Posts Tagged “stone fruit”
Since California rates shot upward on June 4th by $1000 dollars or more from 
California to the midwest and east coast, rates have pretty much maintained that level (around $6000 to Chicago and about $9000 to the east coast). Now the question is whether loads for the 4th of July holiday will take another jump. Since the 4th falls on a Wednesday, there are differing opinions whether rates will go any higher, as opposed to if the holiday fell on, say a Monday or a Friday, making for a long holiday weekend.
In California’s Westside District of the San Joaquin Valley, cantaloupe and honeydew shipments will be starting around Independence Day. Normal shipments are expected, although there’s plenty of apprehension among some melon shippers over the ramifications of the cantaloupe listeria outbreak last year with Rocky Ford region cantaloupe in Colorado. That outbreak adversely affected cantaloupe shipments for other production areas as many consumers stopped buying melons.
In Southern California, record shipments of avocados continue. The region is shipping about 30 million pounds of avocados weekly to points around the USA, with a total for the season expected to hit 415 million pounds!….California cherry loads from the Lodi-Stockton area will be winding down within the next week or so, which will end with a record of around 23 million boxes, up 3 million boxes from the amount shipped a year ago.
Meanwhile, there’s heavy volume with vegetables coming out of the Salinas Valley, and increasing stone fruit shipments from the San Joaquin Valley.
San Joaquin Valley stone fruit – about $5500 to Chicago.
Salinas Valley vegetables/Watsonville strawberries – around $9200 to Boston, and can be a few hundred dollars higher or lower depending upon the day of the week, demand for trucks, etc.
We are quickly approaching time for shipments of produce for the Fourth of 
July holiday. Since Independence Day falls on a Wednesday, a lot of consumers will only have that one day off work, although many do tie extra days off around the holiday.
But to help you try and plan your schedule so you can be home for the holiday, here’s a look at some shipping areas that will be pretty active a week or so before the Fourth, hopefully increasing your chances for faster loadings, transits and getting to your destination.
In the West, the Watsonville district will be the only California area shipping strawberries, but it good volume. The nearby Salinas Valley should be rockin’ with plenty of vegetable loads. The same goes for the San Joaquin Valley shipping stone fruit and vegetables.
In Washington, the eastern part of the state has moderate volume with blueberries, but better volume will be coming from Yakima and Wenatchee with late season apples from storage, as well as with cherries, with loadings at a peak.
At Nogales, watermelons from Mexico crossing the border have more than doubled over the past decade. Yet, loading opportunities are being limited, depending upon with whom one talks, because of the escalating drug cartel violence south of the border.
In Michigan, decent blueberry shipments are expected for the Fourth of July, plus vegetable volume is increasing.
New Jersey blueberry shipments will be supplying most Eastern markets for Independence Day. The state also is shipping vegetables.
In the Southeast, Georgia continues with Vidalia onions, Ft. Valley area peaches and vegetables from the central and southern part of the state.
Overall Florida produce shipments are down subtantailly by this time of the year, but Belle Glade is shipping a lot of sweet corn.
California rates to the East Coast topped $9000 this week, at least from the Salinas Valley, where vegetable volume is really cranking up, plus 
there is building volume with the nearby Watsonville district strawberries and other berries. Rates also have increased from other regions of California, ranging from the San Joaquin Valley, to Santa Maria and in the Southern part of the state. Truck supplies have definately tightened up, but so far, my sources are reporting you can get a truck, if you’re willing to pay for it.
In Arizona, rates remain strong as Mexican melons and table grapes are moving in good volume across the border into the USA.
If for some reason, you are stuck in New Mexico, the new crop of storage onions from the Southern part of the state are now being shipped. Rates are usually less on onions with a significant factor being you can haul them on flatbeds and other non-refrigerated equipment.
Texas remains active for produce loads, in large part thanks to Mexico. There are a variety of Mexican vegetables and tropical fruit crossing into South Texas. The Lower Rio Grande Valley is shipping watermelons, although weather troubles has reduced loading opportunities there. The Winter Garden District, just south of San Antonio is loading onions.
Salinas Valley vegetables, Watsonville berries – grossing about $9000 and more to Boston.
San Joaquin Valley stone fruit – about $4000 to Atlanta.
Nogales melons and grapes – about $5000 to Chicago.
New Mexico onions – $3000 to Chicago.
Texas produce – $3000 to Atlanta.
Supplies of refrigerated trucking equipment continue to tighten as spring 
produce volume continues to increase, and is being reflected in rates, which are rising.
