UNITED STATES – It may be hard at this point to differentiate all of this year’s extreme winter storms, but This. Is. Sparta!
Winter Storm Sparta took shape over California last Saturday, bringing rain and snow to the Golden State and much of the Southwest.
According to USA Today, parts of the Sierra Nevada received between 12-18 inches of snow. It is forecasted that through the end of today, more than a foot of snow could fall through the San Bernardino and Angeles national forests.
Sparta also brought snow in 49 out of the 50 states, causing nearly 8,000 flight delays and 2,400 cancellations across the United States as of last night, according to Flight Aware.
This winter weather is far from over. The Weather Channel is now forecasting that Winter Storm Thor is right on Sparta’s heels, bringing more snow, sleet and ice. It is expected to continue to spread eastward across the Plains, Midwest and Northeast through midweek.
The heavier and more persistent snow is expected over the southern Rockies, including the San Juans and Sangre de Cristos of Colorado and New Mexico, the Mongollon Rim of Arizona and canyonlands of southern Utah.
As the storm travels across the country, it is expected to be warmer than last week’s winter storms, but cold conditions will still be in place in the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes, both of which are forecasted to receive moderate snowfall accumulations.
The Weather Channel also expects that the lingering cold air in the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic will allow the precipitation to begin to fall as freezing rain, sleet or a mix of rain and snow.
Rain and thunderstorms are forecasted south of the snow from the Gulf Coast to Missouri eastward into Kentucky.
For now it is uncertain how far north the snow, ice and rain will go. Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for the latest on this year’s volatile winter weather.
UNITED STATES - The holidays and the 2014 NFL season may be over, but celery growers still have promotable volumes available for the foreseeable future.
Good production out of California, Mexico, Florida, and Arizona, as well as increased acreage for some companies has contributed to the increase in yield this season. Though the West Coast port slowdown impacted their export business, celery growers are optimistic that the market will start picking back up now that a labor agreement has been reached.
Slightly more volume is being held in shipper’s coolers than normal this time of year. Warmer than normal temperatures in Oxnard, CA have forced celery to mature sooner than planned, in some cases more than three weeks ahead of the anticipated harvest date. As a result, most celery shippers in Oxnard had to reach ahead during the holiday period.
“There is not an abundance of celery in the fields for the duration of the Oxnard season, so FOB prices should creep back up again to a higher level by April,” Rick Alcocer, Senior VP of Fresh Vegetable Sales at Duda Farm Fresh Foods, tells me. “Ice and snow throughout the upper Midwest and Northeast has temporarily slowed demand, but that will change once these areas thaw out.”
Ocean Mist’s Grower Manager, Ryan Kelly, noted that a lot of the celery being harvested now is between 8 – 15 days ahead of the projected harvest date, leading to much more volume on the market.
“Volume has greatly exceeded our expectations – at least 10 – 15% higher than average,” said Kelly. “Timely rains and ideal weather conditions have made yield that much better.”
Increased acreage out of Florida and Arizona has greatly contributed to production numbers as well. Russ Widerburg, Boskovich Farms’ Sales Manager, said, “Volume is above normal because there’s been a lot more production out of Florida and Arizona. Even though yields are a little above normal, demand on the east coast is slower than average because of all the snow and cold weather. We’re hoping that demand and consumption will start to pick back up heading into spring.”
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for further updates on the celery season.
WASHINGTON D.C. - The chance to sign up for the early bird registration for the United Fresh conference in Chicago this June is quickly approaching, and the association has just unveiled its keynote speaker: Roundy’s CEO Robert Mariano.
Welcoming members and guests with the Opening Breakfast General Session on the morning of June 9, Mariano is scheduled to give key insights and his own personal views on current and future trends within the supermarket retail industry.
This breakfast and the information presented therein will be available exclusively to those that purchase the educational packages from United Fresh.
With an opening night celebration at the iconic Navy Pier in Chicago, IL., this event opens the summer season and promises a balance of industry insight and entertainment.
Early bird rates apply and are available for registration through May 1. To follow this summer event as it develops, stay tuned to ANUK as we continue to bring you the latest information.
SALINAS, CA - The top ten finalists from Thrive Accelerator have been chosen, and will present the ideas they hope are worth partaking in $5 million in funding on March 4.
A program for mentorship and investment for technology-enabled startups, Thrive Accelerator is seeking out the next innovative solution to problems the produce and agriculture industries face. Along with the prize funding, the winner will also receive product deployment in or with an agriculture industry leader.
Driven by a partnership between Forbes and SVG Partners, the 10 hopefuls will have an opportunity to present their ideas in a forum at the National Steinbeck Center.
