Posts Tagged “Texas produce shipments”
The first domestic sweet onion shipments in the U.S. should get underway this week from South Texas, with product from Georgia shortly afterwards.
Texas Onion Shipments
The Lower Rio Grande Valley is just starting to dig sweet onions, with shipments of this product from South Texas to get underway within days. This is taking place the same week that onions crossing the border from Mexico are expected to end. Likewise, storage onions from Idaho, Oregon and Washington are also finishing up.
The Lone Star States is expected to have about 3,500 acres of its well-known spring onions, which are usually shipped for about six weeks from early April to mid-May. The 3,500 acres represents about a 2,000-acre decrease in plantings from a year ago.
South Texas produce shipments (grapefruit, oranges, cabbage) and Mexican produce shipments (tomatoes, watermelons, tropical fruit, vegetables) – grossing about $2800 to Chicago; about $4800 New York City.
Vidalia Onion Shipments
Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black has set April 27 as the official shipping start date for Vidalia onions, although growers can ship before April 27 if their onions meet federal inspection requirements and are under “positive lot identification” as approved by the Federal State Inspection Service. This means Vidalias shipped before 4/27 cannot be sold as Vidalias.
Bland Farms, Glennville, Ga., has challenged the 4/27 start date in court and a judge in Atlanta ruled in favor of Bland Farms. However, the state has appealed the ruling.
A panel of three judges of the Georgia Appeals Court heard arguments Jan. 14 and have taken the case under advisement. They did not indicate when they may issue a decision.
Bland Farms, contends Black violated state law by trying to impose a new rule instead of going through the state’s legislature. The growing/shipping operation has some of the southern most fields in the Vidalia onion growing districts and believes its onions mature earlier, and should be allowed to ship under the Vidalia name prior to 4/27.
Here’s a glimpse of produce shipments from Mexico crossing the border at McAllen, Tx, plus some domestic items coming out of the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
Sweet onion shipments from Mexico and Texas are expected to start later than normal this year. By contrast, in the Northwest storage onion shipments could last longer than normal simply because there is such a big volume.
Mexican sweet onions shipments are expected to start crossing the border into South Texas in good volume by the middle of March, which would be three to four weeks later than normal. South Texas sweet onions also are behind schedule and should get underway around mid to late March…..Meanwhile, imports of sweet onions from Peru are expected to wrap up by the end of February.
Meanwhile, there’s dozens of other items crossing the border from Mexico into the Lower Rio Grand Valley. Mexican avocado shipments are averaging over 500 truck loads per week. There also are lesser amounts of produce shipments ranging from Mexican strawberries and limes to tropical fruits and vegetables.
While much of the Texas produce growing over the past couple of decades has shifted to south of the border, South Texas growing operations are still in business.
Texas grapefruit shipments are averaging around 200 trucks loads weekly, with Texas oranges amounting to roughly one-half this amount…..The Lower Rio Grande Valley, as well as the Winter Garden District, which is closer to San Antonio, are shipping cabbage in light, but increasing volume.
South Texas produce shipments – grossing about $2800 to Chicago and $4700 to New York City.
From South Texas to North Dakota here are some loading opportunities for fresh produce being shipped from the Central Time Zone (except Colorado).
In the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, both grapefruit and oranges are moving in steady volume. Meanwhile, Mexican product is crossing the border at McAllen, Tx ranging from tropical fruit to tomatoes, and vegetables, with truck shortages reported. There’s also cabbage being loaded from the Winter Garden District just south of San Antonio. There also is light volume of West Texas potatoes being shipped out of the Hereford area and Eastern New Mexico.
South Texas produce shipments- grossing about $3100 to Orlando.
Wisconsin Potato Shipments
Central Wisconsin is the nation’s third largest potato shipping area and is averging about 200 truck loads weekly. Truck supplies are very tight.
Wisconsin potatoes – grossing about $3400 to Dallas.
Red River Valley Potato Shipments
Red potatoes out of the North Dakota/Minnesota Red River Valley are moving in steady volume. Truck supplies are very tight.
Red River Valley potatoes – grossing about $2000 to Chicago.
Colorado Potato Shipments
The second largest potato shipping state is Colorado. Truck supples are very tight for produce being shipped out of the San Luis Valley.
