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Thursday, July 19, 2018

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Central Valley grape crop benefits from lack of extreme heat

On July 9, Pretty Lady Vineyards (formerly Sunlight International) began its grape harvest on the company’s farms in California’s Maricopa area. At the moment, the company is harvesting Flame seedless, Supreme Green seedless and Summer Royal grapes. Due to a mild spring and other optimal growing conditions,.....

Summer sees strong cilantro and parsley market

As the weather heats up around the United States, fewer regions are able to supply the market with cilantro and parsley. California's central coastal area is one of the few places that can grow these herbs all year round, due to the relatively mild temperatures in both summer and winter. The dry conditions in.....

Summarizing the best season so far

Multi-million dollar campaign and in-store displays drive Halos mandarin sales

California-grown Wonderful Halos mandarins were available in stores for eight months (November 2017 through June 2018) this past season. The last mandarins left the packing house early June. “Not only did we have a record season in terms of availability, it was also our best-selling season ever,” says Diana.....

Local growers bring competitive edge to tomatoes

With many regions producing tomatoes at the same time, supply is more than ample. “It’s July and there are a lot of tomatoes throughout the country,” says Roger Riehm of Bradenton, Fl.-based Blue Creek Produce LLC. “There are lots coming up locally through many areas and there’s also still a good supply coming.....

American Airlines fulfills demand for fresh asparagus in Europe and Asia

This season, American Airlines has helped growers in Mexico and Peru supply the majority of the early season asparagus for Europe and Asia. The cargo division of the airline has moved nearly 12 million pounds of fresh asparagus around the world on its widebody aircraft in the first six months of 2018 from a.....

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Limoneira completes strategic Chilean acquisition of San Pablo

Limoneira Company, a diversified citrus packing, sales and marketing company with related agribusiness activities and real estate development operations, announced that effective today it has completed the acquisition of Fruticola San Pablo S.A.’s ranch and related assets in La Serena, Chile. The San Pablo.....

Chris Woo joins the Owyhee sales team

The entire Froerer Family is flying high to share the news that onion industry veteran Chris Woo has decided to join the family. Chris, who has worked in onion sales marketing for over FOUR decades has decided to team up with Owyhee Produce, a division of Froerer Farms, to bring his experience, expertise, and.....

The Flavor Tree presents ‘Verry Cherry Plum’

Plums and cherries: Delicious new hybrid from California

The Verry Cherry Plum is a hybrid cross of two delicious seasonal stone fruits. The results are a little smaller than a golf ball, with the look and initial taste of plum chased by a lingering rich cherry sweetness. The relative newcomer is a specialty of The Flavor Tree Fruit Co. of Hanford, California......

University of California, Santa Barbara

Wireless smart farming to keep frost away from citrus

Computer scientists from UCSB have teamed up with citrus researchers to make a smart farm system that reports temperatures and may eventually automate the use of wind machines that keep frost off citrus crops.Computer science researchers from the University of California Santa Barbara are using the internet of.....

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USDA: Organic labels must be removed from fumigated imports

In a joint letter, linked at the bottom of this article, to all Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) licensees, the USDA Fair Trade Practices Program and National Organic Program remind U.S. importers that agricultural products treated with a substance prohibited by the USDA organic regulations, or.....

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Organic Produce Summit 2018

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United Fresh 2018

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Hort Connections 2018

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Tomato Forum Düsseldorf 2018

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GLOBAL FOCUS

Soft / Stonefruit

Jérôme Ogier, Ogier Fruits :

France : "Apricot prices rising"

The French company Ogier Fruits produces fruit. Currently, apricots are in full season. Jérôme Ogier: "The market trend is pretty good. Like many French producers, we were concerned by the bad weather, which has reduced the yield. But business wise it’s not going bad: prices are going up, and there are some.....

Miguel Ángel Gómez, of Afruex:

"Although the season is delayed, at least the quality is recovering"

From the beginning of the flowering season, in March, until mid-June, the weather has been rainy and cold in Extremadura, with hail also in some producing areas, which has delayed the start of the peach, nectarine, apricot and plum harvests by around 15 days, depending on the varieties. In the case of the.....

