Posts Tagged “New York apple shipments”
There are a lot more apples remaining to be shipped in the U.S. compared to this time last year, thanks mostly to Washington state.
New York Apple Shipments
New York state’s apple shippers expect apple supplies for the Christmas and New Year holidays to be good with good quality, variety selection and quantity.
The Empire State had 11.5 million bushels in storage for shipping on November. 1st. The U.S. Apple Association’s monthly Market News reported ample supplies remain of best known and most popular New York varieties, including Empire and McIntosh, as well as consumer favorite Gala, as well as Rome and Idared. The preseason forecast saw a crop amounting 28 million bushels.
While more over 50 percent of the New York crop has been shipped, apple shippers contend there will be good supplies to meet year-end holiday demand.
More U.S. Apples Remain in Storage
As of December 1st, more apples in the U.S. for the fresh market remained to be shipped than at this same time last year — 9 percent more to be precise.
The U.S. Apple Association’s report for December observes apples remaining to be shipped are 16 percent more than the five-year average.
Apples for processing remaining in storage totaled 51.5 million (bushel) cartons, 20 percent more than last year and a whopping 21 percent above the five-year average.
At 115.97 million cartons, Washington state apples alone accounted for 88 percent of the entire U.S. fresh apple remaining to be shipped. Michigan accounted for 3 percent remained to be shipped, while New York state has 5 percent.
Variety count
The report said U.S. fresh varieties in storage on December 1st, compared with last year at the same time, were:
- Red delicious: 31.52 million cartons, down 11 percent;
- Gala: 24.77 million cartons, up 8 percent;
- Honeycrisp: 8.7 million cartons, up 56 percent;
- Granny smith: 16.69 million cartons, up 38 percent:
- Fuji: 15.08 million cartons, up 12 percent;
- Pink Lady/cripps pink: 4.952 million cartons, down 9 percent.
Yakima Valley Washington apples – grossing about $7900 to New York City.
Refrigerated haulers expecting to load California citrus could very well face significant delays because rains have delayed harvest. On another front, an upstate New York apple shipper will be shipping Canadian apples this season.
California Citrus Shipments
Disruptions at citrus loading docks are expected the week of February 13-17 due to rain delayed harvests in California’s San Joaquin Valley.
A rainy week in California has citrus growers there expecting some shortages in mid-February due to excessive rains in citrus groves the week of February 6 – 10.
California citrus growers have been conducting picking operations on a limited basis between the rains. It has been a challenge getting workers and equipment into the fields after big storms. Some citrus orchards have been affected more than others depending on soil types and location. In some cases it is takes a few days for the orchards to dry out.
Delays in harvest as well as loading opportunities for citrus haulers are expected with lemons, oranges and specialty citrus, such as mandarins. Mandarins typically are more sensitive to the rain than other types of fruit.
California citrus – grossing about $4200 to Atlanta.
New York Apple Shipments
New York Apple Sales Inc., based in Glenmont, NY is shipping late-harvest apple varieties from Nova Scotia. The fruit is coming from orchards in the Scotian Gold Cooperative, which grows and harvests Honeycrisp, Ambrosia, and Sonya apples. The product is grown in the Annapolis Valley, near the Bay of Fundy. The three Nova Scotia apple varieties being imported and distributed by New York Apple Sales differ from U.S.-grown counterparts.
Nova Scotia apples have the latest apple-growing season in North America, according to a news release, and trees don’t bloom until the later weeks of May, with the Honeycrisp harvest typically starting during the last week of September, and Ambrosia and Sonya picking to follow.
The Scotian Gold Growers have been providing apples to New York Apple Sales for the past three years.
Here’s a look at loading opportunities with New York apples, Florida blueberries, plus citrus and artichokes from California.
New York apple shipments have been steady from week to week shipments for the most part. The Empire state has between 550 and 600 primary apple growers that produce an average of 29.5 to 30 million bushels a season. That average is nudging up over time as orchards become more productive.
Florida Blueberry Shipments
A very limited amount of Florida blueberry shipments are underway, but due to an excessively warm winter, volume is expected to be much lower this season. Florida has about 8,000 acres of blueberries and is the first state to ship the fruit each year. It is closely followed by Georgia blueberry shipments. Georgia has about 25,000 acres of blueberries, with the harvest starting in a few weeks. We’ll provide more information on Georgia “blues” as it becomes available.
Central Florida berries, veggies – grossing about $2100 to New York City; Southern Florida potatoes and melons, about $2500 to New York City.
California Artichoke Shipments
Ocean Mist Farms of Castroville, CA is entering the peak season for its artichoke shipments. Peak loadings should continue through May. Ocean Mist is the largest grower shipper of the product.
California Orange Shipments
Navel orange shipments out of the San Joaquin Valley should be about 10 to 15 percent higher than originally estimated. The harvest is about 50 percent completed and shipments have been steady.
