Posts Tagged “Michigan”
As more information becomes available on the prospects for the nation’s apple shipments, which 
get underway in August for the 2012-13 shipping season, it’s becoming apparent there should be record setting loading opportunities for apple haulers out of Washington state.
The reasons are two-fold. First, Washington is on course to pick, pack and ship 120 million boxes of apples in the upcoming season, which would be nearly 7 million more boxes than the season which will close in the coming weeks. Secondly, an April freeze clobbered upcoming crops in Michigan, parts of New York state and in Ontario. This means apple buyers who normally source the fruit from these areas will be relying on Washington state more than ever. In a normal year, Washington state accounts for about 60 percent of the USA’s apple shipments.
Apple volume is expected to remain more normal for the upcoming season from the Mid Atlantic states, including Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virgina, as well as from the New England states. This holds true as well for New York’s Hudson and Champlian valleys. However, central and western New York apple shippers were not near as lucky during the April freeze.
Washington state apples – grossing about $6200 to Orlando.
We’re not talking huge volumes of loads involving fresh produce in the 
Midwest, or Central USA, but there are quite a few areas shipping this time of the year. Even a partial load may allow you to get to another destination to fill out the trailer, or deliver and get a full haul.
Texas – There are 350 to 400 truckloads of Mexican avocados crossing the border into the Lower Rio Grande Valley each week. There’s also a significant amount of Mexican watermelons moving into Texas as well. The valley itself continues to ship various vegetables.
New Mexico — It may not be big volume, but onions are being shipped from the Las Cruces area.
Michigan — Light to moderate volumes of apples are available from Western Michigan. In about a month vegetable shipments will get underway.
Wisconsin — Potato loadings continue from the Stevens Point (central Wisconsin) area in moderate volume.
Colorado — The San Luis Valley is averaging around 500 truckloads of potatoes a week.
Nebraska — The Cornhusker state is certainly no Idaho, or even a Colorado or Wisconsin, when it comes to potato shipments. However, there are spuds in limited amounts coming out the Southwestern (Imperial) and Northeastern (O’Neill) parts of the state.
Wisconsin potatoes – grossing about $2000 to Houston.
South Texas produce – about $4600 to New York City.
With over 30 million bushels of apples in the USA remaining in storages to be 
shipped, steady loading opportunties through much of the summer are expected, especially from Washington state. There is one percent more fruit remaining in storages than last year’s large crop, and three percent more tonnage remaining compared to the five-year average.
The Yakima and Wenatchee valleys of Washington state are averaging about 2500 truckload equivalents of apple shipments a week, although this amount includes some shipments by rail….By contrast, Michigan apple loadings are amounting to around 125 truck loads per week….New York state apple shipments are similar, but declining as the season winds down.
Washington apples – grossing about $6200 to Atlanta.
Michigan apples – about $2800 to Oklahoma City.
FREEZE UPDATE — I reported on May 9 a major freeze hitting Ontario and Michigan apple shipping areas, as well as New York and possibly Pennsylvania. This will affect your loading opportunities starting in late July and August and continue for the 2012-13 apple shipping season.
It will be June, if not July in some instances, before it is known how much next season’s apple shipments will be hurt, but it will be substantial. The damage to Ontario’s 16,000 acres of orchards has been termed “catastrophic,” a pretty harsh term for normally optimtistic produce shippers. It also known there is significant damage to apples in Michigan and upstate New York.
Postmedia News is reporting a catastrophic freeze has wiped out about 80 per
cent of Ontario’s apple crop and has the province’s fruit industry looking at losses already estimated at more than $100 million.
“This is the worst disaster fruit growers have ever, ever experienced,” orchard owner Keith Wright said May 4.
“We’ve been here for generations and I’ve never heard of this happening before across the province. This is unheard of where all fruit growing areas in basically the Great Lakes area, in Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York State, Ontario, are all basically wiped out. It’s unheard of,” the Harrow, Ont.-area grower said.
If apple shipments from the Great Lakes region falls by 80 percent there is bound to be more demand and brisk loadings of Washington state apples once the new season kicks off in July and August.
About 125 truckloads of Michigan apples are being shipped a week from storages and are grossing about $3200 to Dallas.
