Posts Tagged “Georgia vegetable shipments”
As we approach fall, here is a look at the upcoming possibilities for fall loadings for Colorado potatoes, Georgia vegetables and imports of sweet onions from Peru.
Colorado Potato Shipments
Last year San Luis Valley Colorado potatoes were harvested off of 52,000 acres. This year acreage is about 50,900 acres.
Diggings started for some growers in August, with the harvest running into mid-October. There were 2,176 truck loads shipped during the 2015-16 season, down about 400 loads from the previous season. Russets account for nearly 99 percent of the crop last year and 97 percent in 2014-15.
Yellows last year were 0.2 percent, down slightly from 0.3 in 2014-15. Interestingly, yellows have declined since 2013, dropping 0.1percent each year. Red potatoes were 1 percent last year and 2.6 percent the year before, showing an increase of russets in 2015-16.
Shipments are increasing, but currently too light to quote freight rates.
Georgia Vegetable Shipments
While the volume doesn’t match that of spring and summer loadings, fall Georgia vegetable shipments are significant. A drawback may be multiple pick ups for lack of any one shipping having truckload volume at anyone time. Still, it is that time of year. Florida is dead and there’s not a lot of choices in the Southeast.
Generally speaking most fall Georgia vegetables are in the ground and harvest will be starting anytime. Heaviest volumes will be during October, although lighter shipments will be occurring in November and into December.
Among the fall veggie loading available are: bell peppers, squash, cabbage, green beans, sweet corn, cucumbers, eggplant, greens (kale, collard, turnip and mustard), as well as carrots sweet potatoes and hot peppers.
Shipments are too light to get an accurate quote on freight rates.
Peruvian Onion Imports
Onion imports from Peru have started arriving at U.S. ports in light volume, but are increasing. Peru typically follows the Vidalia sweet onion season. The product from Southeastern Georgia enjoyed banner shipments this season and is virtually finished. Meanwhile, it’s making for a good transition to Peruvian imported onions, which will continue through the winter and dovetail into the sweet onion shipments that will be coming next spring out of Mexico and then Texas – and once again back to Vidalia.
A number of states are just getting underway with spring produce shipments, plus we through in some updates on a few that have been shipping all along.
Cherry Shipments
California cherry shipments have been underway for a week or more out of the San Joaquin Valley. Good volume is expected next week (May 2-6). Good loading opportunities will continue for several weeks, before being replaced by shipments out of the Yakima Valley in Washington state.
Asparagus Shipments
Asparagus loadings from three separate regions should be good leading up to Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 8th. California, Washington and Mexico have all been shipping in the second half of April.
California volume remains steady, and Washington state came out of the gate with good supplies. Baja California and other Mexican shipping areas have been ramping up in April and should have good supplies for about the next six weeks.
Idaho Potato Shipments
Idaho potato shipments are remaining fairly steady from week to week, averaging over 1600 truck load equivalents, primarily out of the Upper Valley and the Twin Falls areas.
Idaho potatoes – grossing about $4000 to Atlanta.
Colorado Potato Shipments
The Rocky Mountain state is the nation’s second largest potato shipper. The San Luis is averaging over 600 potatoes being shipped weekly.
Colorado potato shipments – grossing about $1500 to Dallas.
Washington Apple Shipments
Washington state is shipping more apples and pears than the rest of the nation combined. Both apples and pears are being loaded from the Yakima and Wenatchee Valleys.
Washington apples – grossing about $5000 to Orlando.
Georgia Vegetable Shipments
Southern Georgia remains pretty dormant right now, but spring vegetables shipments will be picking up in the next few weeks. Look for light to moderate volume with everything from beans, to cabbage, cucumbers, carrots, greens and more in early May. Vidalia onions shipments just started this week.
Georgia vegetables – grossing about $2200 to New York City.
New Jersey Blueberry Shipments
New Jersey blueberry shipments should get underway in mid June. New Jersey produced 57 million pounds of blueberries in 2014. Approximately 82 percent of the state’s blueberry acreage is in Atlantic County.
N
orth Carolina sweet potato shipments all of a sudden are not looking nearly as good this season, while fall vegetables soon will transition from Georgia to Florida.
While North Carolina may have dodged the proverbial weather bullet that clobbered South Carolina, the Tar Heel state still got hit pretty good. From a produce trucking standpoint, the biggest change will be with opportunities for hauling North Carolina sweet potatoes. The state’s leading produce item had fields hit with rains for two weeks. Then they have to wait for fields to dry to continue harvesting. Meanwhile, farmers are fighting the clock when the first hard freeze will end diggings. Bottom line – No specifics yet, but undoubtedly there’s going to be substantial losses in North Carolina sweet potato shipments for the 2015-16 season. This means reduced yields and quality problems….There’s currently a mixture of the old and new crop being shipped, averaging only about 200 truck loads per week. We’ll provide more info as it becomes available.
