Availability of trucks is improving on the West Coast
By Bill Armstrong
Bill Armstrong is a self-employed produce broker who operates Armstrong Marketing in Salinas, CA. His column appears here every Wednesday afternoon/Thursday morning. He may be reached by phone at 888/484-0800 or at ArmstrongMarketing@comc ast.net
WEATHER Salinas, CA: Daytime highs will reach the mid- to upper 80s Sept. 1-2, then steadily fall to the upper 60s by Sept. 6. Overnight lows will be in the mid- 50s. Patchy morning and night fog will return Sept. 3.
Mendota, CA: Daytime highs will reach the upper 90s to low 100s Sept. 2-4, then steadily fall to the mid-80s by Sept. 6. Overnight lows will hover in the low 60s through Sept. 4, then drop into the mid-50s.
DEMAND California Central Coast row crop shippers are seeing light to moderate demand on most key items.
TRANSPORTATION & FUEL The availability of trucks on the West Coast is improving, and freight rates are expensive for early September.
The price of crude oil rose $2.02 Sept. 1 to $73.94 per barrel, which is 50 percent below record levels of July 2008. The nationwide average price for a gallon of diesel the week of Aug. 30 was $2.94, which is 10 percent higher than one year ago. The average price in California for a gallon of diesel is $3.15, which is 9 percent higher than last year.
For the full report click here Get current crop and market reports from USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service and Agriculture Marketing Service.
State Crop Update State-by-state crop progress and condition reports.
Market News Marketing conditions for hundreds of agricultural commodities at major domestic and international wholesale markets, production areas, and ports of entry.
September 2, 2010
Shrek shatters records
Wendy Brannen, executive director of the Vidalia
Onion Committee, with a Shrek and Vidalia onion-
themed milk carton used to promote an on-line
contest to school students nationwide. The
promotion was highly successful for the committee.
See Lead Story for more. (Photo courtesy of the
VOC) Bruce Peterson,
president of Peterson Insights Inc., spoke with
Idaho Grower Shipper Association Chairman Steve
Thorne of Taylor Produce in Rigby, ID, following
the Sept. 1 industry luncheon at the Idaho Grower
Shipper Association convention, for which Mr.
Peterson was the keynote speaker. Mr. Peterson,
who is best known for his years leading the
perishables department at Walmart Inc., focused
on the importance of grower-shippers taking a
more sophisticated approach to marketing and
understanding consumer dynamics during his
presentation at the 82nd annual IGSA convention,
held Sept. 1-3 in Sun Valley, ID. Additional
coverage of the convention will appear in the
Sept. 13 issue of The Produce News. (Photo by
John Groh) Columbia Marketing International …
is emphasizing the ‘orchard-fresh look’ with its newly
designed pear bins and totes. See Today's Headlines.
(Photo
courtesy of CMI) Broccoli being harvested and sorted …
at Smith’s Farm’s operation in Presque Isle, ME,
which produces 1.3 million to 1.5 million cases of
product during the July-through-October season.
The company offers iced, iceless and shrink-
wrapped broccoli in 14- and 18-count bunches, as
well as crowns, Asian crowns and florets. See
Today's Headlines. (Photo courtesy of Smith’s Farm)
Sobeys Quebec works with growers to provide best local produce
When Quebec produce starts to become available in
the late spring, rest assured that Sobeys Quebec Inc.’s
several hundred stores across the province will have
the top quality local products its customers demand. Click here to view Industry Photo pages.
Click here to view the Floral Marketing section of The Produce News.
For a list of some of the popular industry meetings and other events scheduled to take place over the next few months around the country and abroad, complete with contact information and website links, click here.
PACA DECISIONS
The PACA branch of the the USDA-AMS prohibits unfair and fraudulent practices, and provides a means of enforcing contracts.Click here for the agency's latest decisions.