Supplies of refrigerated equipment are tightening for hauling Lower Rio 
Grande Valley produce, as well as Mexico fresh products crossing the border into Texas. This has resulted in some relatively small rate increases. Everything from grapefruit, oranges, greens, and cabbage, among other items are being hauled out of South Texas to various U.S. destinations.
There continues to be steady movement of Colorado potatoes out of the San Luis Valley…..The same goes for Michigan apples from the Western part of the state.
In the Red River Valley of North Dakota and Minnesota shipments of red potatoes have recently increased by about 15 percent. Most of this season, loadings have been below those of a year ago. However, increased demand should keep shipments above 2011 levels through the spring and into the summer. No significant rate increases have been reported.
Grand Forks, ND red potatoes shipments – grossing about $3900 to Philadelphia.
Colorado russet potatoes – about $1600 to Dallas.
Michigan apples – $2000 to Houston.
South Texas produce – $3000 to Chicago.
With four percent more apples remaining in U.S. storages nationally, the fruit should remain a good retail buy well into the summer months. Washington state provides more apples than all other states combined, so naturally your choices will be more plentiful from the Northwest, especially if you live in the Western half of the country. No surprise, the most common varieties of apples will be in greatest supply in your supermarket: red delicious, gala and granny smith. There should also be decent supplies of fuji and golden delilcious apples.
It’s almost time for domestic sweet onions. Texas will be providing the first sweet onions in many retail stores, with arrivals by late March. Expect sweet onions from Vidalia, GA to be availble in limited qualities in some stores by Easter (April 8), with plentiful supplies by mid-April.
Chilean red seedless grapes are reasonably priced now, and have a great sweet taste. Berry size has improved from a few weeks ago.
There are four percent more apples remaining in storages around 
the United States to be shipped, compared to this time a year ago. The vast majority of those apples will be shipped out of Washington state, although significant amounts will be loaded between now and late summer from Michigan and upstate New York.
The Yakima and Wenatchee Valleys in Washington are shipping about 2,500 truckload equivalents of apples weekly. By comparison, the Western region of Michigan is moving around 175 truckloads per week. New York state is averaging over 200 truckloads of apple shipments weekly, but keep in mind those numbers include loadings spread out from Eastern New York’s Hudson Valley to areas in the Central and Western portions of the state.
Light shipments are available from New England and the Applachian states.
Michigan apples are grossing – about $1000 to Chicago.
New York Hudson Valley – about $2400 to Atlanta.
Washington state – about $5800 to New York City.
Easter is Sunday, April 8th and is always big for such items as strawberries and asparagus. California will be just about the only place shipping such items for Easter as Mexican strawberries will be pretty much finished for the season, while California “grass” from the desert may not have the greatest volume with its season just getting underway. California strawberries will have the market to itself with Florida and Mexico shipments finished. California berries will be heaviest out of the Oxnard district, with lighter volume coming out of Santa Maria.
In Michigan, apple shipments continue from the Western Part of the state, primarily from the Grand Rapids area. The state should ship about 23 million cartons, down some from its record setting season that had 28 million cartons of apples.
In the Appalachian district of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia about 50 truckloads of apples are being shipped each week. New York state is loading about 200 truckloads of apples weekly from the Hudson Valley, as well as Central and Western areas of the state.
Southern California berries, citrus grossing – about $5600 to New York City.
Western Michigan apples – $3200 to Dallas.
Central New York apples – $3150 to Boston.
February may be the slowest month of the year for produce shipments, and 
for the most part there’s plenty of trucks for hauling product from most shipping points nationwide. There are a few exceptions. Equipment appears to the tighest in Florida for hauling mixed veggies, tomatoes and strawberries; sweet potatoes out of Eastern portions of North Carolina and with potatoes out of Northwest Washington.
Nationally, it is reported there are four percent more apples remaining in storages compared to a year ago. Best apple loading opportunities are occuring from Yakima, WA and points in western and central Michigan….Mexican melons and mixed vegetables are crossing the border at Nogales, AZ in good volume…In California, December freezes have apparently reduced citrus shipments for the season from around 93 million cartons to about 74 million cartons. Mandarins were hit pretty hard, especially in the northern San Joaquin Valley. Although packinghouses sort out damaged product, it is a good idea to (as always) to watch what is being loaded.
Washington apples – grossing about $6000 to New York City.
North Carolina sweet potatoes – $2250 to Chicago.
Michigan apples – $2400 to Atlanta.