Plums should be harvested only when ripe not to earn a few cents more

The market is stable, though prices are not particularly profitable. Plum harvesting is in full swing and some varieties are doing rather well."The harvesting of Dofi Sandra is over while sales are continuing. Prices have been rather good from the start, though we have found it hard to place the riper produce......

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North Americamore »

Local growers bring competitive edge to tomatoes

With many regions producing tomatoes at the same time, supply is more than ample. “It’s July and there are a lot of tomatoes throughout the country,” says Roger Riehm of Bradenton, Fl.-based Blue Creek Produce LLC. “There are lots coming up locally through many areas and there’s also still a good supply coming.....

Central Valley grape crop benefits from lack of extreme heat

On July 9, Pretty Lady Vineyards (formerly Sunlight International) began its grape harvest on the company’s farms in California’s Maricopa area. At the moment, the company is harvesting Flame seedless, Supreme Green seedless and Summer Royal grapes. Due to a mild spring and other optimal growing conditions,.....

Summer sees strong cilantro and parsley market

As the weather heats up around the United States, fewer regions are able to supply the market with cilantro and parsley. California's central coastal area is one of the few places that can grow these herbs all year round, due to the relatively mild temperatures in both summer and winter. The dry conditions in.....

Click here to receive this news directly in your inbox

Summarizing the best season so far

Multi-million dollar campaign and in-store displays drive Halos mandarin sales

California-grown Wonderful Halos mandarins were available in stores for eight months (November 2017 through June 2018) this past season. The last mandarins left the packing house early June. “Not only did we have a record season in terms of availability, it was also our best-selling season ever,” says Diana.....

The Flavor Tree presents ‘Verry Cherry Plum’

Plums and cherries: Delicious new hybrid from California

The Verry Cherry Plum is a hybrid cross of two delicious seasonal stone fruits. The results are a little smaller than a golf ball, with the look and initial taste of plum chased by a lingering rich cherry sweetness. The relative newcomer is a specialty of The Flavor Tree Fruit Co. of Hanford, California......

Northwest US: Cherry farmers face the dangers of a trade war

Last year, nearly 60 million pounds of Northwest-grown cherries were exported to China. Those cherries were sold at retailers in a dozen cities, which collectively had nearly 115.6 million residents. The country’s large population, along with a rapid increase in middle- and upper-middle class wage earners, has.....

American Airlines fulfills demand for fresh asparagus in Europe and Asia

This season, American Airlines has helped growers in Mexico and Peru supply the majority of the early season asparagus for Europe and Asia. The cargo division of the airline has moved nearly 12 million pounds of fresh asparagus around the world on its widebody aircraft in the first six months of 2018 from a.....

Click here to receive this news directly in your inbox

Branford - Connecticut

American woman finds black widow spider in grapes

An American lady in Branford, Connecticut, found a venomous black widow spider in a package of grapes she purchased at the grocery store. She said she bought the grapes from the Branford Stop & Shop, Monday morning. A few hours later she made the discovery while she and her 11-year-old son were eating the.....

USDA: Organic labels must be removed from fumigated imports

In a joint letter, linked at the bottom of this article, to all Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) licensees, the USDA Fair Trade Practices Program and National Organic Program remind U.S. importers that agricultural products treated with a substance prohibited by the USDA organic regulations, or.....

Demands for stronger federal laws and regulations

US: Whatcom County growers see spike in imported raspberries

Ninety percent of frozen raspberries in the US come from Whatcom County, but there seems to be a crisis for local raspberry growers. The Maberry family, who owns acres of berry fields in Whatcom County, says they are fighting for their lives after a spike in imported frozen raspberries.The fourth generation.....

'Even if we did get rain, it's not really going to change things around'

Canadian farmers worried about this year's crop

The last weeks of intense, hot weather and little rain has Ottawa-area farmers worried about lower yields for this farming season. Rob Parks says the growing season on his farm began "spectacularly" with good seeding in ideal conditions and much less mud than last year. But, with virtually no rain so far in.....

