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Produce Show Daily Thursday, June 15, 2017 1 6 SCHMIEDING: HERE WE GROW, AGAIN An interview with Scott McDulin, Vice President of Marketing/Retail Sales, H.C. Schmieding Produce, LLC. PSD: There are thousands of produce companies in the U.S. What differenti- ates Schmieding Produce from the oth- ers? SM: It all starts with our people. We have a dedicated group of produce profession- als who look for win-win opportunities for both our growers and our customers alike. Listed under H.C. Schmieding Produce, LLC, we are XXXX rated with a 969 score in the Blue Book which is one of the highest scores of any produce company in the nation. Although we are very proud of our rating, we believe by treating people right our score will ulti- mately be reflected in our customer satis- faction, which is what drives us to be elite. PSD: How long has Schmieding Produce been in business? SM: We celebrated our 80th year provid- ing quality produce nationwide earlier this year. PSD: What would you like potential cus- tomers to know about Schmieding Produce? SM: We grow, pack and ship quality potatoes, onions, watermelons, sweet corn, pumpkins and other items from all major growing regions in the U.S. Schmieding is as large or larger than any other produce company and has the infra- structure in place to be one of your major suppliers. PSD: What's new at Schmieding? SM: About 18 months ago, Schmieding Produce was acquired by Woerner Holdings, Inc., a West Palm Beach, Florida-based company, which has about 10,000 acres of agricultural production in several major growing regions across the U.S. In addition to Schmieding Produce, Woerner Holdings acquired Canon Potato packing and storage facility and a 1,800-acre potato farm, both located in the San Luis Valley of Colorado. They folded both entities into the Schmieding Produce platform. This enables us to have the vertical inte- gration required to supply today's retail- ers and consumers. If that wasn't enough, Schmieding Produce also acquired 'Nature's Choice' watermelons, which added enough production to supply almost 5,000 loads of watermelons from April to September of this year. PSD: It sounds like Schmieding Produce is in a growth mode. What is next? SM: Absolutely, we have a full time director of mergers and acquisitions, and are actively looking for more food and agricultural companies to acquire in the near future. PSD: Where do you see produce sales growth in the next year? SM: Obviously, specialty, organics, fresh cut and con- venience packaging will continue to drive growth over the next year, but we also believe there are tremendous growth opportunities in conventional items. PSD: Tell our readers something about Schmieding Produce that may surprise people. SM: Schmieding Produce has a world class in-house transportation team that is dedicated to supplying our company and other major produce companies with transportation services. Transportation is the biggest challenge to any produce company and we can and do hire trucks for other companies. For more information, go to www.schmieding.com, call 561.319.3095 or email smcdulin@schmieding.com. THE SWEET FACTS, PLEASE By Suzanne Nelson, ScD, RD, Sports Nutritionist. We've all heard the recommendation, "Eat more fruits and vegetables." But lately, there seems to be some confu- sion. People are asking "Is fruit really healthy for you? Doesn't it have a lot of sugar?" Some have concluded that because added sugars are unhealthy, that the same must apply to fruit. We need to put this into the right context. Fruit contains a natural sugar called fructose, not to be confused with fruc- tose-based sweeteners that are found in processed foods. Unlike sucrose, or table sugar, fructose does not cause abrupt changes in blood sugar levels. This is because your body digests fruc- tose more slowly than sucrose. Raisins naturally contain about equal amounts of fructose and glucose, and only a min- imal amount of sucrose. Sun-Maid raisins have no added sugar. Because raisins do not cause a very rapid spike in blood sugar as more processed carbohydrate containing foods (raisins have a low glycemic index), raisins, as other fruit, are a healthy choice not only for the general population, but also for individuals with diabetes or insulin resistance. Dried fruit like raisins are low in sodium and have zero fat or cholesterol. One small box (1.5 ounces or ¼ cup) of Sun-Maid raisins has 130 calories, 31gm of sugar (as fructose and glucose), potassium, phytochemicals, iron, boron, copper and manganese. Compare that to a 20-ounce bottle of soda that has about 225 