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Shrek 'dream team' shatters Vidalia onion’s prior consumer contest records
What do ogres and onions have in common? They shook up produce aisles,
VidaliaOnion.org and even schools this spring and summer. Nearly 43,000
Vidalia onion fans played to win on the newly revamped VidaliaOnion.org web
site, increasing the number of consumer contest entries more than 400
percent over previous campaign contests. A second contest garnered
thousands more entries specifically from school-aged children across the
country.
more
Florida tomato growers to look ahead when they gather for annual conference
The 2010 season was one the Florida tomato industry would rather forget.
Devastating winter weather followed by over-production that led to
plummeting prices made for a double whammy that battered grower-shippers
from January through June. The industry will gather Sept. 7-12 at the Ritz-
Carlton in Naples, FL, for the 35th annual Florida Tomato Conference aiming
to learn how to avoid a repeat of 2010.
more
Del Monte moves to Holt Terminal
Del Monte Fresh Produce is moving its northeastern U.S. seaport operation Oct. 1
to the Gloucester Marine Terminal in Gloucester City, NJ, according to Leo Holt,
president of Holt Logistics Corp. The Holt family owns Gloucester Marine
Terminal, which is more commonly known as the Holt Terminal.
more
Gene Loffredo dies at 88
Produce industry veteran Eugene Loffredo, 88, died Aug. 15 in Des Moines, IA,
from complications of Alzheimer's disease.
more
Rulemaking process underway to regulate water in the San Luis Valley
The Colorado state engineer's office of the Department of Natural Resources is
moving forward with its rulemaking procedure to establish rules to regulate
water consumption in the San Luis Valley.
more
United Fresh launches new mobile app
Capitalizing on the popularity of its 2010 convention mobile applications, the
United Fresh Produce Association has launched a new, feature-rich version in
preparation for its annual Washington Public Policy Conference later this month.
more
Organic pears up at CMI
Columbia Marketing International, headquartered in Wenatchee, WA, will see a
surge in its organic pear volume this season.
more
PMA's Johnna Hepner joins secretary of agriculture on tour of Salinas Valley
Johnna Hepner, Produce Marketing Association's director of food Safety and
technology, joined other fresh produce industry representatives to conduct an
educational field tour Aug. 21 for U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Secretary Tom
Vilsack in California's Salinas Valley.
more
Retailers embracing ripe programs for pears
According to Dennis James, director of marketing for the Pear Bureau Northwest
in Milwaukie, OR, retailers who have implemented ripe programs for pears have
seen sales volume increase by as much as 25 percent.
more
Broccoli is the bread and butter at Smith's Farm in Maine
When a company has been involved in farming for more than 150 years, it's safe
to say that the decades of experience bring expertise and passion that can be
matched by few others.
more
Truck rates remain strong as various factors affect supply and demand
Many different factors affected the supply and demand of trucks in the fresh
produce business this year, but overall the rates remained fairly strong in the
face of rising costs.
more
IN THE TRENCHES: Think sales and love to sell
By Ron Pelger
Too bad there isn't a default setting for a perfect-selling produce display.
If there was, perhaps it would be an easy way to move massive amounts of product and generate huge sales on a consistent basis for every company in the business.
That would be fantastic for all segments of the industry, from growers to retailers.
Just imagine how productive each company would be if selling was that simple. But realistically, a retail display default setting is mere fantasy.
Military life has served Brownfield well
By Lora Abcarian
Life is not a field exercise. Just ask Mitch Brownfield.
The 29-year-old, who is part of the sales team at family-owned Sweet Clover Produce in Walla Walla, WA, has been a member of the U.S. Army, both active and reserve, since 2000, and has served as a senior drill sergeant out of Ft. Knox, KY.
Mr. Brownfield is a man of business and a man of action, and the military is in his blood.
The foundation was laid for the native Washingtonian at an early age. He didn't have an "aha" moment that guided him to the military, but by the time he was in high school, Mr. Brownfield said that his career path was established. He joined the Army at the age of 19 following graduation from high school.
“It always interested me. It’s just something I wanted to do,” he told The Produce News. “I wanted to serve our country.”
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