Posts Tagged “South Carolina”
While many Florida veggies, such as pepper and squash shipments are 
seasonally finished, items ranging from potatoes to tomatoes and watermelons are moving in good volume. Heaviest volume out of Florida is now with central area watermelons, which is approaching 2,000 loads per week. There’s moderate volume with tomatoes, followed by potatoes. But in the overall scheme of things, Florida produce volume is in a seasonal decline.
Georgia is entering perhaps its most active time of the year for produce loads. There’s light volume in the Southern part of the state with blueberries, and heavier tonnage coming from mixed vegetables….About 400 truckloads of Vidalia sweet onions are being shipped weekly. In the Ft. Valley area, Georgia peach hauls are limited, resulting in a lot of multi drop loads as the season hasn’t really kicked in yet and shippers are trying to please as many customers as possible.. But come June that will change rapidly and more straight loads of peaches will become available.
South Carolina peach loadings are only a few days behind those in Georgia.
Georgia vegetables – grossing about $2600 to Chicago.
Florida watermelons – about $4200 to New York City.
In Florida while some vegetable shipments, such as peppers are on the 
decline, items such as potatoes, watermelons and tomatoes are providing better loading opportunities.
Florida is shipping about 500 truckloads of potatoes weekly and product is now coming out of the Hastings/Palatka area…..Watermelons are moving in much heavier volume, over 2,200 truckloads a week, from southern and central Florida. There also is good volume with tomatoes from the southern and central parts of the state.
If you are in Florida and need to fill out the truck, southern Georgia continues to ship greens, squash and other vegetables….Vidalia onions are now moving in good volume….In the Ft. Valley area, peach shipments have started…..Peaches in South Carolina are only a few days behind Georgia and both states should provide good loading opportunities – especially through the month of June.
South Carolina also has light to moderate volume with greens, sweet onions, cabbage, parsley and cilantro. Coming in June will be shipments of corn, tomatoes and peppers.
Looking ahead, North Carolina loading opportunities for watermelons and cantaloupe will be coming the last half of June.
Southern New Jersey continues to ship light amounts of lettuce and asparagus. These items will be winding down with the month of May, but will be replaced in June with vegetables ranging from bell peppers, cucumbers, green beans, tomatoes, as well as blueberries and peaches.
Central Florida tomatoes, watermelons – grossing about $4100 to New York City.
Georgia vegetables – about $2700 to Philadlephia.
Georgia spring fruits and vegetables are generally a week or more early giving 
truckers some loading opportunities a little sooner than normal. Greens ranging from kale to mustard, collard, etc. are in a steady mode for harvest, packing and shipping. In the weeks ahead veggies ranging from beans to cucumbers, squash, eggplant, peppers, etc. will be coming on from central and southern areas of Georgia.
Light shipments of sweet Vidalia onions are underway, with good volume about another week away.
Something not widely known about Georgia is its blueberry shipments have significantly increased over the past eight years or so. In 2004 it had 20 million pounds of blues and this year it should ship about 50 million pounds, despite half of the crop being wiped out by a February freeze. In recent years Georgia has ranked anywhere from second to fourth in blueberry shipments, and this is expected to continue increasing.
Georgia peach shipments should be starting around May 10th from the Ft. Valley area. Volume is expected to be normal for the early and middle part of the season, although the late season peaches could yield lighter shipments if projections hold. Georgia typically ships peaches into August.
In South Carolina peach shipments should get underway around the third week of May.
Various greens from Georgia – grossing about $2600 to Philadelphia.