Veritable Vegetable's goal is to have zero emissions by 2013
San Francisco-based Veritable Vegetable Inc. is one of the longest-running organic produce distributors in the United States. "We have operated since 1974, and we have always focused on organic fruits and vegetables," said Karen Salinger, co-owner of Veritable Vegetable.
Hailstorm does not dampen prospects for Stemilt Growers
Roger Pepperl, director of marketing for Stemilt Growers Inc. in Wenatchee, WA, said there’s a catch phrase in Washington that may describe the dynamics of the coming apple season. “Big crops get bigger. Small crops get smaller,” he told The Produce News on Aug. 20. Hard data about the impact of a July 20 hailstorm and other weather-related events in Washington will not be determined until later in the season. But Mr. Pepperl said the numbers have begun trending upward, and this is a hopeful sign.
Mast: 'We’re optimistic there’s a nice crop out there to work with'
The apple harvest is underway at Columbia Marketing International, located in Wenatchee, WA. “We’re packing our first Galas today,” Vice President of Marketing Bob Mast told The Produce News on Aug. 21.
As is true for other Washington apple producers, CMI has only begun the process of assessing actual damage to its 2012-2013 crop following the July 20 hailstorm. “We had a good-sized crop,” he commented. “We’re looking to get a good read on what can make it into the box. We’re optimistic there’s a nice crop out there to work with.”
Apple season shaping up nicely for Pacificpro
Pacificpro Inc. is not expecting any major disruption to its apple marketing program this season. “Pacificpro works with a large percentage of the preeminent growers and packers statewide,” said Vice President Randy Hartmann.
Rainier to move promotable crop into national pipeline
Suzanne Wolter, director of marketing for Rainier Fruit Co. in Yakima, WA, said apple producers continue to assess the condition of their crops in the aftermath of recent storms in Washington.
L&M set to move quality crop
Despite problematic weather in the Pacific Northwest, L&M Cos., located in Union Gap, WA, is set to move a quality crop of Washington apples this season.
Field report sets a positive tone for CF Fresh’s coming apple season
News from the CF Fresh apple grower network is setting a positive tone for the coming apple season. “Some of our growers were hit by the network of hail storms that struck Washington at the end of July,” Import Coordinator and Food Safety Officer Addie Pobst told The Produce News on Aug. 20. “Thankfully, most of our growers came through those storms relatively unscathed. Despite the hail storm, overall the growing season has been very favorable to producing high-quality organic apples.
Oneonta Starr Ranch anticipating large apple volume
Tracking closely with Washington state’s overall apple numbers, Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers of Wenatchee, WA, is seeing excellent volume despite hail and other weather issues earlier in the season.
In late August, Marketing Director Scott Marboe told The Produce News, “The state is still expecting the second largest crop in history. Washington did have a number of weather-related issues in June and early July, but that damage has cleaned itself out and helped us get numbers more accurate. We as a company still expect to be a little over 10 million cartons this coming season.”
Pricing and movement down, but Lundgren takes high road
Tom Lundgren, president and owner of Spud City Sales LLC in Stevens Point, WI, said he is watching the market closely for signs that potato movement will pick up and pricing will improve. “Movement has been sluggish,” he told The Produce News Aug. 23. “The red market was decent at the beginning. But prices started to fall right after the first shipments.”
The scenario is also similar for russets. “It’s a supply-and-demand game,” he observed, adding that overproduction of potatoes this season has depressed pricing.
Bob Johnson preparing for challenging season
Bob Johnson, representative for Katz Produce Sales LLC in Rosholt, WI, knows what it takes to move fresh potatoes into the pipeline. With the Wisconsin potato harvest ramping up, he said, the industry will have its own set of challenges to address this season.
“Trucks are really tight now,” he told The Produce News Aug. 29. “The situation nationwide is trucks are getting tighter, tighter, tighter.” And he added that produce is not a high priority for the nation’s trucking companies.