IRVINE, CA - Good morning, AndNowUKnow readers!

Today, I am bringing you some of the category and weather news from around the industry. Check back twice weekly to see the latest around all growing regions.

SERIOUS AMOUNT OF RAIN COMING TO LIME COUNTRY THIS WEEKEND

Get ready for a possible reduction of volume in limes next week, and at the same time a possible increase in quality issues.

Starting tomorrow, a large storm front is forecast to hit the Martinez de la Torre, Veracruz region, dumping over 4” of rain between Saturday to Monday. The heaviest rain will come Sunday. Along with the rain will come cooler temperatures for Monday and Tuesday.

Look for a possible pause in harvests on Monday and Tuesday of next week. Also keep you eye open for rain damage on the fruit that hits McAllen, Texas, next week. Harvesting too soon after a rain or while the fruit is damp can lead to black spots on the fruit.

COLD WEATHER TO PAUSE FLORIDA PRODUCTION

After 10 consecutive days of above average temperatures in the major Florida growing regions, colder temperatures and possible rain to come through the state. Temperatures will begin to drop starting Sunday with minimum temperatures dipping into the 40°s.

On Monday, the minimum temperature in Plant City (strawberries) will be in the 30°s and will reach the lowest point Tuesday night getting down to 36°. By Wednesday, the nightly minimum will be 47° and then into the 50°s by Thursday. Maximum temperatures will remain in the low 60°s. Look for a dip in production.

In Belle Glade (row crops) temperatures will also drop, but not as much as Plant City. Look for minimum temperatures in the mid 40°s on Monday and Tuesday of next week while maximum temperatures will remain in the mid 60°s. Expect production to dip a bit next week.

By Saturday, January 25, look for temperatures to return to normal throughout the state.

WARMER TEMPERATURES COMING TO THE WEST

A warming trend is forecast for the inland western growing regions starting this weekend. In the deserts of California and Arizona, look for maximum temperatures to climb into the mid to upper 70°s Sunday through Tuesday of next week. Coachella could see a high of 80° next Tuesday. These above average temperatures may help production coming from these regions on everything from lettuces to strawberries to broccoli.

Temperatures should drop by 5° on Wednesday and remain cooler throughout the rest of the week.

Thank you as always! We will be back next week with another report.

Weathermelon

PERU - The infamous ogre Shrek once said, “Onions have layers.” Like onions (and ogres), growing operations also have layers, and they are dependent on each other to achieve a successful harvest. To get a better sense of the company’s operational layers, I linked up with Jeff Brechler, Sales, at Little Bear Produce, who detailed the market’s promotional volumes and a first for the company in organics.

“Currently, we are about two-thirds of the way through our Peruvian onion season,” Jeff told me. “We are harvesting our HoneySweet® onions—the only variety that we produce. We'll continue with the Peruvian crop through the middle to the latter part of February, then we will transition into our HoneySweets out of Mexico.”

Further peeling back the layers, I then asked Jeff how the quality of Little Bear’s onions are shaping up. Noting that multiple growers have outperformed expectations and produced higher yields, Jeff explained that the quality of product is also better than anticipated.

“Overall, the Peruvian season seems to be going well for us. We currently have Peruvian organic sweet onions, which is a first for us,” he continued. “In Mexico, the weather seems to be cooperating. We haven't seen issues with disease or insect pressure and, at this point, quality looks very good out of Mexico.”

Buyers and consumers are in the midst of their ideal onion market, looking at promotable volumes and maximum value. However, Little Bear has seen an abundance of product that’s causing a slight dip in prices. From a grower perspective, this can sometimes mean a challenging market.

"It started off really strong, and then it steadily declined," Jeff said, explaining that this could be the result of higher-than-anticipated yield or perhaps over-planting onion volume. "It's a shame that when the grower does well production-wise, he ends up getting penalized by lower markets or cheaper prices."

Despite this, onion growers across the industry should expect to see a leveled supply and demand change within the coming months.

