking industry, while tackling supply chain challenges for its partners and their consumers.
With customers at its core, Stack AV is focused on revolutionizing the way businesses transport goods, designing solutions to alleviate long-standing issues that have plagued the trucking industry including driver shortages, lagging efficiency in uptime per vehicle, overarching safety concerns, high operating costs, and elevated emission levels.
By building safe and efficient autonomous trucking solutions, Stack AV is creating better and smarter supply chains for its partners, improving business outcomes for its customers, delivering goods to end-users faster, and ultimately moving the trucking industry forward.
“As consumer consumption patterns evolve, businesses increasingly need AI-driven, intelligent, and reliable supply chains,” said Bryan Salesky, Founder and CEO of Stack AV. “With our proprietary technology and expertise as well as the commitment from our long-term partner in SoftBank, we are confident we will revolutionize the trucking and freight industries by driving improvements in efficiency and safety and alleviating supply chain constraints for our customers, helping them reach their goals and advance their missions.”
Peter Rander, President of Stack AV said, “We could not be more thrilled to unveil our autonomous trucking business to the world. As global commerce continues to become increasingly interconnected, now more than ever businesses have a dire need for more reliable and efficient supply chains, especially in the trucking and freight industries.
Leveraging our advanced AI-powered autonomous driving systems, we will improve supply chains for our customers and optimize transportation routes and energy efficiency.”
Stack AV is backed by SoftBank Group Corp. (“SoftBank”) who is supporting the company with capital, resources, and deep expertise in AI to help accelerate its growth and technological developments.
“The transformative power of AI is undeniable and will have a significant impact on our society,” said Kentaro Matsui, Head of the New Business Office at SoftBank Group and Managing Partner at SoftBank Investment Advisers.
“The next decade will be defined by AI, where all social systems will be linked by this technology to solve the most complex societal issues. By applying the strengths of AI-powered technology to the trucking industry, Stack AV will fundamentally change the transportation of goods and supply chains across the globe.”
Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Stack AV is led by Chief Executive Officer Bryan Salesky, President Peter Rander, and Chief Technology Officer Brett Browning. With over seven decades of combined experience, Stack AV’s executives are seasoned leaders in the development of complex, autonomy-enabled systems and have deep experience in robotics and AI. Stack AV has 150 employees across its headquarters and in 15 states with an innovative remote-work/co-working collaboration model, and is growing rapidly.
About Stack AV
Stack AV develops and builds autonomous trucking solutions to improve the safety and efficiency of modern freight and supply chain systems. Stack AV’s technology – coupled with an advanced approach to safe systems design and testing – is designed to maximize trucks’ uptime, optimize existing infrastructure and improve roadway safety. Stack AV is committed to driving the trucking industry forward by enabling smarter supply chains for its partners, allowing them to deliver goods to their consumers faster and more safely. To learn more, please visit https://stackav.com/.
Harvesting of sweet potatoes is underway in the South and although fewer acres are planted, good volume and quality shipments are expected.
Nash Produce LLC of Nashville, NC began digging its crop in early September and will continue through early November which is normal. The company reports overall sweet potato acreage will be down,
In 2022, U.S. sweet potato acreage was 132,200, down from 153,200 in 2021, according to USDA statistics.
Nash Produce has four kinds of sweet potatoes — covington, organic covington, murasaki and bonita.
Garber Farms, Iota, LA, has just started its sweet potato harvest. Then the curing process will take place, and shipments should begin in early October.
The growing, packing and shipping operation hopes for at least an average-size crop after last year’s smaller-than-normal harvest. It grows beauregard and orleans sweet potato varieties, with a goal of having year around loadings.
Matthews Ridgeview Farms, Wynne, ARK., has been harvesting a few weeks and expects finish in mid-October.
The company is looking for a good-quality crop this year on its beauregard and orleans sweet potatoes as well as on its organic product.
The Panama Canal Authority recently warned water-conserving measures will be in place for at least the next 10 months. As a result, global shipping companies have been urged to share transit plans at one of the world’s key maritime chokepoints.
An unprecedented drought this year, combined with the onset of the El Niño weather phenomenon, has resulted in a cut of draft restrictions for ships coming through its larger neopanamax locks by six feet. Transits also have been slashed by 20% to only 32 vessels a day.
These measures have resulted in ships backing up in significant numbers at either end of the canal. The Aug. 25 official total count was 129 ships, down from the peak of 165 earlier that month, but still 43% higher than the average.
The Panama Canal Authority has noted the restrictions would remain in place at least throughout the first half of 2024.
Container services and cruise itineraries tend to transit the canal with long advanced bookings. For bulk sectors, it is more ad hoc and with shorter notice, and it has been here the impact has been greater, where it might not be possible to obtain an advanced booking and therefore joining the queue is necessary.
The limits on transits have caused a vessel pile-up. According to some reports, there were recently 200 queuing, with wait times of up to 21 days.
While there are complex options, it’s noted ships greater than 12,000 TEUs, may choose to re-route through Suez. TEU is the industry term for a 20-foot equivalent unit.
For smaller containerships, which can still pass fully laden, a backhaul return to Asia via the Suez or the Cape with a slightly longer distance and time is another option liners will be looking at to reduce overall Panama demand while also soaking up capacity at a time where container fortunes are widely perceived to be on the wane through to at least the end of next year.
There has already been one cruise ship cancel its winter Panama season. Container carriers switching routes will be watched carefully by other sectors keen to get prized slots through the waterway in the coming months.
Some observers and logistics providers have warned goods needed for the Christmas shopping season might arrive late. Goods worth $270 billion – about 73% of the canal’s annual volume – are headed for the U.S. market, according to the CPA.
The travails at the canal are not having a notable lifting effect on container spot rates in the past two weeks. Drewry’s weekly World Container Index, published Aug. 27, showed rates from Shanghai to New York were down by $120 per feu (forty-foot equivalent unit).
The longer the situation persists the bigger the chances are of further freight rate increases and the likelihood that shippers will begin to divert cargo back to the US west coast ports and use rail to bring the cargo to its final destination.