It’s important to understand the seasonal impact of produce so that you can plan ahead for upcoming crops and promote a seamless shipping process for everything from potatoes to tomatoes and everything in between.
So here’s everything you need to know about shipping seasonal produce:
Seasonal Produce Shipping Cycle
Produce follows a seasonal shipping cycle since different produce items ripen at different times depending on climate, weather, and other factors. Generally speaking, most produce is harvested during the summer, with shoulder seasons extending into the spring and fall.
Shipping all of these different items from different locations in different time frames can be challenging to say the least.
Why Does Produce Have to Be Shipped Regionally?
Produce has to be shipped regionally for a number of different regions. For starters, many produce items can only be grown in specific areas. Different regions specialize in different produce items, whereas some regions aren’t able to grow any produce items.
For this reason, dealing with these substantial variations in supply and demand requires produce to be shipped regionally.
The Demand for Fresh Produce
The demand for fresh produce is constant. It doesn’t matter what season it is — consumers are going to want to be able to eat their favorite fruits and vegetables. However, this demand creates challenges for both growers and shippers. These different groups often have to get creative in order to meet consumer demand that isn’t exactly practical at times.
In terms of demand for fresh produce, here are the top fruits and vegetables in 2021:
- Bananas — 65%
- Potatoes (tie) — 63%
- Apples (tie) — 63%
- Tomatoes — 61%
- Onions — 60%
- Strawberries — 58%
- Carrots — 56%
- Grapes — 55%
- Oranges — 51%
- Watermelon — 48%
- Lettuce — 46%
- Bell peppers (tie) — 44%
- Broccoli (tie) — 44%
- Cucumbers (tie) — 44%
- Blueberries (tie) — 43%
- Lemons (tie) — 43%
- Salad mix (tie) — 43%
- Celery (tie) — 43%
- Peaches — 41%
- Mushrooms (tie) — 40%
- Avocados (tie) — 40%
Consumers frequently purchase a wide range of different produce items that they expect to see on the shelves consistently. It’s up to growers and shippers to meet these expectations.
The Demand for Fresh Florals
While not technically a produce item, fresh florals are found in the same section and experience the same kind of consumer demands and shipping challenges as produce items. This is because fresh florals also bloom at different time periods and are grown in different areas of the country.
For instance, springtime comes with flowers like tulips, daffodils, daisies, lilies, roses, and more. Summertime comes with flowers like sunflowers, hydrangeas, cosmos, lilacs, cosmos, gardenias, and more. You can expect to see marigolds, carnations, roses, daisies, and lilies in the fall. In the winter, you can expect to see poinsettias, roses, carnations, and chrysanthemums.
These fresh flowers must be cut and shipped promptly to prevent wilting. They are placed in refrigerated trucks at temperatures between 34 and 39 degrees to maintain the quality of the blooms.
Most flowers begin to wilt within three to four days after being cut, so getting them to their destinations quickly is important. From there, the shelf life of fresh florals can be extended by placing them in water — where they can last for a period of seven to 12 days.
Florida Region: April - June
The Florida produce region includes Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee. The produce season in the Florida region generally starts around mid-April and lasts until July.
However, different states in the region have different seasons depending on geographic position and climate. Furthermore, different states in the region also produce different crops.
Here’s what you need to know about each of the different states in the Florida produce region:
- Florida: Florida’s warm climate contributes to an extended growing season that lasts from mid-April to July. Florida is well-known for its production of oranges, but it also produces tomatoes, strawberries, peppers, melons, and sweet corn.
- Mississippi: Like Florida, Mississippi also offers a long growing season — although not quite as long as Florida’s. Instead, the growing season in Mississippi begins in May and lasts until July. Mississippi predominantly produces soybeans throughout the spring, summer, and fall but it also produces cotton, corn, and hay.
- Alabama: Mississippi’s next-door neighbor, Alabama, has the same growing season from May to July. Alabama is known for producing cotton, hay, corn, soybeans, and peanuts.
- Georgia: Georgia offers a slightly extended growing season that begins in May but lasts until August. Georgia is well-known for its production of peaches and peanuts, but it also produces cotton, corn, hay, and pecans. South Carolina: South Carolina, on the other hand, has a shorter growing season that doesn’t begin until June and lasts into August. South Carolina produces a substantial amount of cotton, corn, and soybeans, but it also produces peaches that tend to impact transportation from the first wave in early June to the second wave in July.