Colorado potatoes – grossing about $2400 to Chicago.
From New York state, to Washington state, with Idaho, Texas and New Mexico thrown in, here’s a glimpse at some produce loading opportunities.
New York Onion Shipments
Harvest of Orange County, NY onions got underway last week, but it will be another five or six weeks before everyone is digging. The initial focus will be moving onions into storage. Good quality and normal sized crop are seen.
Orange County onions are typically shipped to markets in the Eastern half of the United States. Once the harvest is complete loadings will start building in volume.
Stone Fruit Shipments
Washington state shippers are saying this is one of their best apricot crops in years. The fruit will be having peak shipments for the next two weeks or so from the Yakima and Wenatchee valleys. The state also is shipping heavy volumes of peaches, nectarines and cherries. Washington is averaging nearly 1,500 truck loads of cherries per week.
Washington state cherries and other fruit – grossing about $7400 to New York City.
Idaho Potato Shipments
Even though Idaho has entered the final leg of the 2013-14 shipping season for potatoes, it is still loading around 1600 truckload equivalents per week, primarily out of the upper valley, Twin Fallsl-Burley area.
Idaho potatoes – grossing about $3000 to Chicago.
Texas Produce Shipments
Watermelon shipments, primarily from Eastern parts of the Lone Star State are averaging about 750 truckloads per week. Meanwhile, potato volume is increasing from the Hereford High Plains area in West Texas, as well as from Eastern New Mexico. Southern New Mexico onion shipments are increasing and averaging over 875 truckloads per week.
Texas watermelons – grossing about $2400 to Atlanta.
New Mexico onions – about $3600 to Chicago.
Here’s a look at produce loads that may be available for Mexician produce at border crossing locations in California, Arizona and Texas.
Mexican Produce Shipments
In large part because of yesterday’s Super Bowl, more avocados were shipped in the U.S. the week of Jan. 19 than in any other week on record. Nearly 48 million pounds of avocados — almost 44 million of them from Mexico — were shipped during the week. A big marketing campaign on avocados for a number of years now, geared toward the Super Bowl, has significantly increased shipments – and consumer consumption of guacumole at parties surrounding the big game.
Footnote: The Seahawks plummeted the Broncos 43 to 8.
California Produce Shipments
Mexico is sending a lot of produce across the border into the U.S. this time of the year, such as Baja California pennisula tomatoes crossing into the state of California.
Texas Produce Shipments
Most of the avocados mentioned in the opening paragraph are coming into the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. South Texas also is receiving a lot of tropicals from Mexico, as well as vegetable items.
South Texas produce – grossing about $4600 to New York City.
Nogales Produce Shipments
Nogales, AZ continues to be a big importer. Currently about 900 truck loads of vine ripe and plum tomatoes are crossing the border weekly. There’s also melons, cucumbers, squash, eggplant and other veggies being imported.
Nogales mixed vegetables – grossing about $3500 to Chicago.
Texas produce shipments, largely out of the Lower Rio Grand Valley, are led by citrus, onions, cabbage and greens. However, if you are loading produce out of South Texas, chances are you are picking up fruits and vegetables grown in Mexico and delivered across the border to a distribution warehouses in McAllen, Pharr, etc.
Mexico has emerged as the source of about 60 to 65 percent of the fresh produce that is shipped from south Texas to markets across the U.S. and much of Canada.
About 40 percent of fruits and vegetables consumed in America have been imported.
In fact, Texas has surpassed Arizona, which includes Nogales, in terms of total volume of fresh fruits and vegetables coming across the border from Mexico. In 2012, approximately 160,000 truck loads of Mexican produce were hauled into Texas, with 100,000 of those truck loads crossing the border at the Pharr-Reynosa Bridge alone.
With the nearing completiton of the Mazatlan-Durango highway and Baluarte Bridge in Mexico, the volume is expected to keep increasing.
Part of this expansion is believed to be coming at the expense of California. That state’s high taxes, and ever increasing rules and regulations continue to add costs to the operations of businesses, both in produce and trucking alike. This is making Mexico more attractive for agricultural operations.
South Texas produce – grossing about $4200 to New York City.