Summer produce movement: read the blank cells as carefully as the numbers

USDA’s third-quarter 2025 Agricultural Refrigerated Truck Quarterly covers July–September and was published in February 2026. Table 7 includes weekly July availability observations. The selected rows below retain that later report vintage, with the five July column dates shown separately. The central and north Florida row groups watermelons and several tomato types; the Florida potato row is separate.

Sources: [1]

The report’s legend defines 1 as surplus, 2 as slight surplus, 3 as adequate, 4 as slight shortage and 5 as shortage. Its note identifies empty cells as unreported. These are ordered descriptions, not percentages or physical capacity units. The Florida group’s missing late-July observations therefore cannot be read as a continuation of its July 15 code.

Sources: [1]

If a requested origin has no report for a week, the next step is to ask for shipment-specific information. Do not fill the blank with the previous observation, a neighboring origin’s code or a national average unless a clearly defined analytical method justifies it. For an appointment decision, a direct readiness and acceptance conversation is more useful than an invented estimate. Keep the blank visible so that the team knows which evidence is absent.

Nor should the numerical codes be averaged and treated as a truck count. A movement from code 5 to code 3 changes the reported category; it does not identify how many additional trailers appeared or what percentage of loads could be covered. An average across unrelated commodities could also hide the origin that matters to the order. Use the labels to frame a question, then obtain an answer for the actual request.

USDA’s dataset documentation describes weekly spot-market availability by origin and commodity and warns that reported shipment volumes do not cover every commodity and origin. Its rate notes describe spot-market load assumptions and exclusions. These scope limits mean the series cannot stand in for all refrigerated freight, and a reported rate is not automatically comparable to a movement with additional pickups, deliveries or handling requirements.

Sources: [2]

A state-level label may be sufficient for a market summary and insufficient for a pickup. Obtain the exact shipping location and contact, plus any instructions about where the freight will be assembled. If a supplier changes the packing location, tell the provider before relying on the previous movement’s timing. A familiar commodity or supplier does not guarantee that this order starts at the same dock as the last one.

Ask the shipper how confident the readiness time is and what event will confirm it. Product scheduled for packing is a different status from freight ready at the loading point. If the order depends on a later harvest or packing decision, arrange a checkpoint rather than presenting the requested pickup as confirmed. The receiving team should know which part of the schedule remains conditional so it can assess any proposed change.

Consider a hypothetical buyer who sees an adequate availability code and assumes a later pickup can be booked without discussion. The code does not name a provider, describe the buyer’s packaging or reserve equipment for that date. Conversely, a shortage label is a reason to ask earlier and clarify alternatives, not evidence that every provider will decline. In both cases, the useful decision follows from the specific offer and acceptance.

If an alternate week or origin is proposed, assess it as a changed shipment. Check whether the product, receiving need and facility arrangements remain acceptable. Ask the supplier which requirement is flexible and which is fixed; do not assume that changing a pickup week is harmless for every product. Any temperature or condition decision should come from the responsible product team, not from the availability category.

The strongest use of the July table is selective. It identifies where the historical report has an observation and where it does not. A buyer can use that distinction to direct its questions without turning a partial produce series into a universal refrigerated-market forecast or a claim about AMLINEX’s specialization and availability.