Follow along with us at ANUK as we assess the market for all fresh fruits and vegetables.

Little Bear Produce

YUMA, AZ - For Duda Farm Fresh Foods, quality is imperative for advancing its mission of providing the vegetable varieties necessary for consumers to build healthy, flavorful meals. This, of course, includes long-time classic broccoli. With this specific veg in mind, I tapped David Garcia, Commodity Procurement Manager, to check in on the state of the crop this season.

“We are currently in the middle of our winter season,” David began. “Quality has been great all season—even though the cold weather has put the crop behind schedule.”

Rainy days and cool temperatures have been clogging up major growing regions’ forecasts of late, leading many growers to do what they can to keep schedules on track. Fortunately, as David said, the only effect the weather has had on this season’s winter broccoli crop is putting it behind schedule. Other than that, David noted all the positives we at ANUK love to hear.

“Our volume is up about 25 percent over last year as business has grown,” David continued. “The market is very good right now, and there has been a spike in demand. As we make our way into February, the weather starts to get warmer and days get longer so supplies should be a little more consistent.”

There you have it: Nothing is getting in the way of Duda Farm Fresh Foods’ mission of bringing high-quality vegetables to consumers.

For more crop updates coming to you live from growers around the industry, stick with us at AndNowUKnow.

Duda Farm Fresh Foods

WASHINGTON, DC - The USDA has filed an administrative complaint against Cruisin’ On Inc. as part of its efforts to enforce the PACA and ensure fair trading practices within the U.S. produce industry. The Florida-based company allegedly failed to pay $1,194,886 to five produce sellers from May 2016 through September 2017.

Direct from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service:

Cruisin’ On Inc., doing business as The Produce Network and Diamond Produce Wholesalers & Packers Inc., will have an opportunity to request a hearing. Should the USDA find that the companies committed repeated and flagrant violations, they would be barred from the produce industry as licensees for three years, or two years with the posting of a USDA-approved surety bond. Furthermore, their principals could not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee for two years, or one year with the posting of a USDA-approved surety bond.

The PACA Division, which is a part of AMS’ Fair Trade Practices Program, regulates fair trading practices of produce businesses that are operating subject to the PACA, including buyers, sellers, commission merchants, dealers, and brokers within the fruit and vegetable industry.

In the past three years, USDA resolved approximately 3,500 PACA claims involving more than $58 million. PACA staff also assisted more than 7,800 callers with issues valued at approximately $148 million. These are just two examples of how USDA continues to support the fruit and vegetable industry.

For further information, contacts, and to read the press release in its entirety, please click the link here.

USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service

TORONTO, CANADA - Everyone in the industry knows that having tools of the trade in one’s back pocket is essential to tackling crop planning and harvest. Lucky for us, Execulytics Consulting recently announced the launch of its 2020 edition of the Produce Alamanac. Touted as the most comprehensive, objective review of the produce markets available, the second edition of the popular guide includes new features that have become popular in recent Execulytics seminars and articles.

“So far, the response has been overwhelmingly positive to this second edition,” stated Mike Mauti, Managing Partner of Execultyics. “We brought an advance copy to a trade show and heard comments like ‘incredible,’ ‘complete,’ and ‘a must have.’ Personally, I am excited to see the response to the new holiday cost predictions feature.”

A press release noted that this Produce Almanac encompasses the entire produce marketplace from both the perspective of the produce buyer and the perspective of the produce seller. Combining graphics with data, it’s a visual treasure trove of market knowledge.

“The 2020 Produce Almanac is great! It has all the FOB costing and retail pricing you need right at your fingertips. It is awesome to have it all in one document,” remarked Sean McCauley, Director of Sales at Ippolito Fruit and Produce. “The Almanac is a joy to read. I have already used it more than I ever thought I would.”

High praise indeed! Stick with AndNowUKnow as we look to the latest in produce innovation.