Eastern North Carolina sweet potato shipments – grossing about $2500 to New York City.
Georgia Vegetable Shipments
Blessed with sandy soil in much of Georgia, it helps absorb excessive rains that occurred recently with Hurricane Joaquin. Items such as cucumbers and squash are being shipped in light volume, but will be declining as we approach November. There are a number of Florida vegetable shipments that will start increasing with Georgia’s decline. Still, we’re talking pick ups in terms of pallets, not truck loads.
Relating to produce shipments originating on the East Coast this time of year, Florida deservedly is receiving the most attention as vegetable volume is rapidly increasing. However, this is more of a report on other Eastern areas that are shipping.
If you want more info on Florida vegetable shipments, there have been a few recent posts that go into more detail, plus an update is coming this Wednesday, April 1st – and this is not an April fool’s joke!
New York Produce Shipments
The state’s biggest volume is with storage onions, most of it coming out of Orange County. averaging about 125 truck loads per week…..The next biggest mover is with apples coming out of the Hudson and Champlain Valleys, as well Central and Western areas of the state. New York is a leading cabbage shipper, but volume is now in a seasonal decline.
Hudson Valley apples – grossing about $3100 to Orlando.
Maine Potato Shipments
Aroostrook County in northern Maine is shipping about 150 truck loads of potatoes weekly.
Maine potatoes – grossing about $1400 to Boston.
Appalachian Apple Shipments
Volume is light, but apples are being loaded in the district comprised of portions of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.
North Carolina Sweet Potato Shipments
With Easter closing in on April 5th, sweet potato shipments from the Eastern areas of the state are increasing, now surpassing 300 truck loads per week.
NC sweet potatoes – grossing about $2500 to New York City.
South Carolina Vegetable Shipments
There certainly are not any truck loads here, but the Lexington area has very light volume with greens and green onions.
Georgia Vegetable Shipments
From Southern Georgia there are light shipments of broccoli, carrots and greens.
Florida navel shipments will be down significantly this season, while other citrus items should show gains.
Florida citrus shipments will show small declines with navel oranges, grapefruit and tangerines, but valencias loadings are expected to increase, according to the first official USDA forecast.
Growers in Florida expect to ship 1.5 million cartons of navels, down 22 percent from 1.9 million cartons a year ago. If the forecast holds, it will be the lowest since the USDA began forecasting navels as a separate variety.
Shipments of valencias, of which 97 percent go to the processors, is up 9 percent. Overall Florida citrus volume should rise 3 percent from the 2013-14 season’s 104.8 million cartons to 108 this season. Grapefruit shipments are predicted at 15 million cartons, down 4 percent from 15.7 million cartons last year.
Both white and red grapefruit varieties saw 4 percent declines from the previous season. Total Florida tangerine production is seen being off 3 percent. Total Florida citrus shipments are pegged at 126.7 million cartons, down from last season’s 123.9 million cartons, but considerably lower than the 2009-13 average of 169 million cartons. Though a majority of the state’s oranges ship to processed plants, about 70 percent of its navels, half of its grapefruit and two-thirds of its tangerines ship fresh.
Overall, Florida is deader-than-a-door-nail this year. Citrus hasn’t really taken off, and there’s only moderate arrivals of imports at various Florida ports.
Southern and central Georgia vegetable shipments are modest, but ranging from green beans to peppers, cukes and squash.
Georgia vegetables – grossing about $2600 to New York City.
We’re entering that time of the year when overall produce volume is declining and it will only get worse during the first few months or so in the New Year. For example, Florida is nothing to get excited about for produce haulers, and will remain that way until spring vegetable shipments take off in April.
Still there are some loading opportunities in the Sunshine state, with vegetables, strawberries and citrus.
Florida Vegetable Shipments
Grape tomatoes and cherry tomato shipments started in mid October from the Palmetto-Ruskin area.
Mature green tomatos should get underway from Central Florida in early November.
Bell peppers, grean beans and cucumbers should begin in light volume in early November from Homestead and Belle Glade.
Sweet corn is running late and is not expected to kick off until about a week before Thanksgiving, which is November 28th.
Georgia Vegetable Shipments
Southern Georgia has light supplies of sweet corn, and bell peppers. Loading should continue until about a week before Thanksgiving. It is around this time, the items will get started in Florida.
Florida Strawberry Shipments
Looking ahead, we’re only about five weeks or so away from the intial Florida strawberries coming on in late November, primarily around the Plant City area. Loadings will gradually build in December and January befor peak shipments hit in February.