Posts Tagged “tomato shipments”
Here’s a round up on tomato shipments from Southern California, Baja, as well as the Wisconsin potato loading outlook, and finally peaches from Colorado’s Western Slope.
There has been light to modern shipments of roma, round, grape and cherry tomatoes from the San Diego/Oceanside area of California since June, with peak loadings expected be from mid-October through November. A similar situation holds true for the nearby Baja pennisula in Mexico. Quality is reported good and shippers are having no problem finding customer to ship tomatoes since demand is excellent, in part due to poor weather and tomato growing conditions on the East Coast.
Wisconsin Potato Shipments
Wisconsin potatoes for the 2013-14 season should have higher quality than a year ago when there was a high percentage of culls, and grade-out, which increases the chances of claims for a produce hauler.
Wisconsin potato observers are predicting a high-volume of shipments this season, with most of the volume being with russets….The Badger state’s red potato loadings have been in good volume since mid-August. Russets have been moving in good volume since late August.
Colorado Peaches
Colorado peach shipments will be in far smaller volumes this season due to spring freezes in and around Palisade, CO. Peach shipments in Colorado run from about mid-July through September. Loading are expected to be down to as much as 30 to 40 percent of normal in the Palisade area, making it the smallest peach crop since 1991.
Here’s a look at some produce loading opportunities around the country, as well as what to expect in the next few months.
Vine ripe tomato shipments are crossing the border into the USA from Baja Mexico, plus California mature green tomato loadings are ramping up from Tracy and Newman, CA and other operations in the area. Tomato loads also are available from Arkansas, South Carolina and Georgia.
California pear shipments got underway last week and are now increasing in volume. Growers are expected to ship about 4.5 million boxes of fresh-market pears this season. About 2.8 million of those will come from the Sacramento river district, with the lake district accounting for another 1.2 million boxes and Mendocino about 418,000 boxes.
Regarding the extreme heat we’ve been hearing so much about in the West, last weekend the Coachella Valley was apparoaching 120-degrees. This is bound to adversely affect the tail end of the Coachella grape shipments and very well could end the season a little earlier than planned. It also means you should be more watchful than usual for quality problems if loading Coachella grapes.
The heat also may adversely affect California vegetables shipments such as eggplant and other items.
In Georgia, steady, shipments of Vidalia onions will be coming out storages through Labor Day.
The USDA is reporting potato loads could be down for the upcoming fall season as planted acres across the USA are at 1.2 million acres, a drop of 70,700 acres or 6.1 percent. Idaho has planted 28,000 fewer acres than 2012 and will also harvest 28,000 less acres or a drop of 8.1 percent. Wisconsin acres planted and harvest projections are unchanged from last year at 64,500 and 63,500 respectively. Washington has planted 160,000 acres or 5,000 less than last year.