Produce Crops
In his season forecast, Drew Lerner, senior agricultural meteorologist and president of World Weather, shared with USApple members how he sees a relatively favorable growing season.
In the heart of California’s vibrant strawberry-growing regions, anticipation is high for the 2024 season with industry insiders upbeat about crop quality and volume.
The Chilean Citrus Committee estimates that global citrus exports from Chile will reach 383,000 tons this season, a 4% decline from 2023.
The first of T&G Global’s premium new season Envy branded apples have departed Aotearoa New Zealand, bound for China.
Red and yellow dragon fruit and rambutan are among fruit and vegetable supplier’s new offerings.
Stemilt Growers expects its California cherry season to start toward the end of April, translating to promotable volumes leading into Memorial Day and through early June.
The marketer doesn’t anticipate any gaps in its California cherry supply this season, says Chris Kurylo, vice president of strategic business development.
The vegetable seed breeder says it added marketing and project management to its combined North and Central American operations.
Massachusetts-based brand Morning Kiss Organic said it expects good supplies for the season, which runs through June.
Available in a 40-pound carton or 2-pound bag, the Los Angeles-based grower-packer-shipper says the California flat sweet onions cater to both retail and foodservice customers.
This summer, Mission Produce says it will be sourcing avocados from California, Mexico and vertically integrated farms in Peru — and mangoes primarily from Mexico, with supplemental volume from Guatemala and Nicaragua.
The USDA paused inspections of mangoes and avocados following the assault of agency inspectors in Uruapan, Mexico.
A federal order remains in place to prevent the importing of plants and plant material to prevent the transmission of the tomato and pepper virus.
The New Rochelle, N.Y.-based importer says its volumes of early summer star ruby grapefruit are now available for shipment out of New Jersey.
The Nogales, Ariz.-based grape grower and shipper says it has extended its year-round production through a partnership with Bakersfield, Calif.-based Niabell Farms.
Consumer demand for California strawberries is running high this season, said Jeff Cardinale, director of communications for the Watsonville-based California Strawberry Commission.
Santa Paula, Calif.-based California-based Calavo Growers is celebrating its Peruvian partner, the Viru Group, to commemorate their alliance and milestone anniversaries.
The USDA on June 17 paused inspections of mangoes and avocados after agency inspectors were reportedly held and physically assaulted in the Mexican state.
Though Peru is historically one of the strongest origins during summer, the industry has projected a shorter and smaller crop for the 2024 Peruvian season, says Keith Barnard, senior vice president of global sourcing.
The USDA’s March all-orange forecast for the 2022-23 season is 2.62 million tons, up slightly from the previous forecast but down 25% from the 2021-22 final utilization.
USDA-reported truck shipments for 2022 show berries and lettuces were big movers in the California central coast district.
Rain and cold weather delayed the California cherry crop and affected pollination, says Kyle Persky, sales manager for Rivermaid Trading, Lodi, Calif.
“Overall, the crops are moving along nicely, and due to the additional days of rain we experienced, we expect a larger size structure in the coming months,” says Christina Ward, senior director of global marketing.
Primavera Marketing generally starts cherry marketing in late April and continues through mid-June, but this year’s timetable is a little later.
With harvest running about two weeks late, Oppy anticipates a California cherry start date around the second week of May, with peak volumes between May 20 to June 10.
As California’s domestic citrus season reaches its peak, the Fowler, Calif.-based company reports that it will have a good supply of grapefruit, lemons and navel oranges.
The Idaho Potato Commission and the American Diabetes Association have agreed to a partnership intended to help educate tens of millions of Americans on how to add Idaho potatoes to their meal plan.
Along with new display bins in its marketing efforts, the company has launched a digital campaign with culinary-led creative to generate brand affinity and emphasize the ease of cooking and baking with no seeds.
Wenatchee, Wash.-based CMI Orchards says retailers can look ahead to a profitable Northwest cherry season with the freshest selections of premium cherries, high-graphic displays and exciting promotional programs.
Supplies of produce from the Santa Maria region should be fairly steady this spring despite heavy rains earlier this year, says Matt Hiltner, marketing coordinator for Babé Farms, Inc., Santa Maria, Calif.