University of California, Santa Barbara

Wireless smart farming to keep frost away from citrus

Computer scientists from UCSB have teamed up with citrus researchers to make a smart farm system that reports temperatures and may eventually automate the use of wind machines that keep frost off citrus crops.Computer science researchers from the University of California Santa Barbara are using the internet of.....

Chris Woo joins the Owyhee sales team

The entire Froerer Family is flying high to share the news that onion industry veteran Chris Woo has decided to join the family. Chris, who has worked in onion sales marketing for over FOUR decades has decided to team up with Owyhee Produce, a division of Froerer Farms, to bring his experience, expertise, and.....

Truck hauling grapes overturns in Oregon

Wednesday morning a semi truck crashed on the northbound Interstate 5, just north of the Oregon-California border. The crash happened around 7 am, south of Ashland.Crews worked to recover fresh green and purple grapes from the wreckage of the truck. They continued to off-load cargo from the semi. The cargo.....

USA

Onions: Market and Crop update, July 19, 2018

New Mexico:Trent Faulkner with L&M Companies in Raleigh, NC, reported on July 18 on the Deming, NM, noting demand has been very strong this week. “We have had some ‘rain demand’ this week because we haven’t been able to harvest as much as normal,” Trent said. “This has created a push on demand,.....

Latin Americamore »

Mexico expects to export its first plantains to China in August

Mexico could start exporting plantains to China by the end of August this year, said the head of the National Food Health, Safety and Quality Service (Senasica), Enrique Sanchez Cruz."We hope that we are ready to start exporting plantains before the end of August," stated Sanchez Cruz.Sanchez Cruz said he.....

Dominican Republic: "There isn't an excess of garlic imports"

The Minister of Agriculture said that there wasn't an excess of garlic imports in the Dominican Republic, adding that the President of the Republic had signed decree 569-12 in 2012, through which sensitive imported goods had to be placed in public auction."Since 2015 the garlic that has been imported has been.....

Peru certifies 15 tons of Hass avocado to export to Chile

The Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (Minagri), through the National Agrarian Health Service (Senasa), certified fifteen tons of Hass avocados for export to Chile.The fruit was certified in the Guadalzar SA packing plant, located in the Moquegua district; the Hass avocados didn't host the fruit fly.....

Honduras: banana production recovers

The authorities of the Central Bank of Honduras (BCH) reported that there had been a recovery in the volume and value of banana exports, after the decrease in exports of this product due to the protests in one of the banana companies and the rains that affected the sector at the end of 2017. Banana exports.....

Mexico: Pineapple basin project will be modified

The Pineapple basin project will be modified after some 400 producers demanded that the Collection Centers aren't established in the municipality of Felipe Carrillo Puerto, where the production of this tropical fruit isn't so strong. Marcelo Carreon Mundo, the Sub Secretary of Rural Development of the Sedarpe,.....

Limoneira completes strategic Chilean acquisition of San Pablo

Limoneira Company, a diversified citrus packing, sales and marketing company with related agribusiness activities and real estate development operations, announced that effective today it has completed the acquisition of Fruticola San Pablo S.A.’s ranch and related assets in La Serena, Chile. The San Pablo.....

Asiamore »

Heavy rainfall in Chinese provinces

Last Sunday, news agency Xinhuanet reported that this week heavy rainfall would hit the provinces of Sichuan, Gansu, Shaanxi, Guangdong and Hainan, it had rained continuously the previous week. Xinhuanet reported that almost 100,000 residents of Chongqing Municipality were temporarily evacuated because of a.....

Africamore »

Possible further cuts to water allocation “almost akin to land expropriation”

Relief in Western Cape but distressing drought continues in Eastern Cape

In the Western Cape dam levels look better by the week and snow has helped the Koue Bokkeveld (Ceres and surrounds - photo, right, of the Matroosberg near Ceres at the beginning of July) in particular to accrue cold units, but in the western parts of the Eastern Cape the drought is still pressing heavily.Water.....

SPECIAL

Machinery/Packing/Labeling

Lieven Depraetere:

“Respect deadlines, because vegetables will continue to grow”

Processing companies are increasingly looking for partners who can supply an overall concept. Lieven Depraetere of Spiessens Machinebouw has also clearly seen this trend on the market. The machinery builder responds to this by offering other components of machinery lines in addition to their own machines, so.....

