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California stone fruit crop has shifted toward the late season

Nearly every commodity in California so far this year has started later than usual due to an unusually cool, wet spring, and peaches, plums and nectarines were among the items affected.

But as the weather has warmed to near seasonal norms, in some commodities such as table grapes it now appears that the start dates for later varieties will be closer to normal. Not so for stone fruit.

2010 apple crop looks smaller than last year

CHICAGO -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture is forecasting the 2010 U.S. apple crop at 226 million bushels (42-pound equivalents), 10.4 million bushels fewer than last year's production and 3.7 million bushels below the five-year average.

On a percentage basis, USDA is forecasting 2010’s national apple volume at 4 percent below last year and 1 percent below the five-year average.

The USDA released its estimate Aug. 12 and was noted in literature distributed at the U.S. Apple Association’s annual Apple Crop Outlook & Marketing Conference, held here Aug. 19-20.

Fall grape varieties coming on strong with good quality

The front end of the grape season in the San Joaquin Valley of California was slow to start, with early varieties, particularly Flame seedless, being not only delayed by the unusually cool, wet spring weather but beset with quality problems and packing out under estimate. Many growers said it has been a year like none they remember.

But late-summer and fall varieties appear to be returning to a more normal timing and are expected to have much better quality and packouts.

Peruvian citrus season winding down

Peru's citrus export season is winding down, with better-than-expected results.

Exporter Alex Gallagher, general manager of Procesadora Laran, headquartered in Chincha, Peru, said that the season was stronger than some anticipated.

Mexico to expand retaliatory tariff list

WASHINGTON -- The Mexican government has announced that more U.S. products will be added to its retaliatory tariff list, signaling negotiations in the 17-month trucking dispute between the two trading partners are no closer to being resolved.

After Congress killed a two-year-old pilot program that was allowing some Mexican truckers to haul cargo in the United States, Mexico retaliated in March 2009 by imposing tariffs on 89 U.S. products, including cherries, grapes, lettuce, almonds, apricots and pears.

(Updated) Taylor Fresh Foods acquires River Ranch

Taylor Fresh Foods, a Salinas, CA-based firm that bills itself as "America's largest producer of salads and fresh-cut vegetables," has purchased River Ranch Fresh Foods LLC, another significant fresh vegetable processor in the Salinas Valley.

River Ranch will continue to operate under that name as a wholly owned subsidiary of Taylor Fresh Foods, with Bruce Knobeloch most likely serving as the firm's president.

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