Retail report - Apples and Oranges

Turnabout

This may not have been what the Good Book had in mind with the verse, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Don Schrack of The Packer is doing a story this week about continued "issues" between Florida and California citrus leaders. The letter below explains itself, but watch for Don's story for the latest from industry leaders:

STATE OF CALIFORNIA PHYTOSANITARY ADVISORY
DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE NO. 32-2007
1220 N Street, Room A-372
Sacramento, CA 95814
DATE: November 2, 2007
TO: All County Agricultural Commissioners
FILE: Summary of State Regulations – Florida
SUBJECT: Florida Requirements for Certification of California Citrus Fruits

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) has informed us that, effective December 1, 2007, all shipments of citrus fruit from California to Florida must be certified free of Septioria citri, a fungal pathogen that can occur on damaged fruit surfaces. Inspection, treatment, testing, and certification procedures are outlined in the attachment which was provided by FDACS. The FDACS informed us that these procedures are a result of the requirements established by South Korea for the importation of citrus fruit from California. According to FDACS, Septoria citrii is not known to occur in Florida, and at this time, FDACS does not have data supporting that this pathogen occurs anywhere else in the United States except California. FDACS indicates in the attachment that California shippers may enter into compliance agreement with the county agricultural commissioner to follow the outlined certification procedures. Growers under compliance will be listed on an “Approved Citrus Shippers” list sent from CDFA to FDACS on an as needed basis. Growers that do not enter a compliance agreement and that do not appear on the “approved” list must use a stamp or sticker on the outside of each box, designed as in the attachment, to indicate to officials in Florida that the certification procedures were met.


Page 2
October 31, 2007
Under authority of Section 581.031(7), Florida Statues, Rule Chapter 5B-3.0038 F.A.C., the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) has declared a quarantine on citrus fruit from California and other areas of the country where Septoria citri is known to occur. The State of Florida will authorize firms to ship into Florida citrus fruit, which were grown in California, and which otherwise would be prohibited entry into Florida, under the following conditions: CDFA should ensure:
1. Prior to commencement of shipping, this office is provided with the names and addresses of
approved shippers.
2. Shippers may only be approved if under a compliance agreement (approved by FDACS) with CDFA to ship only citrus fruit that have been authorized.
3. Fruit shipped must come from a grove that has been inspected by CDFA inspectors within 30 days of harvest and found free of Septoria citri.
OR Latency testing for all counties in California as outline below:
• Only symptomatic fruit will be sampled
• Fruit harvested from a grower lot can be shipped within 45 days from the lab result date.
Samples must be taken 20 to 30 days prior to harvest
• 20 fruit sampled from each grower lot intended for shipment to Florida
• Incubation procedure of up to 7 days using isolated lesion will be used in conducting the
tests
• CDFA will supply FDACS weekly with the grower lots tested positive for Septoria citri
• CDFA will provide at any time during the season testing results of grower lots tested
4. Citrus fruit must undergo post-harvest treatment with an FDACS approved fungicide prior to shipping.
5. CDFA shall closely supervise shippers to ensure that only symptom-free fruit is shipped to
Florida. Supervision shall include regular on-site inspections and review of all citrus receipts and shipment records.
6. All citrus fruit shipped from California to Florida shall be certified as in compliance with 7 CFR 301.78, Subpart-Mediterranean Fruit Fly.
7. In addition to any certificate required by federal regulation, shipping invoices and each container or box shipped must be stamped with a certificate authorized by CDFA affirming that the shipment meets the entry requirements of Florida’s Septoria citri quarantine. In lieu of a paper certificate, a sticker or stamp-type certificate may be used with the following format: The citrus fruit in this shipment meets all Florida entry requirements for Septoria citri and has been inspected and found apparently free of Septoria citri.
(signature)
Authorized Representative
8. Citrus fruit shipped to Florida form California under these guidelines may be inspected, sampled, and tested upon arrival.
9. Violation of any of the conditions or the detection of any serious plant pest in any shipment shall be sufficient cause for immediate suspension from shipping.

Call for support

I'm passing on this important message from America's Second Harvest Rick Bella:

America's Second Harvest Issues National Call for Support

America's Second Harvest is urgently calling for national support to raise funds to help millions of Americans facing hunger during the holiday season.

America's Second Harvest and the people served by food banks from coast to coast are facing a potential crisis. We are projecting an immediate food shortage of 15 million pounds -- the equivalent of more than 400 truckloads or 11.7 million meals -- by the end of the year.

