Posts Tagged “potato shipments”
From North American potatoes, to desert vegetables, here is a shipping update.The potential for potato shipments in the U.S. and Canada is up 2 percent from the previous season. About 510 million cwt. (per hundredweight) of potatoes were produced last fall in North America. About 408 million cwt. were grown in the U.S., 102 million cwt. in Canada. The U.S. total is 3percent more than the year before, the Canadian total 1 percent less. The U.S. harvested 929,500 acres, down from 930,500 acres in 2013. However, U.S. yields increased from 425 cwt. to 439 cwt. per acre. Canadian acreage fell from 351,300 in 2013 to 343,700 last year. Yields rose from 292 cwt. to 297 cwt. per acre.
Idaho potatoes shipments – grossing about $6000 to New York City.
Desert Vegetable Shipments
Perfect weather in the Southwestern deserts of Arizona and California may be great for production and volume with head lettuce, romaine, broccoli and other vegetables. However, demand for such items in portions of the upper Midwest, and especially the Northeast has been killed because of snow storm after snow storm. The desert shipping areas have another month or so before the transition to the Huron district in the San Joaquin Valley. Vegetable loadings typically occur for about three weeks from Huron before shifting to the Salinas Valley.
Desert vegetables – grossing about $5400 to Atlanta.
Here’s a round up of major active potato and sweet potato shipping areas around the U.S.
Sweet Potato Shipments
Louisiana sweet potato shipments are expected to continue through June. The fresh crop is larger this year due to an increase in acreage and higher yields. Nearby Mississippi has a similar situation. Both states are loading anywhere from 375 to 500 truck loads weekly….In California, a little less volume is coming out of the Atwater/Livingston district….However, as usual, Eastern North Carolina continues to be the big player, averaging more volume than the other three states combined.
Louisiana sweet potatoes – grossing about $1800 to Chicago.
Eastern North Carolina sweet potatoes – grossing about $2500 to New York City.
Potato Shipments
Idaho is to potatoes what North Carolina is to sweet potatoes. Idaho is averaging around 1,750 truck load equivalents a week, although rail plays a larger role than with most commodities and shipping areas….Colorado potato shipments rank second at about 750 truck loads a week, with all of it being by truck….Central Wisconsin potato shipments come in third with volume…. Surprisingly, Nebraska is loading about 200 truck loads weekly, although volume is divided between two shipping areas — Imperial in the southwestern part of the state, and O’Neill in the northeastern region.
Western Michigan potato shipments, as well as spuds originating out of Presque Isle, Me are providing light, but steady volume.
Idaho potatoes – grossing about $5800 to Orlando.
San Luis Valley, CO potatoes – grossing about $2900 to Atlanta.
The Red River Valley of North Dakota and Minnesota already has a serious truck shortage , and the season hasn’t even really got going. Here’s an update on potato shipments out the valley.
Red River Valley Potato Shipments
Not even one-third of the potato shippers in North Dakota and Minnesota are loading potatoes yet, but the few who are tell of difficulties finding trucks. For example, last Friday, Associated Potato Growers in Grand Forks was 7 trucks short of what was needed to fill orders from customers. APG hasn’t really got into volume shipments yet and has opened up only one of it three plants. Other valley shippers are reporting similar problems.
Last season the Red River Valley shipped about 4 million hundredweight (cwt.) of mostly red potatoes and totals this season (2014-15) should be similar, if not a little more. Once the harvest is completed within the next week or two, a better idea of the exact numbers should become available.
The Red River Valley’s red potato acreage is expected to be up one or two percent this year. In 2013, the valley produced 23,000 acres of red potatoes. North Dakota produces a total of about 90,000 acres of potatoes. Beyond red potatoes, these are mostly russets that are virtually dedicated to the processing market. In addition to red potato shipments, there are yellow potatoes, which will represent about 8 percent of the fresh shipments.
Overall, it is expected there will be about 4.2 million and 4.5 million cwt shipped for the fresh market; over 90 percent would be reds, the remainder yellows.
Red River Valley potatoes – grossing about $2800 to Dallas.
Weather related issues will cut into potato hauling opportunities this season in Idaho, Colorado, Wisconsin and the Red River Valley, but there will still be ample hauls available for produce truckers.
The effects of summer rain and hail will likely put a dent in potato loadings this season, but growers are optimistic at the beginning of harvests. A few Colorado growers started digging during the past week, but the harvest is just ready to get into full swing. Around 20 percent of Colorado acreage received hail damage this summer, but most of it was minor. It only means a bumper crop has turned into a more normal crop.
Late rains in Wisconsin were complicating the start of the 2014 harvest. Some diggings in Wisconsin started about three weeks ago, and rains are expected to lower yields, but more normal potato shipments are still expected this season.