The program finalists are:
California Safe Soil, LLC of Sacramento, CA, USA
- Waste-Food Recycling
GeoVisual Technologies of Boulder, CO, USA
- Drone - (UAVs)
GreenOnyx of Tel Aviv, Israel
- Urban Farming
Harvest Automation of Billerica, MA, USA
- Robotics - Nursery & Field
Innovative Green of Scottsdale, AZ, USA
- Energy - Diesel Fuel Tech
Inteligistics, Inc. of Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Platform - Cold Supply Chain
Lotpath, Inc. of Fresno, CA, USA
- Mobile - Inspections (consult too)
mOasis, Inc of Union City, CA, USA
- Bio-Tech - Soil Additive for Water
Nuritas of Dublin, Ireland
- Bio-Tech - Bioactive Peptides
UrbanFarmers AG of Zürich, Switzerland
- Urban Farming
The overall winner will be announced in July at the Forbes Reinventing America: The AgTech Summit.
ZAANDAM, THE NETHERLANDS - Ahold has released its Q4 2014 and fiscal year 2014 financial report. While operating income in the U.S. was down 4.7% to $222 million in the quarter, it was up 9.3% for the year to $965 million.
Following the release of its financial report, Ahold has also revealed it will be implementing the third phase of its “Project Thunder” transformations. Phase 3 will be focused on a comprehensive revamping of produce departments at its U.S. stores with a goal of improving produce sales by 3% to 5% at renovated locations.
“This program is about becoming better on value, and becoming better on quality and service. It’s a complete transformation on how we go to market on produce,” James McCann, COO of Ahold, told analysts.
Changes being made under “Project Thunder” include:
- New market style layout
- New fixture lighting
- New signage and layout
- Bolder pricing statement
- New training and schedule for staff
- New “Would I Buy It” (WIBI) quality assessment program
Speaking on Ahold’s new “Would I Buy It” assessment program, McCann added, “If we wouldn’t buy it ourselves, then we’re training our staff to say, don’t try and sell it to our customers. Take it off sale. Because the most important thing for customers on produce is the quality of the produce itself.”
The company says it plans to deploy to over 700 stores by 2016, at a cost of between $160,000 and $200,000 dollars per store, and will probably deploy at all the stores by Q3 next year.
“We’re getting strong sales and volume growth. We’ve had an impact on our customers’ perception, which I’ve not seen before,” McCann includes. “Customers are giving us outstanding marks in terms of the transformation of this department. We will have deployed it to 87 stores on the industrial test by the end of April. We’re currently at about 50 stores and it’s deploying at about the rate of 3-4 per week.”
Returning to the financial report, Ahold CEO Dick Boer said, ”In the fourth quarter, we reported a strong sales performance, reflecting a positive currency impact as well as improvements in underlying sales trends, both in the United States and in the Netherlands. Our underlying operating margin was stable versus the previous two quarters, adjusted for the SPAR acquisition. Free cash flow generation during the quarter was strong, with [$686 million] compared to [$543 million] last year.
You can watch Ahold's Q4 and year in review report at the link below:
Other highlights from Ahold’s financial report include:
- Underlying operating margin of 3.7%; excluding the impact of the SPAR acquisition, stable versus prior two quarters at 3.9%
- Simplicity program 2012-2014 achieved $968 million; new target for 2015 of $392 million
- Strong free cash flow in Q4 resulted in full-year free cash flow of $1.1 billion
- Dividend increased by 2.1% to $0.54 per share
- New $559 million share buyback program over the next 12 months
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for continued updates on Project Thunder and as we continue to bring you the latest financial news and analysis from the fresh produce industry.
AUSTRALIA – Last week, court suppression orders were lifted, and the Herald Sun revealed the inside story of the world’s biggest ecstasy bust, which included 15 million pills hidden inside tomato cans.
In a rare interview, Australia’s Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions Robert Bromwich just revealed that a Google search brought down the ‘Tomato Can Mafia’ and led to the world’s biggest ecstasy bust.
According to the Herald Sun, more than 30 gang members have been convicted and jailed for a total of almost 300 years after the 2007 seizure of the 4.4 tons of ecstasy, which had a street value of $440 million.
A joint police and spy agency taskforce set up by the Australian Crime Commission also helped police in Europe arrest another 27 members of the Belgian syndicate that was believed to have made and sold the ecstasy.
Australian Federal Police (AFP) Det-Supt Matt Warren, who led the investigation, told the Herald Sun that telephone call charge records and other communications metadata enabled AFP agents to identify who was who in the drug gang.
It was, however, a simple Google search that brought everything to a head.
Back in 2007, an unidentified female Freight Forwarding Manager in Melbourne did something that the mafia did not expect. It was her job to call a Melbourne company, which her paperwork said had imported a container load of tomato cans from Italy, to let them know it was ready for collection.
Instead of calling the phone number on the fake documents which would have alerted the criminals, she Googled and then called the legitimate company, which had no idea that its name was being used by criminals in this elaborate drug operation, according to the Herald Sun.
When the company denied ordering the shipment, she arranged for the container to be emptied so it could be returned for re-use while she arranged storage for the tomatoes.
Neither that manager, or the drug bosses, knew that Customs had checked the container on arrival, discovered the drugs and alerted the AFP. When the AFP saw the container being unloaded, it had to move immediately.
According to the recently released documents, the drug bust would have happened either way, but without the Freight Manager’s Google search, the drug leaders likely would not have been caught. Because she didn’t call the fake number, the criminals were never alerted, and the AFP was able to arrest far more senior members.
