Posts Tagged “Mexican grape shipments”
Produce shipments will be starting soon involving Michigan asparagus, Vidalia onions, and grapes from Mexico.
Michigan asparagus shipments will get underway within the next week or so. While the Great Lakes State’s asparagus has traditionally been more of a local crop, Chicago has historically been a big market. Now, loadings are destined to markets in Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Iowa, Tennessee and even to Georgia. Another change is the crop used to go mainly to processors, but now keeps shifting more to fresh. For the first time last year Michigan shipped 12 million pounds of “grass” for fresh markets, compared to 10 million pounds for processing. This year fresh shipments are projected to increase by another five to 10 percent.
Michigan apple shipments – grossing about $3000 to Dallas.
Vidalia Onion Shipments
Concerning more produce shipments, while the Georgia Department of Agriculture has set April 25th as the official date Vidalia onions can be packed and shipped, in truth, every year the sweet onion is shipped prior to this date. The catch is it cannot be legally shipped under the Vidalia name prior to the official starting date. Shipping prior to official date increases the chances of the onions being “hot” and doesn’t help the image of the brand. Much of that is because early onion pungency levels are too high, making them taste hot instead of sweet.
Vidalia onions can only be grown in parts of a 20-county area in the southeastern part of Georgia. Last season, farmers harvested 268 million pounds of Vidalia onions from 11,200 acres. Value of production for last year’s crop exceeded $120 million.
Southern Georgia produce shipments – greens, carrots – grossing about $2200 to New York City.
Mexican Grape Shipments
As most Mexican vegetables crossing the U.S. border at Nogales wind down this time of year, an exception is grapes. The harvest in Mexico begins the first week of May. Mexican grape shipments soon follow, with volume increasing as Memorial Day approaches. Peak Mexican grape shipments will occur during June, then quickly wind down in early July. Estimates are sketchy right now, but early indications are that a good, but not record crop will be available for hauling.
Mexican melons, mangoes, veggies through Nogales – grossing about $3200 to Chicago.
It is shaping up to be an overlap of grape shipments this spring from different parts of the world. Late season imported Chilean grapes will be overlapping imported grapes from Mexico, as well as grapes from the desert of California.
Unfavorable weather earlier in the season has made for tight supplies of red grapes coming from Chile as compared to the supply of green grapes. Chilean grapes are arriving by boat on both U.S. coasts. But that situation could flip next month, as more red grapes are expected in the U.S. market.
The supply of red grapes should pick up around late March or early April. By early May, red grapes from Mexico will be crossing the border into the U.S.
During the 2015 season 110.5 million boxes (109.3 million 19‐pound box equivalents) of California table grapes were shipped. The California grape industry surpassed the 100 million box mark for the first time in 2012. Since then, the total crop volume has seen three consecutive years over 110 million boxes.
The 2015 season total of 110.5 million boxes was the third-largest crop volume in the industry’s history, just below the 2014 total of 110.9 million. The largest crop to be shipped was in 2013 at 117.4 million boxes.
California grape shipments are available from May through January. With the 2016 season only about six weeks away, Mexican grape shipments typically start anywhere from a few days to two weeks earlier than California’s first grapes that come out of the Coachella Valley. Most Mexican grapes cross the border at Nogales.
As we get back in the groove following the long Memorial weekend, here are some of the better produce loading opportunities at various shipping points across America.
Western Produce Shipping Areas
Washington state easily provides the most loading opportunities in the Northwest with apples averaging over 3200 truck loads per week. The Yakima and Wenatchee Valleys also have pears in much smaller volume.
Washington apples – grossing about $5000 to Dallas.
Idaho potato shipments continue as we approach the last few months of the 2014-15 shipping season. About 1300 truck load equivalents are being handled weekly, although rails account for a larger percentage than with most produce items. However, trucks still rule!
Idaho potatoes – grossing about $4700 to New York City.