Central Wisconsin potatoes – grossing about $1100 to Chicago.
Similar circumstance are being heard from Idaho potato shippers. While its still not known how much, yields, volume and loadings will be affected, in most years it’s a darned good thing for everyone, if fewer, not more potatoes are coming out of Idaho. The state is just now entering volume shipments.
Idaho potatoes – grossing about $5600 to New York City.
In the Red River Valley of North Dakota and Minnesota, the nation’s largest shipper of dry land red potatoes should provide decent loading opportunities this season, but no one is predicting any records for volume. Most Red River Valley potato shippers see an average sized crop, if not somewhat below average. It will probably be October before good volume is available for hauling out of the valley. In the meantime, there are some loading opportunities for red potatoes out of Long Prairie, MN, although some of those spuds are delivered to the valley for washing, packing and shipping.
Long Prairie potatoes – grossing about $2800 to Dallas.
While most upstate New York state vegetable shipments are getting underway as much as two weeks late this year due to weather factors, things are finally starting to pick up.
First of all, vegetables are grown and shipped from a number of different areas of the state. Here are just a few cities and towns located near some of the larger vegetable operations: Marion, Florida, Goshen, Holley, King Ferry, Pine Island, Marion and Stanley.
Mid July Starts
Just getting underway are items ranging from green beans to cucumbers, and cabbage. Just a note, there will be some slow starts. For example green bean shipments are expected to be off 20 percent until about about the first of August, with normal volume coming on by the middle of August. Cabbage is one of New York’s bigger items, but shipments will be down as much as 50 percent unil mid August, when normal volume should arrive.
Late July Starts
Vegetable loadings should start by late July or early August with sweet corn, which will continue until early October. Other similar starting dates apply to squash and red round tomatoes. Labor Day Starts
Both potato shipments and onion shipments should be starting in early September around Labor Day.
New York state continues to be one of the leading shippers of fresh produce, consistently ranking in the top ten among states.
There has been a tremendous increase in Washington state blueberry shipments in recent years. We’ll also look at some potato loading opportunities in the Western half of the United States.
Washington Blueberry Shipments
Blueberry shipments have increased nearly five-fold over the past eight years. Check out these numbers.
2006 18.4 million pounds
2007 28.5 million pounds
2010 60 million pounds
2013 80 million pounds
2014 projected at 90 million pounds
Washington is fourth in U.S. blueberry production with 10,000 acres of berries from 175 growers The state’s blueberry season runs from June through August while processed ‘blues’ are available year round. Washington blueberries are grown in Skagit, Clark, Lewis, Snohomish, Thurston, Whatcom, Chelan, Yakima and Benton, Franklin, Walla Walla, and Grant Counties.
Washington/Oregon potatoes
The majority of Washington potato shipments are now underway with a similar time frame as last year.
Oregon potato shipments will suffer due to an expected a decline of about 700 acres this season, but water concerns will likely affect even more shipments. Water availability is a concern in both Malheur County and the Klamath Basin, and yields most likely will be affected.
Colorado Potato Shipments
In southeastern Colorado, San Luis Valley potato acreage is up 8.5 percent this season. Total acreage is 54,200, compared to 49,700 last season. The harvest and shipments will start in earnest around September 10th.
Colorado potatoes – grossing about $1650 to Dallas.
Washington produce – grossing bout $1050 to Los Angeles.
Here’s a preview of Georgia peach shipments and South Carolina peach shipments, which will be starting soon. Additionally, most loading opportunities for potatoes around the country these day are limited mostly to three states.
Shipments of Georiga peaches will be light, especially when loadings get underway the first half of May, thanks in part to a late March freeze. The first half of June will also see lighter-than-normal volume. However, with the maturing of later variety Georgia peaches, the month of July should experience more normal shipments.
Most of the peach shippers are located in the Fort Valley area, just south of Macon.
South Carolina peach loadings typically follow Georgia’s start about a week or so later. Carolina peaches also were hit by that March freeze and if anything, suffered more damage than Georgia. Intial reports indicate South Carolina lost at least half of its peach crop. The only sales of Carolina peaches in May and June will be locally. There should be better volume in July.
Potato Shipments
Although there are a few other states in the mix when it comes to current potato shipments, Idaho easily is leading the pack, followed by Colorado and Wisconsin.
Wisconsin and Colorado russet potato shipments should remain steady heading into summer. However, volume from the nation’s biggest shipper, Idaho, could decline some in May and June.
Idaho is averaging about 1700 truckload equivalents of spuds being shipped each week. Colorado is a distant second with around 600 truckloads weekly, and Wisconsin is third at about 300 truckloads per week.