San Joaquin Valley oranges, kiwifruit and carrots – grossing about $4400 to Atlanta.
Here’s a national shipping round up on imported bananas, grapes and avocados from California, as well as Eastern apples.
Banana imports, particularly from Gulfport, MS, are expected to increase as fall kicks in and summer peaches, strawberries and other fruit shipments decline. Banana imports are generally expected to be stable for the next several months from such countries as Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Colombia, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Peru.
Among the larger banana handlers are Del Monte Fresh Produce NA Inc.; Turbana Corp. of Coral Gables, FL; and Dole Food Co. of Westlake Village, CA.
California Grape Shipments
Grape loadings in mid-October were similar to last year with about 79.8 million pounds of grapes shipped in the U.S. the week ending October 10th, up slightly from 79.1 million pounds in the same week in 2014. Season-to-date, about 2.34 billion pounds had been shipped through October 10th, up from 2.23 billion pounds last year.
Central San Joaquin Valley grape and other produce shipments – grossing about $5200 of Atlanta.
California Avocado Shipments
Avocado shipments were up significantly in mid-October with about 50.8 million pounds of avocados shipped in the U.S. in the week ending October 10th, up from 32.1 million pounds last year at the same time. Season-to-date volumes also are up, climbing from 706 million pounds through October 10th, 2014, to 795 million pounds this year.
Southern California avocado, citrus and vegetable shipments – grossing about $4300 to Chicago.
Eastern Apple Shipments
Apple shippers east of the Mississippi River are reporting brisk movement, in part, due to less volume expected out of Washington state this season.
As of mid-October, New York apple shipments were on schedule to meet, if not exceed, the preseason estimate of 27.5 million boxes. While no record shipments are being forecast, the volume is in line with the 5-year average for shipments.
Michigan also is having strong demand for its apples, and is running ahead of last year in terms of shipments. Harvest should be completed by the end of this month.
Western Michigan apple shipments – grossing about $800 to Chicago.
Hudson Valley New York apple shipments – grossing about $2400 to Orlando.
The New York state apple harvest is in full swing and New York apple shipments should pick up once the harvest is completed in a few weeks.
The Empire state is expecting normal apple shipments and volume this season from the state’s 700 growers.
The Hudson Valley is the largest volume provider in the state. However there also are shipments originating near the western shores of Lake Champlain in the Champlain Valley. Further west in New York, the primary shipping areas for apples are Utica, Ithica, Syracuse and Rochester.
New York is the nation’s second largest apple shipper and is forecast to have 26.2 million cartons this year, or about 13 apples for each of the state’s 19.75 million residents, if those apples stayed in state. However, the state’s apples are shipped from New England to Florida.
The 2015 crop is expected to be slightly smaller than the state’s average over the past five years of 30 million cartons, but produce truckers won’t notice the difference. New York has new apple plantings resulting in new apple varieties such as Honeycrisp – alongside their old New York state standards such as McIntosh and Empire. The new varieties like RubyFrost® and SnapDragon® can only be grown by select New York state growers.
Hudson Valley apples – grossing about $2600 to Atlanta.
Apple shipments from New York and Ontario should be normal volume this season. However, apple loadings out of New England could show a double digit increase.
The U.S. Apple Association says New England’s six-state harvest is expected to be about 14 percent higher than last year’s and 18 percent above the region’s five-year average. The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service estimates total New England apple shipments will come in at just under 170 million pounds. The estimate is for the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont.
New York Apples
A lot, if not the majority of New York’s apple shipments originate from the Hudson Valley and Western New York. The Empire State has shipped about 30 million bushels of apples every year for the last several years. Total volume for the 2015-16 season are expected to be close to the five-year average.
The harvest in New York started in late-August and continues through early-November,
Currently shipments included Jonamacs, McIntoshes, Zestars, Paula Reds, Ginger Golds and Galas.
Ontario Apple Shipments
Extreme cold last winter damaged some trees and forced a later spring in Ontario, but growers in the Georgian Bay region still anticipate average crops this year. However, that isn’t the case in all parts of the province.
Ontario normally produces about 7-million bushels of apples annually, but this year it’s estimated the crop will be about 4-million. Harvest is now underway.
Record apple shipments in the United States are predicted for the 2014-15 shipping season.
As of December 1st, this season’s fresh apples in storage totaled 122.2 million bushels, a whopping 16 percent increase from the same time last year.
Apples for processing totaled 44.6 million bushels, 3 percent above last year on December 1st. The total number of apples in storage on December 1st was 166.8 million bushels, 12 percent above last December’s total.
The United States has about 7,500 apple producers who grow nearly 200 varieties of apples on approximately 328,000 acres.
The 2013-14 crop estimate, at 248.6 million bushels, was the 10th-largest apple crop shipped since the U.S. Department of Agriculture began keeping statistics on commercial apple production.
