Posts Tagged “Lane Southern Orchards”
Lane Southern Orchards, a major peach grower and shipper based in Fort Valley, GA, is doubling the capacity of its packinghouse in a $4 million project to be completed before the 2019 season.
By the early summer peach harvest, the renovated and expanded facility will allow the company to pack 23,000 25-pounds boxes a day, putting Lane’s seasonal capacity at 3 million boxes.
Technology upgrades to grading and sorting processes is also included, along with improved cold storage and shipping and receiving facilities, according to a news release.
A Durand-Wayland robotic bin handling system, designed to be gentle on the peaches, will streamline efficiencies in the packinghouse.
International Farming Corp. purchased Lane Southern Orchards in 2015, and the peach company’s CEO, Mark Sanchez, said it has been a “great partner.”
“They understand the culture of farming and have given us the opportunity for tremendous growth,” Sanchez said in the release. “The ability to enhance our facilities to create best-in-class efficiencies and quality control is the latest example of that growth.”
In 2018, Lane Southern Orchards and Taylor Orchards of Reynolds, GA merged, combining peach/pecan acreage, facilities and innovation. A surge in plantings in 2018 and this year brings the total acreage of peaches and nuts to more than 10,000.
“The complete renovation of the original Lane facility with new technology allows us to easily handle the additional supply of peaches and be a better supplier to our existing customers while we expand our customer base,” Duke Lane III, director of sales for Lane Southern Orchards, said in the release.
Peach shipments are past their peak in Georgia, while increasing in volume from South Carolina. New Jersey peach loadings will get underway soon.
Georgia peach shipments from the Fort Valley are now in the last half of the season. Weather factors earlier in the year are going to result in only about a 60 percent crop over all. For example, Lane Southern Orchards, the state’s largest peach shipper, expects to ship about 475,000 25-pound half bushel cartons this season, compared to 750,000 bushels a year ago. Lane should be shipping into the last half August.
Georgia is moving about 100 truck loads of peaches per week.
Georgia peach shipments – grossing about $3400 to Boston.
South Carolina Peach Shipments
Titan Farms in Ridge Spring, SC expects to ship its highest volume of fruit from mid July through August, while winding down the season in early September. Titan is believed to be South Carolina’s largest peach shipper.
South Carolina is loading about 200 truck loads of peaches weekly, with volume still increasing.
South Carolina peaches – grossing about $3100 to New York City.
New Jersey Peach Shipments
New Jersey peach shipments are expected to be good this season when it kicks off in late July. We’ll have more details soon.