In the Red River Valley of North Dakota and Minnesota about half of the sheds continue to ship, mostly red potatoes. Some of those packinghouse will close for the season anytime now, others will be following in May and only one or two sheds will still be shipping in June.
Idaho potato shipments – grossing about $3000 to Chicago.
Colorado potato shipments – about $2900 to Atlanta.
Wisconsin potato shipments – about $34oo to New York City.
Gosh! March arrives this Saturday. That means St. Patrick’s Day will be only a couple of weeks off. That also means as we enter March it will be the biggest period for cabbage shipments.
We’ll also take a peek at a few other commodities and areas where loadings should be available.
While cabbage growers in Southern Florida were expected to produce normal, high-quality crops, Northern Florida was hit by freezes. In Texas, most cabbage originates from the Winter Garden District just south of San Antonio. Volume is expected to be down 30 percent this season.
Sweet Potato Shipments
Cabbage isn’t the only item hit by weather. Sweet potato shipments are down this winter. North Carolina acreage is off 10 percent, and there’s less product for hauling out of California as well. Similar situations exist in Mississippi and Louisiana. There also are sweet potato shipments from Arkansas, especially in the Northeast part of the state.
Eastern North Carolina sweet potatoes – grossing about $1800 to New York City.
Potato Shipments
After a slow beginning to the season, exacerbated by truck shortages, red potato growers in the Red River Valley of North Dakota and Minnesota are back on track and see increased movment as we approach St. Patrick’s Day March 17. Trucks were a bit short as well, but the equipment delimmea has eased. There’s about 300 truckloads of primarily red potatoes being shipped weekly.
However, it’s Idaho that really moves the tonnage with it russets. Idaho potato shipments are averaging around 800 truckload equivalents per week.
About this time each year South Florida begins shipping it new crop of red potatoes. Loadings are now under way.
South Florida potatoes – grossing about $3200 to Boston.
Idaho potatoes grossing – about $2900 to Chicago.
Red River Valley potatoes – about $1900 to Chicago.
U.S. potato shipments from the fall crop, which will be shipped well into next summer, is down 5 percent from 2012, but never fear, there are still plenty of spuds for hauling.
Idaho’s 2013 potato production is an estimated 132.9 million hundredweight (cwt) , down 6.3 percent from a year ago. In Washington, the crop is estimated at 96 million, up less than 1 percent. Wisconsin’s estimated potato production for the year is 27.9 million hundredweight, down 5.2 percent, and Oregon’s estimate is 21.6 million, down 5.9 percent. Colorado this year is down 1.5 percent to 20.3 million, and Michigan is up 5.4 percent to 16.8 million.
North Dakota’s 2013 potato crop will come in at 22.6 million cwt, down about 10.1 percent from last year. Some were forecasting shipments to be down more than double from last year.
Minnesota potato production dropped from 18.8 million hundredweight in 2012 to 17.5 million this year, a drop of just under 7 percent.
While Idaho potato shipments, and to a lesser extent, Washington state move a significant amount of tubers via the railroads, most shipping areas do not have access to rails. Most produce shipped by rail establish their shipping costs based on truck rates, and the rails tend to under cut those rates.
Meanwhile, trucks continue for the most part to deliver faster and better service, that includes providing a lot more flexibility.
Central Wisconsin potatoes – grossing about $3000 to Atlanta.
Idaho potatoes – about $5500 to New York City.
When talking potato shipments, one has to start with Idaho, since it is the “Washington apples” of the spud industry in America. Here’s a round up of several of the larger potato shipping areas across the USA.
Idaho’s 315,000 acres yielded more than 12.5 billion pounds of potatoes, about average for the past five years. The state is averaging about 2,000 truck load equivalents per week. A higher percentage of tubers goes by rail than with most fresh produce commodities.
Idaho potato shipments – grossing about $6000 to Boston.
In Colorado, the San Luis Valley has ended up with one of its best crop we’ve had in many years in terms of appearance, size and overall quality. The valley is averaging abouot 750 truck loads of potatoes a week.
San Luis Valley potato shipments – grossing about $1300 to Oklahoma City.
The third heaviest movement of potatoes is coming out of Central Wisconsin, which is averaging about 500 truck loads weekly. There’s also the Columbin Basin in Washington state and the adjancent Umatilla Basin in Oregon, which has similar volume to Wisconsin right now.
Wisconsin potato shipments – about $3000 to Atlanta.
Loading opportunities experience a pretty big drop in the following areas, compared to what was just covered.
Potatoes are being shipped out the Hereford district of far Western Texas. In Nebraska, two distant towns – O’Neill and Imperial, have light volume. Michigan also has light volume with spuds.
Finally, in the far upper northeast, Aroostrock County, Maine is loading about 150 truck loads of potatoes a week.