- North Carolina: North Carolina has the same peak growing season as its next-door neighbor, South Carolina. Although the state produces the most tobacco in the entire country, the transportation of tobacco is highly regulated, so it doesn’t usually affect other areas of transportation. Instead, the shipping of crops like soybeans, corn, hay, cotton, and sweet potatoes can cause capacity issues throughout the summer.
- Tennessee: As the northernmost state in the Florida produce region, Tennessee’s growing season extends all the way into September after kicking off in June. In the western part of the state, crops like soybeans, hay, corn, cotton, tobacco, wheat, and tomatoes are grown.
Texas Region: March - April
The Texas produce region includes Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana, Colorado, Nebraska, and Arkansas. The produce season in the Texas region generally starts around March and lasts until April. However, the states in this region are particularly diverse when it comes to climate and geography, which means that the produce seasons and crops are also diverse.
Here’s what you need to know about each of the different states in the Texas produce region: - Texas: Texas is one of the country’s largest agricultural-producing states, thanks to its large land size and warm climate. However, with a state, this large, climates actually vary within the state itself — leaving us with two different produce “areas” within the state of Texas — the Laredo area and the Dallas area.
- Laredo area: The Laredo area is located in southern Texas, right along the Mexican border. As a result, the temperatures in this area are very hot, and the climate is considered semi-arid. These factors contribute to an extended growing season that can go into the “winter” months. However, Laredo’s largest crop isn’t actually grown in Laredo. Avocados are grown in Mexico and are brought across the border into Laredo, where they can be transported elsewhere.
- Dallas area: The Dallas area is located in north Texas and has a produce season that begins in June and lasts until August. Its largest crop is cotton, but it also produces substantial amounts of hay, corn, wheat, sorghum, rice, melons, and grapefruit.
- New Mexico: New Mexico may seem like a hot and dry desert that can’t possibly produce crops, but that’s not actually the case. In fact, the state leads the country in terms of nut production thanks to its pecan crop. New Mexico’s pecan crop is harvested in late fall and lasts through the beginning of winter. In addition to pecans, the state also produces hay, paper, and cotton in the early summer months.
- Louisiana: Louisiana has a growing season that lasts from June to July, during which time it produces crops like rice and soybeans.
- Colorado: Colorado, like New Mexico, isn’t generally considered an “agricultural” state but for the opposite reason. Instead of being extremely hot, parts of Colorado can be extremely cold. However, this geographically diverse state is still able to produce crops like hay, corn, wheat, and potatoes throughout the summer months of June and July.
- Nebraska: Nebraska is known for its corn production that typically begins in September and lasts through October. In addition to corn, the state also produces substantial amounts of soybeans, hay, and wheat.
- Arkansas: Arkansas is the last state within the Texas produce region, and it is known for its soybean crop that lasts from June to August.
Shipping to Grocery Stores, Fresh Markets, and Restaurants
The produce grown in these different states is then harvested and transported to various grocery stores, fresh markets, and restaurants all over the country. And while this process may sound easy enough, it’s actually more complicated than meets the eye.
Most produce is going to end up in grocery stores where consumers can pick and choose the best and freshest items to eat at home or use in delicious recipes. When customers go to grocery stores, they expect to see a large and fresh selection of their favorite produce items. If they don’t see the products they want and the levels of quality they expect, they are going to shop elsewhere. Grocery stores know this and are committed to receiving the best and freshest products to keep customers coming back to their stores.
These days, fresh markets and other specialty retailers are gaining in popularity as consumers are increasingly looking for healthier, fresher, and organic products. Consumers are willing to pay more for these healthier items and are also willing to forgo the traditional grocery store in order to get the specific items they want. These specialty retailers are more likely to offer natural and organic food items that are free from GMOs, chemicals, and other additives that health-conscious consumers are looking for.
Finally, a large amount of produce actually ends up at restaurants where it is then used within the different dishes on the menu. Like grocery stores, restaurants are looking for fresh and high-quality produce items to make delicious dishes and earn five-star reviews from their customers. Restaurants usually have to make daily produce orders to meet their needs. As a result, restaurants are increasingly turning to locally sourced produce items.What Are the Challenges of Shipping Produce?
Meeting the demand for fresh produce from grocery stores, fresh markets, and restaurants alike can be challenging since produce isn’t exactly easy to ship. When considering how large the country is and how far some of these produce items have to go, you realize how challenging this process can become.