In California, strawberry shipments remain in heavy volume, with about equal movement coming out of the Watsonville area and the Santa Maria District. Nearly 1200 truck loads per week are being shipped from these two areas…Also, big volume with mixed vegetables continue from the Salinas Valley.
Salinas/Watsonville vegetables and strawberries – grossing about $6300 to Orlando.
At Nogales, AZ, about 2500 truck loads of watermelons are crossing the border from Mexico each week. Mexican grape shipments also are increasing.
Nogales produce – grossing about $2600 to Dallas.
Central Produce Shipping Areas
San Luis Valley potato shipments from Southern Colorado continue on a steady pace averaging about 600 truck loads per week…..Central Wisconsin potato loadings are much lighter heading towards the end of its season.
Colorado potatoes – grossing about $2200 to Chicago.
In South Texas, about 1000 truck loads of Mexican avocados are crossing the border each week at McAllen. There also are a number of tropical fruits and limes crossing in moderate volumes. Texas sweet onion shipments are just about finished for the season.
South Texas produce – grossing about $2600 to Atlanta.
Eastern Produce Shipments
While Florida is headed towards a seasonal end to its spring produce shipping season, more of the focus moves to Georgia. As Florida blueberry shipments rapidly decline, “blues” are gaining in volume from Southern Georgia. The state also has moderate volume with vegetables ranging from cabbage to beans and Vidalia onions.
North Carolina sweet potatoes continue to be shipped in moderate volume, mostly from eastern areas of the state.
Mexican table grapes ramp up crossing the border in Arizona, while the Florida heat is starting to take its toll on spring produce shipments.
Mexican grape shipments are forecast to hit 16.05 million boxes this season, slightly less than last year’s final total of 16.27 million boxes. Peak shipments, mostly crossing the border at Nogales, are now in progress. Heavy volume should continue well into June before loadings decline towards the latter part of the month with the end of the season. Overall Mexican produce movement through Nogales is well below what it was in the first quarter of the year, with grapes now leading the pack in volume.
Mexican grapes – grossing about $2200 to San Francisco.
Florida
Florida produce shipments are starting to feel the heat as temperatures rise in the Sunshine State. There’s probably no better example than with sweet corn as shipments could come to a screeching halt this week. That is about two weeks earlier than the last two years.
Since the first week of April, the start of Florida’s spring shipments, packinghouses shipped about a million crates a week and so far have packed 6.2 million crates. This season, shippers should load about 7.5 million crates, similar to last season, which marked record production for the two weeks leading up to Memorial Day,
While Florida corn in coming to an end, Georgia sweet corn shipments are now underway.
Florida trucks have been in tight supply with mixed vegetables, tomatoes and watermelons – grossing about $3700 to Philadelphia.
Here’s a glimpse nationally at shipping areas such as Florida spring vegetables, potatoes from Arizona and looking ahead a few weeks to peaches from New Jersey, as well as with Mexican grapes.
Florida vegetable shipments are still moving in good volume and nothing is probably providing more loading opportunities than sweet corn. Big volumes are expected through the Memorial Day weekend, May 23-25. In recent weeks Florida sweet corn shipments have exceeded 1 million crates per week!…..After the holiday, Florida corn will be declining, but South Georgia will start shipping corn in late May with much bigger volumes in early June.
South Florida watermelons have been commanding the best trucks – grossing about $4000 to New York City. That’s about 25% more than rates for Florida red potatoes and nearly 20% more than Florida veggies.
Arizona Potato Shipments
Arizona red potato shipments kicked off about a week ago and now the yellow and mini potato varieties will get going any day now. Most of the potatoes are grown and shipped from an area South of Phoenix in the Casa Grande area.
Mexican Grape Shipments
Since there is still a lot of imported Chilean grapes in the distribution pipeline, some Mexican shippers have delayed shipments for a relatively short period of time. Grapes imported from Mexico are expected to be similar in volume to a year ago with a little over 16 million boxes. The 2014 crop finished at 16.2 million boxes.
New Jersey Peach Shipments
Looking ahead several weeks, New Jersey peach shipments will get underway in July and continue into September.