Need is High Nationwide

The demand for food assistance is strong across the United States. The ailing economy and rising food and fuel prices are taking a toll on struggling families' budgets. Moms and dads face impossible decisions like whether to pay to heat their homes and keep their children warm or buy groceries to feed them. When they find themselves in desperate need, they turn to our network and the agencies we serve for help. Right now many of our member food banks and food-rescue organizations are seeing an increase in demand, as high as 20% in areas including Denver, Orlando and Phoenix.

The Farm Bill

Meanwhile, food banks nationwide are experiencing dramatic declines in food aid from surplus commodity purchases by the federal government. This has occurred because a healthy farm economy has required less intervention in order to support prices.

The Farm Bill, which is currently stalled in the Senate, authorizes funding for nutrition and food assistance programs for low-income families. Enacting a new Farm Bill would strengthen a long-term successful partnership between food banks and USDA, and provide much-needed food for those most in need throughout our nation.

America's Second Harvest food banks and the people we serve need a strong nutrition title in the Farm Bill enacted as soon as possible to begin replenishing dwindling inventories. Additionally, we need help from corporate and individual donors to help us replenish empty food banks shelves.

How You can Help Make a Donation: The best way to help hungry Americans is to make a financial donation to America's Second Harvest. Your donation will help us secure and distribute food for this campaign that will benefit our food banks and their agencies in need. Help give struggling families a reason to be hopeful this holiday season. Call 800-344-8070 or visit www.secondharvest.org to give a gift today. Urge Your Senator to Pass the Farm Bill: You can also help by visiting the Hunger Action Center at www.hungeractioncenter.org to contact your senators and urge them to push for the quick passage of the Farm Bill; please urge them to also support increased resources for federal nutrition programs, including $250 million with indexing for TEFAP food purchases for distribution to food banks.

While Americans across the country celebrate the holiday season, more than 35 million Americans, including 12.6 million children, live in food insecure households. Support is urgently needed to stock our food banks and get food and groceries to those in desperate need.

Now is the time to give your most generous gift. The need is more critical than ever.

http://www.secondharvest.org/how_to_help/call_to_action.html

Rick Bella
America's Second Harvest - The Nation's Foodbank Network
35 E. Wacker Drive, Suite 2000
Chicago, IL 60601

Office: 312-641-6507
Cell: 219-712-3685
Fax: 312-263-1730

www.secondharvest.org

Maybe I'm amazed

Got to give it up for the Fresh Produce Industry Discussion Group this week. Members have been quite active in posting great links, stories and breaking news, such as a couple of accounts of the Peruvian port workers strike. I'll spend a little time updating some links to the group at the margin of this blog, so be sure to visit Fresh Talk from time to time (some of you receive Fresh Talk via email, of course ) for a running list of FPIDG threads. Also, I'm sure you will find it worthwhile to be a member of the discussion group and share in the limelight.

New poll on traceability

I have been doing a fair amount of reporting and writing today about the Produce Traceability Initiative today. The Jan. 9 meeting of the steering committee for the Initiative will be an important event, as it will probably begin to define the strategy to encourage full chain traceability in the industry. I don't know what options will be considered by the group and trade press, disappointingly, won't be allowed for the first get-together. However, that hasn't stopped me from creating a Fresh Talk poll about about traceability. You've got six days to consider your options - and by the way, you can vote for more than one answer.

Big increase in "tangerine"

The USDA Fruit and Tree Nut Outlook report puts into perspective year on year citrus production gains for the U.S. will be substantial, particularly for oranges and tangerines (clementines). Grapefruit has taken a hit, however. The report also suggests fruit grower returns have been sagging compared to year ago levels starting in mid-June. Also find some stats about projected California avocado production in the ERS publication. From the report:


The index of prices received by fruit and nut growers dropped below last year’s indices in June and has remained lower each month through October. Fresh orange, grapefruit, and apple grower prices were lower for September and October 2007 compared with the same time last year, but fresh lemon prices were higher. On the other hand, the Consumer Price Index for fresh fruit rose this September and October over last year, with higher prices for fresh lemons and bananas.
The 2007/08 U.S. citrus crop is forecast at 12.5 million tons, 22 percent higher than last season. Most of the increase is due to bigger orange and tangerine crops, while both the grapefruit and lemon crops are forecast to be smaller. California is forecast to produce 2.2 million tons of oranges in 2007/08, 29 percent more than last year’s freeze-damaged crop. Most of California’s oranges go to fresh use. Florida’s orange crop, most of which is processed, is forecast to reach 7.6 million tons in 2007/08. If realized, it would be the biggest crop since 2003/04, but still small compared with recent prehurricane season crops. Grapefruit production for the 2007/08 season is forecast at 1.5 million tons, 5 percent lower than 2006/07, and the smallest crop since 1912, excluding the hurricane-damaged Florida crops in 2004/05 and 2005/06. Florida’s crop, which accounts for about 70 percent of U.S. grapefruit production, is forecast to decline 8 percent from last season, to 1.1 million tons. Texas grapefruit production is forecast at 272,000 tons, 4 percent lower than last season, but the second biggest crop since 2000/01.
Florida's grapefruit production for the 2007/08 season is forecast at 1.5 million tons, 5 percent lower than 2006/07, and the smallest crop since 1912, excluding the hurricane-damaged Florida crops in 2004/05 and 2005/06 (table 6). Florida’s crop, which accounts for about 70 percent of U.S. grapefruit production, is forecast to decline 8 percent, to 1.1 million tons, the lowest in 75 years, excluding the hurricane years. A decline in both the number of trees and acres between 2006 and 2007 contributed to the decline in production. Smaller sized fruit were another factor. While fruit size is a seasonal factor limiting production, the crop in Florida’s acreage, along with the very small number of nonbearing acres, is likely to be a limiting factor on Florida’s grapefruit production in the future
Lemon production is forecast at 684,000 tons for 2007/08. California’s production is forecast to be 3 percent higher than last season, and Arizona’s production is forecast to be 40 percent lower.
The 2007/08 tangerine crop is forecast to total 433,000 tons, 28 percent higher than last season. While Florida is expected to have a bigger crop than last season, it would be smaller than 2005/06. California’s crop is forecast to be 61 percent bigger than last season and 30 percent bigger than 2005/06.

Biggest surge ever

Note coverage here from The New York Times on the new study from the Center for Immigration Studies, a think tank that advocates reduced immigration. Here is the link to a working paper of the study itself. Critics say the Center for Immigration Studies doesn't spend enough time looking at the benefits immigrants provide, but don't quibble too much over the methodology on their estimates of the numbers of illegal immigrants. None of this takes away from the argument that agriculture needs a stable, legal work force.

Here are a few summary statistics from the report:
The nation’s immigrant population (legal and illegal) reached a record of 37.9 million in 2007.
Immigrants account for one in eight U.S. residents, the highest level in 80 years. In 1970 it was one in 21; in 1980 it was one in 16; and in 1990 it was one in 13.
Overall, nearly one in three immigrants is an illegal alien. Half of Mexican and Central American immigrants and one-third of South American immigrants are illegal.
Since 2000, 10.3 million immigrants have arrived — the highest seven-year period of immigration in U.S. history. More than half of post-2000 arrivals (5.6 million) are estimated to be illegal aliens.
The largest increases in immigrants were in California, Florida, Texas, New Jersey, Illinois, Arizona, Virginia, Maryland, Washington, Georgia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.
Of adult immigrants, 31 percent have not completed high school, compared to 8 percent of natives. Since 2000, immigration increased the number of workers without a high school diploma by 14 percent, and all other workers by 3 percent.
The share of immigrants and natives who are college graduates is about the same. Immigrants were once much more likely than natives to be college graduates.
The proportion of immigrant-headed households using at least one major welfare program is 33 percent, compared to 19 percent for native households.
The poverty rate for immigrants and their U.S.-born children (under 18) is 17 percent, nearly 50 percent higher than the rate for natives and their children.
34 percent of immigrants lack health insurance, compared to 13 percent of natives. Immigrants and their U.S.-born children account for 71 percent of the increase in the uninsured since 1989.
Immigrants make significant progress over time. But even those who have been here for 20 years are more likely to be in poverty, lack insurance, or use welfare than are natives.
The primary reason for the high rates of immigrant poverty, lack of health insurance, and welfare use is their low education levels, not their legal status or an unwillingness to work.
Of immigrant households, 82 percent have at least one worker compared to 73 percent of native households.
There is a worker present in 78 percent of immigrant households using at least one welfare program.
Immigration accounts for virtually all of the national increase in public school enrollment over the last two decades. In 2007, there were 10.8 million school-age children from immigrant families in the United States.
Immigrants and natives have similar rates of entrepreneurship — 13 percent of natives and 11 percent of immigrants are self-employed.
Recent immigration has had no significant impact on the nation’s age structure. Without the 10.3 million post-2000 immigrants, the average age in America would be virtually unchanged at 36.5 years.