Here are some of the specific challenges encountered when shipping produce:Challenge 1: Preventing Spoilage
Perhaps the biggest challenge in shipping produce is preventing spoilage. As you know, restaurants, grocery stores, and specialty retailers alike depend on fresh produce to either sell or use for cooking purposes. However, produce items only stay fresh for so long, and some of these items have to travel long distances that may require several days on a truck.
But just how tight are these timeframes? It depends on the specific item. There are three different classifications of produce based on shelf life. High-density produce items have the longest shelf life of more than seven days. Medium-density produce items have an average shelf life of two to four days. Light-density produce items have the shortest shelf life of just one or two days.Challenge 2: Managing Delays
Another challenge of shipping produce is managing delays. In an ideal world, there would be a precise harvest timeline where you would know exactly which crops were going to be harvested, where, and when. In reality, this isn’t how it works. For instance, weather can affect when crops can be harvested — a late frost or snowstorm can push out a harvest for several weeks. The supply chain simply has to react accordingly.
But the weather doesn’t just affect the harvest itself — it can also affect the transportation of produce after harvest. For instance, a hurricane or a snowstorm can make it unsafe to drive and delay shipments for several days until conditions improve and it’s safe to drive again.
Such shipping delays for non-perishable cargo wouldn’t really be a big deal. However, these delays can be extremely problematic for produce items that need to be shipped on a tight timeline to ensure freshness and safety.Challenge 3: Transporting Produce Safely
Speaking of produce safety, this is another challenge involved in the shipping process. Many produce items require special shipping methods to preserve freshness. In most cases, refrigerated trucks or “reefers” are used to keep produce items cool and fresh throughout their journey from the field to the store.Produce Temperature Matters
These trucks act as a large walk-in refrigerator of sorts and are able to keep produce items at a specific temperature to prevent spoilage. The specific temperature in the truck is an extremely important component of transporting produce safely as different items need to be kept at different temperatures ranging from right above freezing at 32 degrees Fahrenheit all the way up to 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
Here’s what produce items you can ship at which temperatures:
Just a small discrepancy in temperature during shipping can quickly ruin the entire shipment of produce. As a result, it’s up to truck drivers to monitor the temperatures in their trucks to protect the produce items throughout the journey. Monitoring these temperatures is more involved than simply setting a constant temperature. Instead, these temperatures often need to be adjusted based on weather conditions.
For example, the reefer truck will likely need to crank the air to keep the contents cold enough in hot weather. However, in freezing weather, the reefer truck might have to be warmed up to increase the temperature to properly transport “warmer” produce items like bananas and tomatoes. On the other hand, if you’re transporting “colder” produce items like blueberries and broccoli in freezing weather, the reefer truck may not have to be used at all.Conclusion
At RPM, we know speed and accuracy matters when shipping produce, which is why we make it incredibly easy and beneficial to work with us as a carrier. Our RPM Drive app offers immediate access to available loads and competitive pricing — after which you will receive your payment in less than 72 hours.
And even though you may be able to do it all on your own, sometimes it’s nice to have a little help while on the road — which is why we offer 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days year support with a single point of contact.
Sources:
Seasonal Produce Guide | SNAP-Ed
Top 20 Fruit and Vegetable Purchases in 2020 | The Packer
Reefer Freight: What It Is, Pros and Cons | Truckstop.com - Some examples of items considered high-density produce with a long shelf life include onions, potatoes, carrots, apples, cabbage, garlic, and celery.
- Some examples of items considered medium-density produce with an average shelf life include oranges, broccoli, avocados, peppers, peaches, spinach, tomatoes, and watermelon.
- Some examples of items considered light-density produce with a short shelf life include melons, cucumbers, strawberries, bananas, corn, green beans, grapes, lettuce, and zucchini.
- 32 to 36 degrees is ideal for produce items including apples, blueberries, broccoli, cantaloupes, grapes, oranges, peaches, greens, and strawberries
- 38 to 40 degrees is ideal for produce items including avocados and cranberries
- 40 to 45 degrees is ideal for produce items including potatoes, honeydews, and green beans
- 45 to 50 degrees is ideal for produce items including cucumbers, watermelon, and grapefruit
- 55 to 60 degrees is ideal for produce items, including bananas and tomatoes