Execulytics Consulting

THE NETHERLANDS - Lidl is taking significant steps in its sustainability efforts and is quickly establishing itself as a pioneer in the industry. The retailer recently opened its very first net zero emissions store, known as Lidl Zero, in The Netherlands. The solar-powered store went through an extensive development phase to ensure its zero emissions status.

“A key objective of ‘Lidl Zero’ is that this pilot store benefits from a solar system, producing 100 percent of the store’s energy demand,” Arnold Baas, Manager Energiezaken at Lidl Nederland GmbH, commented.

BayWa RE, a construction engineering company, teamed up with a Dutch construction partner to work on developing the new store, installing the car ports—overhead canopies covering parking areas—and Photovoltaic (PV) panels, utilizing BayWa RE’s roof mounting system, according to Renewable Energy News.

“To guarantee enough solar power to cover the store’s energy needs throughout the year, we carried out an extensive feasibility study including shade analysis, as the premises of the store borders on a wooded area,” BayWa RE Power Solutions Managing Director Christof Thannbichler said.

pv magazine reports that this first Lidl Zero store uses innovative climate technology, solar photovoltaic electricity generation, product cooling, and a fast charger for electric cars. The new store has reportedly been in operation for a few weeks.

“Taking in all the data and criteria for this specific location, our expert team then designed a 290kW system on the store roof, and a separate car port structure to house an additional 257kW system," Christof Thannbichler continued. "Furthermore, a DC fast charging point for electric cars has been set up on site as well.”

With the successful unveiling of its first Lidl Zero store, will the retailer consider rolling out the eco-friendly format to more regions? Keep reading AndNowUKnow to find out.

Lidl Netherlands

SALINAS, CA - It might be rainy and gloomy outside of the ANUK office right now, but industry news is shining bright. Markon Cooperative recently announced that it is refreshing its Ready-Set-Serve^® foodservice line with a new logo and packaging. By doing so, the company believes this will better highlight the brand’s band of bold, inspired, and outside-the-menu products that chefs and foodservice operators are looking for.

“When we created Ready-Set-Serve more than 20 years ago, it was revolutionary in that it was the first pre-prepped, table-ready brand created specifically for the foodservice industry—but the product line was fairly simple, lightly prepped items,” said Tim York, President. “As Markon continues to be at the forefront of delivering fresh ideas and culinary innovation, our new Ready-Set-Serve branding better reflects the creativity and consistency our time-saving products offer chefs to elevate their craft and create dishes that appeal to savvy, health-conscious consumers.”

According to a press release, the new, modern logo and packaging will highlight the ready-to-serve line of fresh fruits, vegetables, and juices that takes prep work out of the kitchen and allows chefs to focus on flavor and creativity. The new green color treatment also strengthens the connection between Ready-Set-Serve with Markon’s other signature brands, Markon First Crop and Markon Essentials.

The new logo and packaging are starting to appear on products this month and will continue to roll out over the course of 2020. In the next few months, be on the lookout for several new Ready-Set-Serve products that will continue to give operators more bold and inspired produce choices.

Keep reading AndNowUKnow as we continue to cover the latest in produce.

Markon Cooperative

MCALLEN, TX - It looks as though the tight tomato market could be loosening up soon, giving way to more volume in the coming weeks as growers come back from delays brought on by a Christmas cold spat from Mother Nature. But as product comes in, questions remain about how final numbers will shake out as the new Tomato Suspension Agreement approaches, GR Fresh’s Tony Incaviglia shares with me.

“The new suspension agreement and new inspections are starting, and we can’t know if everything will go as expected. We are currently anticipating a buyers’ market, but it isn’t absolute because there’s only so much we can plan for once product gets through customs. Questions still remain,” the Vice President of Sales and Marketing says.

The USDA has pushed inspection changes to April, a move Tony agrees with as hiring will be necessary to make more inspectors readily available for a large jump in product crossing the border.