Washington state’s Yakima and Wenatchee valleys continue to ship about as many apples each year as all of the apple shipping areas in the United States combined. The state is averaging about 3,500 truck load equivalents weekly.
Both Michigan and New York state have similar volume this season, with both averaging around 250 truck loads of apples being shipped a week.
By contrast the Appalachian district that includes Pennsylvania, Maryland, Viriginia and West Virginia combined are loading about 100 truck loads of apples per week.
Michigan apple shipments – grossing about $4100 to Houston.
Hudson Valley New York apple shipments – grossing about $1600 to Baltimore.
Washington apple shipments – grossing about $8,000 to New York City.
The nation’s two largest apple shipping states, Washington and New York, are gearing up with excellent, if not record breaking apple loads this season.
Washington Apple Shipments
There’s little doubt Washington state will break all records for apple shipments during the 2014-15 season. An estimated 140 million cartons of fruit will be shipped, with the majority being by truck. This volume will easily break the record loadings of the 2012-13 crop, which totaled 128 million cartons. This will be 22 percent more than the 115 million cartons shipped during the 2013-14 season.
The new records reflect higher density plantings in orchards over the past 10 years. The old orchards had about 300 apple trees per acre. In recent years 1,000 to 1,500 trees are being planted per acre. Red Delicious still remains the top variety to be shipped, estimated at 38 million cartons this season. This is followed by the Gala, Fuji, Granny Smith and Golden Delicious. About 72 percent of Washington apples are shipped for the fresh market, with the balance for processing.
Washington apples from the Yakima and Wenatchee Valleys – grossing about $8200 to New York City.
New York Apple Shipments
Truck loadings for apples during the 2014-15 season will be less than last season, but more than the average shipments for the past five years. The state expects to ship over 30 million bushels this season.
New York apple shipments should rank second to Washington state in total volume this season. The state moved into volume in September, and loadings will be heaviest from now through the first quarter of 2015.
The leading varieties volume are: McIntosh, Empire, Red Delicious, Cortland, Crispin and Golden Delicious.
Hudson Valley apples – grossing about $2200 to Atlanta.
Today, we’re going to bounce around the U.S. a little bit. First, we’ll give a glimpse at loading opportunities as the volume increases for Eastern apple shipments. We’ll also go to Colorado and the new onion shipping season, before finishing up with a look at the annual growing volume with sweet onions from Peru at various American ports.
Average shipments of apples from the three leading Eastern states are expected this season, and loadings have started in recent weeks.
New York Apple Shipments
The Empire State had a big crop last season and will be down only slightly this season at 30 million bushels. Loadings originate out of the Hudson and Champlain Valleys, as well as from central and western areas of the state.
Hudson Valley apples – grossing about $3400 to Atlanta.
Pennsylvania Apple Shipments
Pennsylvania also is expecting normal apple shipments, with a forecast of 11.8 million bushels for the season. Initial light volume started in mid August with early varieties of fruit from towns such as Gardners and Fairfield.
Virginia Apple Shipments
Some weather issues should result in Virginia apple shipments being about 75 t0 80 percent of a full crop. Shipments originate from communities ranging from Charlottesville to Timberville. Virginia expects to ship about 4,285 bushels this season.
Colorado Onion Shipments
Colorado onions shipments have moved into good volume from the Northeastern part of the state. Loadings should remain fairly steady into January.
Peruvian Onion Imports
Imports of sweet onions from Peru are now arriving at various U.S. Ports. Good, steady volume of Peruvian onion shipments should be available from ports well into the first quarter of 2015. Over the past decade or so, Peru has come to fill a void with sweet onions, because domestic sweet onion supplies are pretty much depleted by this time of the year.
The states of Michigan and New York at various times claim to be the second largest shipper of apples (Washington state is the easy first), but both states will have large, and similar sized crops this season.
Michigan apple shipments should hit about 28.7 million bushels of apples this year, which isn’t that far off of their record setting 2013 crop, which was 30 million bushels. The estimate is showing what many Michigan apple shippers been predicting for several years. The average Michigan apple crop size will continue to increase. Because of the high-density plantings (approximately 1,000 trees per acre) and advancements in technology, Michigan is going to continue to produce a larger quantity of apples.
Michigan blueberry shipments – grossing about $2700 to Atlanta; Michigan vegetable shipments grossing about 20 percent less. Too few apples yet, to quote.
New York Apple Shipments
Unlike Michigan, which has most of its apple operations in the Western part of the state, New York grows and ships apples were several different areas, although the heaviest volume originates out of the Hudson Valley. Still, New York state also ships apples from the Champlain Valley, as well as from areas in the central and western part of the state. Excellent growing conditions, including a late spring with warm weather, good rainfall, and cool nights have cultivated a harvest which is so far was exceeding the 30 million bushels forecast made this past July.
Western New York vegetable shipments – grossing about $1500 to Baltimore.