From picking to pollinating, agri-bots are pushing farming into the future

A shiny, metallic one-armed robot wheels along the rows of red pepper plants, its video camera bobbing up and down to spot the ripened fruit. When it zeros-in on one, the arm, equipped with a gripper distantly resembling a human hand, stretches out and grasps the pepper, while a quick swish of a knife cuts it.....

British robotics project to develop autonomous systems for soft fruit harvest

An innovative British agri-robotics project is set to develop advanced autonomous systems to support the production of soft fruit. The University of Lincoln, Saga Robotics UK and Berry Gardens Growers Ltd have begun a two-year project called RAS-Berry. The project is the largest of its kind within the EU.The.....

More news in this special >>

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Europemore »

Harvesting potatoes at night

VIDEOIt doesn't make sense to harvest potatoes in the afternoon or evening - the most important parameter is soil temperature, so the best time is between 5 am and 2 pm.This is what Alberto Zambon, president of Consorzio di Tutela Patata Bologna Dop, explained during theNotte Bianca della Patatain Molinella.....

Rene Noordam, Dominican Gold Fruit:

“Single pineapple box ready for introduction”

During Fruit Logistica, Rene Noordam presented the Piña Golden Princess single box for Dominican pineapple. The single box has now arrived in the Dominican Republic, and the exclusive packaging is ready for introduction. “We focus purely on the air cargo market and don’t want to win on price, but on flavour......

Slowdown of growth in the coming years

Spanish mango harvest to increase by almost 30%

The Spanish mango production will be between 25 and 30% greater this year, according to the Malaga-based cooperative Trops (the largest mango producer in Spain, accounting for around 55% of the total volume from Malaga's Axarquia, the main producing area). It is the largest volume ever for Trops, with the.....

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Air transport takes Sicilian fruit to new destinations

VIDEOAir transport could become strategic for premium fresh produce from south-eastern Sicily. The market is increasingly interested in high-quality healthy products, so Sicily could and must play a leading role, especially if Italy wants to compete with other Mediterranean countries.The sector can now count on a.....

Lamb’s lettuce: a small, specialist market

A lot of attention in the lettuce segment nowadays is paid to high-tech production of lettuce on water and in vertical production systems. Because of all of these developments, you’d almost forget lamb’s lettuce is grown in Dutch and Belgian greenhouses. A relatively small production that profits from the.....

Frans Denie: “Expanding to onions, soft fruit and mushrooms obvious”

Kien to make logistics more sustainable by bundling shipments and sharing knowledge

Kien Logistics Management has taken care of the complete European distribution and global logistics of outgoing shipments of Farm Frites International for three years now. Manager Frans Denie is now dedicating himself to expand the current model into a cooperative from and for producers and shippers of fresh.....

Service to facilitate optimised reverse logistics

Euro Pool System launches Smart Return Logistics

Managing reusable packaging is becoming increasingly difficult, especially as the volume and number of materials grows, making the storage, sorting and classification of unsorted packaging unnecessarily complex. To help companies address these issues, Euro Pool System, the leading European logistic service.....

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A delegation from Tucuman visited CAR in Rome

Thousands of Italians have emigrated to Argentina in the past, now its Tucumans lemons that "migrate" towards the Italian markets once local stocks are over."At least 300 thousand kg (12 thousand containers for over €400,000) a month," explained CAR during the visit of a delegation fromGobierno de Tucuman, led.....

The ‘Guest Importer Countries’ will be Canada and the Arabian Peninsula

Fruit Attraction launches Hosted Buyers’ Programme for upcoming event

Fruit Attraction, the International Trade Show for the Fruit and Vegetable Industry, has launched its International Hosted Buyers’ Programme; a proposal that allows production companies participating in the trade show to select buyers from abroad to receive invitations to the show with a view to boosting their.....

Lieven Depraetere:

“Respect deadlines, because vegetables will continue to grow”

Processing companies are increasingly looking for partners who can supply an overall concept. Lieven Depraetere of Spiessens Machinebouw has also clearly seen this trend on the market. The machinery builder responds to this by offering other components of machinery lines in addition to their own machines, so.....