New Jersey is the fourth largest peach shipping state in the country, with approximately 80 orchards on 5,500 acres.
Another large volume of Mexican grape shipments are crossing the border into Nogales, AZ. We’ll also take a look at some produce shipments out of the Southeastern US.
Observers are stating this is the earliest start on record for the grape shipments originating out of Sonora Mexico. Loadings will probably be down more than 10 percent, due to weather issues, but there will still be a lot of grapes for hauling.
The forecast predicts about 1.77 million fewer 19-pound boxes to ship out of the region in 2014. A year ago Mexico had nearly 16 million boxes of grapes. The estimate for this season is about 14.2 million boxes.
Georgia Watermelon Shipments
Southern Georgia watermelons have had excessive rains and wind, delaying plantings and in some cases has resulted in replantings. If the weather improves there should be fair to good shipments taking place in time for the Fourth of July holidays. Shipments of everything from green beans to sweet corn and peppers will also be a little later getting started this sprinand summer….Vidalia onion movement continues to increase, although this will not be one of the larger crops….Georgia blueberry shipments also are be late this year, but are now underway, although in light volume. Georgia “blues” should be in good volume through the Fourth of July.
Florida Produce Shipments
Florida blueberry shipments have totalled only about 25 percent of the volume compared to this time a year ago. Instead of shipments ending in May, loadings should be available into early June.
Meanwhile Florida is in peak volume with a number of mixed vegetables, which should continue well into May.
Florida blueberries, vegetables and watermelons – grossing about $4000 to New York City.
South Georgia mixed vegetables – grossing about $3000 to Boston.
Mexican grapes, tropical fruit and watermelons – grossing about $4500 to Chicago.
While loadings of Mexican grown veggies are quickly becoming history at Nogales, AZ distribution centers, watermelons from south of the border are rapidly increasing, and will soon be followed by grapes.
Easter is April 20th and loading opportunities should be good during the next week to 10 days for arrivals of melons on the retail produce shelves. Mexican watermelon shipments are much early than normal due to warm weather in Mexico.
Mexican Grape Shipments
Meanwhile, Mexican grape loadings will be the earliest they’ve been in the past five years. Light volume of Mexican green grapes will be crossing the border at Nogales the last week of April, while red grapes will likely follow in early May. Good volume should be available on both greens and reds by May 15.
Meanwhile, there’s a great variety of various vegetables and tropical fruit crossing the border from Mexico into South Texas. The Lower Rio Grande Valley continues to ship citrus and onions.
South Texas produce – grossing about $5300 to New York City.
Chilean Fruit Imports
Name just about any fruit import from Chile this season and there has been signficantly less volume. This goes for grapes, stone fruit, etc. While these items are pretty much finished for the season, Chilean kiwi imports are just getting underway. However, the forecast says there will be a 55 percent decrease in Chilean kiwi this season.
Warm winter weather throughout California and south of the border is expected to bring shipments of Coachella Valley grapes, as well as Mexican grapes through Noglaes, earlie than usual this spring.
Mexico and Coachella typically start within days of each other, although Mexican grape shipments tend to be a few days earlier. Shipments of green grapes from Mexico should start in light volume in late April, with Coachella grape shipments getting underway by early May.
Loadings of red grapes will typically start within a week or so after the green fruit is underway. Good volume of both Mexican and Coachella Valley grapes are expected for Memorial Day. Peak shipments from both areas should occur from the last week of May through the middle of June.
While a forecast has yet to be made for the upcoming grape shipping season, during the 2013 season California shipped 117.4 million boxes of fresh grapes.
Over the past 10 years the volume has significantly increased. In 2003 California grape shipments were under 80 million boxes. In 2012 the 100 million box mark was crossed for the first time in history, and in 2013 another record was set with the crop totaling 117.4 million boxes.
Top shipments to export markets last year were Canada at 11.9 million boxes, followed by Hong Kong/China at 7.9, and Mexico at 6.6. The 2013 season started with shipments in early May and continued into February 2014.