Rio Rico, AZ — Strike up a conversation with any produce shipper or broker in the Nogales area, and inevitably the topic of freight rates will arise. It’s hard to ignore when a load to the Northeast costs nearly twice as much as it had two years ago.

That might bode well for a transportation provider like Sherman Trucking, here, but the heavy demand for services brings challenges of its own.

Rio Rico, AZ — SunFed was seeing high demand for its cantaloupes in early November, while its fall vegetable deal was getting off to a slightly late start due to wet weather early in the season.

RIO RICO, AZ – Coast Produce, based in Los Angeles, opened its Nogales office over 20 years ago as a logistics point for trucks going back to the company’s L.A. facilities. But as its business continued to develop, it added a sales division to the branch.

“One of our bigger customers is DeCA,” said Ryan Jacobsen, who is in sales for Coast. “We supply military commissaries in 15 Western states. We also have foodservice contracts as well as a separate retail business, and our focus is on growth of that end.”

RIO RICO, AZ – Ciruli Brothers, a long-time shipper of Mexican produce, was seeing outstanding quality on its vegetable crops early in early November.

“We had good summer rains, so there is plenty of water in the reservoirs, and the phenomenal weather we have experienced is bringing good early volume and great quality for our vegetable crops,” said Chris Ciruli, who is a partner in the business with brother Chuck.

The Fresh Produce Association of the Americas celebrated its 52nd Nogales Produce Convention and Golf Tournament on Nov. 4 -6 at the historic Tubac Golf Resort and Spa. This year, the event welcomed over 400 attendees, including produce industry members from California, Washington DC, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, New York, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, and Mexico.

TUBAC, AZ – The Fresh Produce Association of the Americas convened for its 52nd annual convention Nov. 4, here, at the Tubac Golf Resort. Following a day of networking and educational sessions, attendees gathered for an evening of camaraderie, laughs and live music at the event’s opening reception at this historic venue located just north of Nogales, AZ.