Jérôme Ogier, Ogier Fruits :

France : "Apricot prices rising"

The French company Ogier Fruits produces fruit. Currently, apricots are in full season. Jérôme Ogier: "The market trend is pretty good. Like many French producers, we were concerned by the bad weather, which has reduced the yield. But business wise it’s not going bad: prices are going up, and there are some.....

Oceaniamore »

Andrew Keaney - Executive General Manager - T&G Global

"Packing under our own brand is about driving innovation, driving taste, adding value"

Leading New Zealand produce businesses T&G Global says one of the main secrets to its success is building repeat sales through strong branding.Executive General Manager Andrew Keaney says any products that they put under their own brand have to have superior quality and taste, so that they create an.....

Worldmore »

Launching Delta and Korean Air JV

Delta Air Lines and Korean Air to provide world-class cargo services

Delta Air Lines Cargo and Korean Air Cargo are starting a new cargo cooperation service to offer world-class cargo services across one of the most comprehensive route networks in the trans-Pacific market. This comes after the recent implementation of the trans-Pacific Joint Venture partnership between the two.....

Maersk Line, MSC and ZIM enter cooperation on the Asia – US East Coast trade

Maersk Line, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) and ZIM today announce a new strategic cooperation on the Asia – US East Coast trade. Currently Maersk Line and MSC operates five loops and ZIM operates two loops on the trade. As of early September 2018, Maersk and MSC will contribute four of their operated.....

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Marquel Broussard awarded 2018 GCCA Global NextGen Award

The Global NextGen Award, developed by the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA), recognizes outstanding young professionals in the world’s cold chain industry. Marquel Broussard, New Orleans Cold Storage (NOCS), was named the recipient of the fourth annual award during a general session at the Global Cold Chain.....

More than 45,000 current and historical weather stations

Here is a map of the more than 45,000 current and historical weather stations.

Click here for a larger image.

Chinchilla, Australia

Australians go watermelon skiing

This week, in Chinchilla, the “Melon Capital of Australia,” watermelon skiing took centre stage at the biennial Melon Festival.Watermelon skiing takes place on a long tarp strewn with smashed melons. Festival-goers who want to try their luck gear up with a helmet before slipping each foot into a cut-out.....

Defense protein discovered that protects plants from pests

The proteins contained in the latex of mulberry have been clarified to abnormally thicken the thin peritrophic membrane (PM) in the digestive tract of insects inducing the suppression of digestion and inhibition of growth. A protein with this mode of action (i.e. thickening of PM) for inhibiting the growth of.....

Maersk and MSC: 2M

New Transatlantic route brings huge vessels to Port of Liverpool

An alliance between Maersk Line and the Mediterranean Shipping Company, known as 2M, will switch its TA2 service from Felixstowe to Liverpool on a temporary basis from July 22. Felixstowe is struggling with problems with a new terminal operating system. At the same time, Maersk Line’s South American service,.....

Miguel Ángel Gómez, of Afruex:

"Although the season is delayed, at least the quality is recovering"

From the beginning of the flowering season, in March, until mid-June, the weather has been rainy and cold in Extremadura, with hail also in some producing areas, which has delayed the start of the peach, nectarine, apricot and plum harvests by around 15 days, depending on the varieties. In the case of the.....

From picking to pollinating, agri-bots are pushing farming into the future

A shiny, metallic one-armed robot wheels along the rows of red pepper plants, its video camera bobbing up and down to spot the ripened fruit. When it zeros-in on one, the arm, equipped with a gripper distantly resembling a human hand, stretches out and grasps the pepper, while a quick swish of a knife cuts it.....

Retail

Meijer: All lighting to go full LED by 2021

Walmart: strategic partnership with Microsoft

US: Weis sees success with supply chain solutionSince teaming several months ago with Maynard, Massachusetts-based logistics technology provider Kuebix, Weis Markets Inc. has improved its supply chain visibility and control of its process flow, financials and cost of goods. Before the partnership launched, the.....

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