The quality of New Jersey vegetables has been quite good this summer, with pricing fairly normal, according to Rich Marolda Jr. He is optimistic for a good fall season. He’s already looking forward to rolling out a couple of new items come next year.

“The quality’s phenomenal this year, and our yields are great,” Marolda told The Produce News Thursday, Aug. 10. “Everything really looks great on the farm this year.”

As a fourth-generation grower/shipper of fresh produce, Sonny Boy Produce has a global reach, and fall is of utmost importance to the company because it’s the beginning of the end of the year.

The Nardelli family has been offering field-to-fork produce services for 125 years and Nardelli Bros. Inc.- Lake View Farms continues to be a trusted name throughout the produce industry.

To celebrate its 125th year, the company has done some promotions and is proud to continue offering great service. The grower/shipper is now in its fifth generation and also offers cooling operations, packing, shipping and delivery, and transportation services.

New Jersey potatoes have been exemplified so far by high quality and prices good by historical standards, helped along by pretty decent weather in the state, according to Ron Budd, vice president of Gloucester County Packing Corp. in Woodbury, NJ.

“We’re in the thick of it right now,” he told The Produce News Thursday, Aug. 10. “We’re running New Jersey red, white, yellow and russet varieties. So far the quality and yields have been good for the growers. The market is above average but not as good as last year, which was a once-in-a-lifetime market.”

Fall is a season of abundance when it comes to Consalo Family Farms’ produce.

“New Jersey’s weather allows for rotated spring, summer and fall plantings,” said Chelsea Consalo, executive vice president for the Vineland, NJ-based company “Cooler temperatures are ideal for fall lettuce as well as most of our other product categories.”

The Garden State is home to more than 9,900 farms covering 750,000 acres, and New Jersey is among the leaders in many forms of agricultural production. That includes spinach, Bell peppers, peaches, blueberries and cranberries — all produce items in the top 5 of the nation.

New Jersey also does a great deal with tomatoes, corn, apples, strawberries, potatoes and soybeans, among others.