“I think this move allows them to ramp up slowly as volume declines after the big shipments coming in February and March,” Tony shares. “It will be quite a big undertaking on both sides, but I think everyone is as aware as they can be of what is coming. It’s a changing landscape, no doubt, but we are starting to tread waters we previously had never been in.”

Despite the challenges both by Mother Nature and a pending “new normal” the industry can’t yet assess, Tony is optimistic both about the market’s ability to adapt and the product itself, with cucumbers and round tomatoes looking particularly strong and other categories shaping up.

As we continue to monitor this and all influential categories in fresh produce, AndNowUKnow will report the latest.

GR Fresh

YAKIMA, WA - While us Californians are climbing out of the thick of winter, the season is just ramping up for growers in Washington. Mountains are filling with snow across the state as growers anticipate the subsequent flow of water that will kick off their season. This period of time is crucial for planning, and Superfresh Growers^® recently launched an orchard update to showcase how the company is using its time.

“The winter is a little bit of a slower time for us as a company, at least on the farm side,” says Dave Gleason, Horticulturist and Proprietary Variety Developer. “In the warehouse and the offices, of course, we are busy making plans, examining our apples, and looking at the quality of what we’ve done in this last year and considering how we can make it better.”

In the video below, Gleason also draws attention to what is on the forefront of the industry’s mind: sustainability. Superfresh is establishing new orchards and examining soil health in order to sustain healthy growing practices for years to come.

“We want to make sure we have good soil because that gives us good trees and good fruit,” explains Gleason. “At the same time, we’re thinking of future generations, and here at Superfresh Growers, many of our growers, and ourselves, are multiple generations.”

Lastly, the video touches on how Autumn Glory® and Cosmic Crisp® apple varieties are making waves not only for Superfresh, but for the apple industry as a whole. Gleason says that learning to grow and market these new varieties requires an examination of the company’s entire business model, describing it as a “holistic approach to apple management.”

Be sure to check out the video above for more on how Superfresh Growers is making the most of the winter season. As always, stick with us at ANUK for the industry’s latest.

Superfresh Growers®

RANDOLPH, MA - RoadOne IntermodaLogistics announced today that it has acquired Savannah, Georgia-based Crown Transportation. The latest acquisition has expanded the distribution and logistics company’s reach in the Southeast as well as its overall North American network. Henceforth, Crown Transportation will now be Crown IntermodaLogistics in keeping with RoadOne’s family of brands.

“I’m thrilled to add Crown IntermodaLogistics, a strong, experienced intermodal trucking and logistics company to our national footprint to deliver the increased capacity and comprehensive intermodal logistics solutions our customers’ supply chains depend on,” said Ken Kellaway, CEO of RoadOne IntermodaLogistics.

Crown’s Owner and President, Rick Prevatt, and COO, Steven McAllister, will continue to run the company, supported by RoadOne’s strong fuel, truck, and insurance purchasing capabilities; national warehousing and depot services; as well as advanced, end-to-end TMS TrueVision technology platform, according to a press release.

Crown strengthens RoadOne’s overall network with the addition of a container terminal in Savannah and 500,000-plus-square-feet of transload and warehousing capacity, as well as 100 trucks to serve port drayage and transload operations in this area. In addition, Crown provides specialization in overweight cargo handling and transloading.

“We are all excited to be joining the RoadOne team and looking forward to the next phase of our exciting history. RoadOne’s national presence, industry-leading resources, and strong entrepreneurial leadership team will provide us with the expertise we need to expand and build the nation-wide Crown IntermodaLogistics transload division. I am really excited about all the opportunities this will allow us to offer our existing, as well as new customers,” stated Prevatt.

RoadOne operates 1,300 trucks out of over 40 locations. Additionally, it has an extensive agent network with over 600 trucks running out of over 35 terminals under the brands First Coast, Mile High, U.S., American, and GuideOne IntermodaLogistics. RoadOne also has a drayage brokerage operation, RoadOne LogisticSolutions, located in Tampa, Florida.

Keep reading ANUK as we bring you more industry news.

RoadOne IntermodaLogistics