calories, 60 grams of added sugar, usually in the form of high-fructose corn syrup, and zero nutrition- al value. While there is evidence that high amounts of added sugar and processed foods do not have a place in a healthy diet, the same cannot be said for fruit. Including dried fruit in your diet is an easy way to meet your daily goal. For women, that translates into at least 1.5 cups of fruit daily, and for men that equals 2 cups. (For more information, go to www.choosemyplate.gov). What counts as a cup of fruit? One serving equals 1 cup of fruit or 100 percent fruit juice, or 1/4 cup of dried fruit. Because fruits come in a variety of shapes and sizes, serving size varies depending on the par- ticular fruit. Check out individual fruit serving sizes at www.choosemyplate.gov/printpages/My PlateFoodGroups/Fruits/foodgroups . f r u i t s - c o u n t s . p d f . Generally, one serv- ing size of whole fruit = one tennis ball, and one serving size of cut fruit = seven cotton balls. You can enjoy raisins as a snack or with meals. Make your own trail mix by combining raisins with almonds, walnuts and pistachios for a portable snack. For a more nutri- tious breakfast, try topping oatmeal or wholegrain cereal with raisins instead of sugar. Enjoy a mixed green salad with raisins for lunch – you will be adding flavor and fiber without the fat. At din- ner, top grilled chicken breast with a dollop of raisin paste instead of gravy, or sprinkle raisins on veggies. By doing so, you can easily add a naturally sweet serving of fruit along with a nutrient punch. MAGNETIZING SPRAY LIQUIDS PROVES EFFECTIVE FOR CROP PROTECTION By Stef Jenzeh, Vice President Marketing, Magnation Water Technologies Agriculture is increasingly faced with climate change. Not only the impact on crop growing conditions, but also as a contributing cause. Crop protection and its environmental impact is a hot topic. Agribusiness is forward thinking and high-tech solutions are constantly evolving and emerging in the fields, but is this enough to solve the issues at hand? Piet Regnerus, importer of U.S.A.- based Magnation Water Technologies, met with several farmers in the Netherlands interested in lower pesticide use without compromising the yield or quality of their crops. The angle was opti- mizing spraying fluids. With acreage at a premium and high stakes for maximum productivity, a com- mon problem is weeds on Dutch sandy soils. "If we do not perform optimum weed control for a year, we suffer from it for the next 20 years," jokes Berend Jansema, who manages a 180-hectare farm of starch potatoes, sugar beets and cereals grains. Regnerus responds, "Water is more than H2O and the quality of water has a profound effect on what we do with it! Therefore, there is still much to gain in terms of water efficiency and the opti- mization of spraying fluids." "Our industry is under a magnify- ing glass. We must seriously consider all possible techniques that contribute to more effective and environmentally- friendly crop protection," says Jansema, who earmarked a field of 20 hectares of sugar beets for a controlled trial. "At a dosage of 120 liters per hectare, I reduced water and chemicals by 20 per- cent and had a more uni- form spray pattern. I can say with conviction that the weed control during the entirety of this trial has been effective. With a sav- ings of 20 percent on our 50 hectares of sugar beets, I am saving €2,500 in pes- ticides and cover more hectares." Bote Terpstra runs a 240-hectare farm with seed potatoes as his primary crop. "We cannot afford mistakes because of large export interests. But given the public debate on chemical usage for crop protection, it is our responsibility to give new ideas rigorous consideration." Terpstra installed Magnation on his Agrifac Condor sprayer. The trial was run with five to 15 percent less water and pesticides applied on four hectares. "We regularly walked through the fields to monitor crop health. During growing season, we have a weekly spray application cycle against late blight, aphids and fungi. This growing sea- son had high disease pressure due to wet con- ditions. I could not find any deterioration in the plot where I applied a 15 percent lower dosage of magnetized spraying liquid. This test has made me realize we must continue to look critically at the amount of water and pesticides that we apply. I also save a minimum of €10,000 per year in pesticides. The investment is easily covered within a growing season, and even better, the savings comes back every year!" says Terpstra. For more information, call 888.820.0363, go to www.rainlikewater.com or email info@rainlikewater.com.