LOS ALAMITOS, CA – Frieda’s Specialty Produce is offering its exclusive specialty red and purple artichokes like the Sangria and Fiore Viola Artichokes.
Sangria Artichokes have a flower-like shape with a deep burgundy color, and Fiore Viola Artichokes are attractive purple gloves. In a press release, the company notes that they are great for adding color to an all-green artichoke display.
These specialty artichokes are bred and grown in Lompoc, California. Aside from their striking appearance, they also have unique flavor profiles.
Frieda’s says that the Sangria variety has meaty leaves with a nutty, earthy flavor, and the Fiore Viola, which is heavy for its size, is packed with meaty leaves and a nutty, sweet artichoke flavor. Both provide folate and fiber as well as being good sources of vitamin C.
Additionally, the Fiesole Baby Purple Artichoke is expected to be available later in March. These deep-purple buds have no chokes and are nutty and sweet with a strong artichoke flavor.
They are also available in convenient 1-pound bags.
UNITED STATES - The future of the Internet has been decided.
On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved new rules to regulate the Internet as a public utility in a 3-2 vote. The new rules will ensure that websites, videos, and other content load at approximately the same speed for everyone, thus preventing broadband providers and media companies from throttling your connection to specific services. Sources say that these rules will take effect anywhere between 30 - 60 days after they have been printed in the Federal Register.
The following is a breakdown of the new rules, as declared by the FCC:
- No Blocking: Broadband providers may not block access to legal content, applications, services, or non-harmful devices.
- No Throttling: Broadband providers may not impair or degrade lawful Internet traffic on the basis of content, applications, services, or non-harmful devices.
- No Paid Prioritization: Broadband providers may not favor some lawful Internet traffic over other lawful traffic in exchange for consideration of any kind – in other words, no “fast lanes.” This rule also bans ISPs from prioritizing content and services of their affiliates.
“This is a victory for free speech, plain and simple,” said Gabe Rottman, Legislative Counsel with the American Civil Liberties Union. “Americans use the internet not just to work and play, but to discuss politics and learn about the world around them… We are still sifting through the full details of the new rules, but the main point is that the internet, the primary place where Americans exercise their right to free expression, remains open to all voices and points of view.”
So what will these new rules mean for you? Not much in the short-term. Because this decision maintains the status quo, the way you browse the internet isn’t going to change significantly. However, opponents of the rule claim that the decision opens up the possibility for “government control,” according to FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai, who voted against net neutrality.
“The plan is not a solution to a problem,” said Pai.
Similarly, FCC Commissioner Michael O’Reilly called the decision a “monumental and unlawful power grab,” saying, “I see no need for net neutrality rules. I am far more troubled the commission is chartering for Title II,” according to TechCrunch.
While the FCC’s decision has already been made, the debate over net neutrality will likely continue in court.
For any further updates regarding net neutrality, stay tuned to AndNowUKnow.
VENTURA, CA - LINKFRESH conveyed its excitement as it continues to grow in the produce industry, releasing its latest software containing all-new farming enhancements and improvements.
“This new release continues to reinforce both our commitment to the fresh food industry and our strategy of being the leading company offering full ERP supply chain solutions to the dynamic and fast-moving fresh food sector,” Robert Frost, Group CEO of LINKFRESH, said in a press release.
The company’s new release emphasizes a focus on improving productivity for food supply chain users. Among the thirteen new enhancements and features are production touch-screen services, improvements to warehouse mobility, and new functionality for the LINKFRESH Farming module.
Built on Microsoft Dynamics NAV ERP technology, LINKFRESH software is officially certified for Microsoft Dynamics, helps farm companies with supply chain forecasting and planning, can link employee and fixed asset information to a resource used by Farming Jobs, and enables users to measure harvest shrinkage by recording changes in the volume or weight of any crop that has been harvested.
As one of only 25 Microsoft Global Independent Software Vendor (GISV) Partners, LINKFRESH prides itself on its focus towards using technology to improve the fresh produce industry.
WASHINGTON - The USDA has restricted the operations of Pros Ranch Markets CA LLC, an Arizona-based organization for PACA violations.
Pros Ranch Markets CA LLC was cited for having allegedly failed to make payment to 17 produce sellers in the amount of $1,252,222 from December of 2012 through June of 2013, according to a USDA press release.
Consequently, the company can no longer operate in the produce industry until February 26, 2017, at which time it may reapply for a PACA license. Pros Ranch Markets CA LLC will have an opportunity to request a hearing but, should the USDA find that the company committed repeated and flagrant violations, it would be barred from the produce industry for two years. Furthermore, its principals could not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee for one year and then only with the posting of a USDA-approved surety bond.
In the past three years, the USDA resolved approximately 4,250 PACA claims involving more than $77 million. Individuals, including sole proprietors, partners, members, managers, officers, directors, or major stockholders may not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee without the approval of the USDA. The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), PACA Division, regulates fair trading practices of produce businesses operating subject to PACA.