Posts Tagged “sweet potato loads”
Produce trucking sweet potato loads could be affected significantly for the 2016-17 shipping season due to damage caused by Hurricane Matthew. Loading opportunities this fall for Florida, Georgia and South Carolina will be impacted much less, although volume from these three states is limited this time of year.
Southeast produce growers are estimating damage from Hurricane Matthew which hugged coastal Florida and Georgia before slamming into South Carolina and North Carolina, where it flooded fields and caused evacuations
North Carolina Sweet Potato Shipments
Around 40 to 45 percent of the sweet potato harvest had been dug when the storm dumped up to 18 inches of rain October 6 – 9 during the middle of the North Carolina harvest.
There is little doubt North Carolina sweet potato shipments were hit pretty hard, and significant losses will occur, but the bottom line is it will take days, if not week to assess the damage. Earlier this week many roads remained impassible with a lot of farmland remaining underwater as river levels were still rising in some areas.
Besides sweet potatoes, the Tar Heel state also grows and ships cabbage, greens and a variety of fall vegetables including bell peppers, cucumbers and squash.
South Carolina Vegetable Shipments
The South Carolina received 8-18 inches of rain and growers and state officials are assessing damages. However, South Carolina isn’t a significant player in vegetable shipments this time of the year, although it does have leafy greens are grown in small acreage in the flooded areas east of Columbia. There also are crops grown in sandy soils of the interior growing regions that should fair okay.
South Carolina’s peach shipments were completed in September, but there are cucumbers, squash, tomatoes and watermelons grown closer to the Atlantic Coast. There are expected to have damage.
Georgia Vegetable Shipments
Most of Georgia’s southern vegetables are grown in the south-central part of the state, but are believe to have escaped serious damage. As for the 2017 Vidalia onion crop that starting shipping in April, the area had up to six inches of rain resulting in minor damage to Vidalia onion seed beds, which are planted for the spring harvest.
Some Vidalia onion shippers lost power for about 10 hours. The electricity runs coolers for their imported Peruvian onions but no damage was reported.
Florida Produce Shipments
Little or no damage was reported with Florida vegetables or citrus.
More East Coast sweet potato loads are expected this season….As the California grape season finishes, be extra careful of loading fruit with quality problems.
North Carolina sweet potato shipments should be back to normal this season as the harvest for 2014 has pretty much wrapped up.
A return to normal yields after a rain-damaged 2013 shortfall caused many growers to run out of cured 2013 sweet potatoes and ship uncured or “green” potatoes in the early harvest weeks this year. An interesting side note this year is several North Carolina growers have formed a co-op, Yamco, which is making making sweet potato puree used in vodka, beer, jams, pastry mixes, and soon, whiskey…..Truck supplies are in short supply.
North Carolina sweet potatoes – grossing about $3000 to Boston.
Lower volume California grape shipments are expected as 2014 comes to a close. Loadings are expected to be down from this same time a year ago. The persistent drought in California meant less water for grapes, resulting in smaller sized fruit and subsequently lower volumes, plus hot weather at times has been an issue. Due to the drought and heat, quality has been hit and miss this season. As the season winds down, grape haulers should pay extra attention to what is being put in the truck to help reduce your chances of claims at destination.
California grape shipments will continue through Thanksgiving and perhaps up to Christmas. The first South American grape imports from Chile are not expected on the East Coast until December 8th and on the West Coast until December 24th.
Central San Joaquin Valley grapes – grossing about $6800 to New York City.
From Washington state apples, to Nebraska and Texas potatoes, as well as North Carolina sweet potatoes and more, here’s some fresh produce loads to consider.
Washington Apple Loads
Apple shipments are really picking up from Washington state’s Yakima and Wenatchee valleys. They have finally got the old crop out the way and the focus has shifted to new season fruit. The harvest is still continuing, but volume should get heavy as we get into November.
Potato Loads
Shipments of red potatoes out of North Dakota and Minnesota remain only light to moderate as digging still continues. The harvest of Red River Valley potatoes is about two to three weeks behind schedule, with a little over half of the spuds now in storage. Loadings should increase in the weeks ahead.
Sweet Potato Loads
Another late harvest is with North Carolina sweet potatoes. Some sweet potatoes were being shipped uncured at the start of the season, but now there has been time for curing. Sweet potatoes are not very sweet or moist when first dug. It takes six to eight weeks of proper curing and storage before they have the sweet, moist taste and texture desired when baked.
Nebraska continues to ship light amounts of potatoes, mostly from the Imperial, Neb area in the southwest part of the state, and from O’Neill in Northeast Nebraska — about 200 loads weekly combined from both areas
There’s also similar volume of potatoes coming out of what’s know as the High Plains district of West Texas, around the Herford area.
Washington state apples – grossing about $6400 to New York City.
North Carolina sweet potatoes – about $1500 to Atlanta.