The pressure to increased rates on produce loads, as usual, is being led by California. More specifically, the San Joaquin and Salinas valleys continue to build in volume. In the San Joqauin Valley, even though an April hail storm knocked out about 15 percent of the stone fruit crop, there will still be around 40 million boxes of peaches, plums and nectarines for hauling this season. The valley also has a lot of vegetables, which doesn’t even include grape shipments that won’t begin until July.
In New Mexico, one normally doesn’t think of produce loads. But if you are in the area, onion shipments are in light volume the Hatch (Las Cruces) area.
Peach shipments from the Ft. Valley, GA area are moving in decent volume, although loadings for the overall season are forecast to be down about one-third. Shipments are expected to finish in late July, a couple of weeks earlier than normal…..South Carolina peach shipments have started and should continue into August.
Georgia peaches – grossing about $2600 to Baltimore.
$8000-plus loads from Salinas to New York City are becoming more common.
I’ve recently returned from a produce show in Dallas and although freight rates on 
California produce loads have recently been steady, or in some cases declining a little, most people I’ve talked to (shippers, wholesalers, truck brokers, trucking companies) only see this as the calm before the storm. In coming weeks as volume builds throughout many California shipping districts, they are expecting rates to show significant increases. $9000 produce rates from the West Coast to the East Coast are expected to be common. Some would not be surprised if rates hit $10,000.
Here’s the outlook for loading opportunities on the huge volume of summer fruit that annually is shipped from California.
Strawberries – Mostly available right now out of Southern California and to a lesser degree from Santa Maria. Yet California ships 88 percent of the nation’s strawberries and it really cranks up in a few weeks when Watsonville starts shipping in volume.
Blueberries – These berries are now being loaded out of the Arvin district and as the season progresses will move northward in the San Joaquin Valley to Delano and Kingsburg. California expects to ship 15 to 20 million pounds of “blues” this year.
Melons – watermelon and honeydew from the Bakersfield area kicks off in mid-June, followed by cantaloupes around July 1st.
Stone Fruit – It was in 2008 around 60-million 25-pound cartons of peaches, plums and nectarines were shipped, but last year loadings were down to an estimated 47 million cartons. Don’t expect anymore this year. California has been shipping too much stone fruit that doesn’t taste very good, and are replacing some orchards with improved varieties….Cherries are a different story. Californians know how to grow good tasting cherries! This year the state should be loading decent volumes of cherries by the third week of May. Shipments should be in the 8 to 10-million box range; 12-million boxes in the unlikely event perfect weather continues.
Table Grapes – The Coachella Valley is currently shipping grapes and will continue through June. Shipments will then transition to the Arvin/Bakersfield district, where the huge volume will begin and gradually moves northward through the San Joaquin Valley. California may have record shipments this year, and top 100-million boxes for the first time.
Apples – California isn’t really known for apple shipments as it is dwarfed by Washington state. However, it does have 16,000 acres of orchards and available loads should be similar to last year. Shipments of the gala variety begins in late July and runs through mid-September. This variety will be followed by granny smiths in August and and fujis in September and cripps pink in October.
Oranges – The 75-million-plus cartons of navels are pretty much history for this year, while smaller loadings of valencias are now being shipped. About 28 million, 40-pound boxes of valencias should be shipped.
California peach, plum and nectarine shipments, which were expected to start 
in a few weeks, will be reduced due to an April 11 hail storm. The affected area ranges from Hannaford to near Oros, with the Traver area hit hardest. Damage assessements and how much shipments will be affected are still being assessed…..Meanwhile, lettuce shipments continue from Huron in the San Joaquin Valley. Light to moderate vegetable loadings are taking place from Salinas.
In Florida, red potato loadings continue increasing from southern and central parts of the state. However, it is various spring vegetables still providing the most volume….The Sunshine state is still shipping citrus. Orange loadings should total 145 million boxes, up from 139 million a year ago. Florida grapefruit volume should hit 18.8 million boxes, up slightly from last year.
Steady shipments of Idaho potatoes continue, averaging about 1700 truckload equivalents per week.
Idaho potatoes – grossing about $4000 to Atlanta.
California Huron area lettuce – grossing about $7000 to Boston.
Central Florida vegetables – about $2600 to Philadelphia.
The Port of Philadelphia has long been the major port in the United States for the arrivals of imported produce and other items from around the world. 
Central American and Chilean imports are among the leaders.
Chilean table grapes and stone fruit are big items this time of the year. Despite economic conditions in the United States the port is reporting total imports at its facilities were up in 2011 over the previous year. Initial Chilean fruit imports apparently are causing optimism that 2012 could be even better.
Much of the fruit being unloaded off of boats arriving at the Port of Philadelphia are stored in local refrigerated warehouses, then delivered by truck to points primarily in the midwest, east and to eastern Canada. However, some arrivals at the Port of Philadelphia eventually are trucked to the West Coast when necessary.