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Ag Briefs: Tree Fruit / Olives /Processing Tomatoes

Big Year For Olives

The 2012 California olive crop forecast is 180,000 tons, up 153
percent from last year’s crop of 71,200 tons. Bearing acreage is
estimated at 44,000 for a yield of 4.09 tons per acre. Of the total
production, an estimated 94,000 tons will be utilized for canning,
and the remaining 86,000 tons are expected to be harvested for oil
or specialty products.

The California Olive crop outlook is looking positive. Growers are
anticipating a good crop, especially after last year’s poor crop.
Weather conditions during the bloom period were generally good.
In the north, there was a good set. Producers thinned their crop to
allow the remaining fruit to grow bigger. In the south, there was an
initial good fruit set, but after Easter, extreme weather events
resulted in some false bloom. This decreased the set slightly, but
will permit the fruit to grow larger.

The Manzanillo and Sevillano olive varieties are expected to
produce 47 percent and 9 percent of the total olive crop,
respectively. The remaining 44 percent is expected to come from
all other varieties.

World Processing Tomato Crop Down

A California tomato grower report says world processing tomato crop is expected to be 2.4 metric tons lower than last year even as demand for the product per capita increases.

While the California processing tomato crop is up 6% from last year at 11.7 mm metic tons China is down 26%,Portugal down 11% Spain down 19% and Italy is down 12% this year. While some areas problems are  weather relate Europe’s finances appear to be a factor too.

The world’s farmers are producing 35.2 metric tons withCalifornia suppling almost third of that. On source says the world could use 40 mm metic tons.

Almost all US tonnage come form California with Fresno County at the top based on  contracted planted acreage for 2011 with
92,000 acres. Yolo, Kings, San Joaquin, and Merced County make up the remaining top five counties for contracted planted acreage, respectively. These counties make up 77 percent of the 2011 total
contracted planted acreage for California says USDA.

USDA says growers contract with processors to process red-ripe tomatoes. Although many firms manufacture pulp-based products, such as stewed and diced tomatoes, most initial processing is by firms that manufacture tomato paste, a raw ingredient. Paste is manufactured and packed in bulk containers- large bags set into boxes and barrels-and stored for use up to 18 months later. This raw ingredient is distributed under contract or sold to remanufacturing firms that add water, spices, etc. to make retail and foodservice packs of soups, sauces, catsup, and paste.
Americans consume three-fourths of their tomatoes in processed form. U.S. consumption of processed tomatoes began a steady climb that accelerated in the late 1980s with the rising popularity of pizza, pasta, and salsa. ERS estimates suggest the largest processed use of tomatoes is in sauces (35 percent), followed by paste (18 percent), canned whole tomato products (17 percent), and catsup and juice (each about 15 percent). ERS estimates suggest that about one-third of all processed-tomato products are purchased away from home at various foodservice outlets (pizza parlors, for example).

Lower Tree Fruit Volume Boosts Late Summer Prices.
With the California back-of-the-napkin tree fruit estimate now below 40 million cartons, farms are not getting that late season drop in prices say observers. Storms took their toll on the crop this Spring and farmers have reduced their acreage after years of oversupply that persistently hurt prices. For many years, 50 million cartons was the norm, says Wayne Brandt of Brandt Farms in Reedley, he tells the Produce News.
The latest USDA market report shows nectarines, peaches and plums selling for  $16 to 18  a carton, a profitable margin for most growers.In the depth of the recession and overproduction – cartons  sold for as little a $10,not covering the picking costs, growers said.
Also a plus,continued export demand for California fruit.
A June USDA report said “ Mid-April hailstorms are partly behind the anticipated lower production in California this year. While some California peach growers were more heavily impacted by the hailstorms than others, some fruit loss due to the hailstorms would have occurred anyway during the usual fruit thinning stage. Others also attribute part of the production decline in California to reduced bearing acreage over the last 5 years, the result of removing less performing acreage or switching to other more profitable crops such as citrus, almonds, and walnuts. California is the dominant producer of peaches across the country, accounting for about half of the fresh market crop,
California produces almost all the the nectarines and plums.

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