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Nardelli has steady supply of product despite weather challenges

By
Seth Mendelson

“Please be patient,” said Bill Nardelli Sr., the patriarch and president of Nardelli Lake View Farms. “Mother Nature has dealt us a tough hand in Florida this year.”

Due to a rainy season in Florida — even before a couple of hurricanes hit the state in September and October — Nardelli said his company’s business was impacted enough that it could cause some temporary shortages of produce items from the Sunshine State later in the year.

“Here is the situation,” the always-straight forward Nardelli said. “Due to the extreme weather in Florida during the late summer and into the early fall, there were some delays getting produce planted into the ground. In some parts of the state, summer storms produced as much as 10 inches of rain and the accumulation of moisture certainly delayed the process, from getting stuff planted to getting equipment operating.”

The good news, Nardelli said, is that eventually his farmers in Florida were able to get crops planted. “Yes, there is going to be product availability with such fall crops as corn, beans, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce and other wet greens,” he said. “We should have plenty of availability through the Thanksgiving holiday period and into December. And, we have maintained our quality standards, so the quality is going to be very good once again.

“But, in December, we expect to see market gaps for some crops because extreme rain conditions created saturated ground in some of the state that might last a month or two,” Nardelli continued. “Fortunately, Florida is a long state and covers a lot of area and not all of the state experienced the same extreme conditions. We were able to get product planted on time in some areas of the state, particularly the northern region.”

Corn, which comes from the region around Lake Okeechobee in the center of the state, could be among the most impacted crops by the extreme weather this year. “We do see some gaps in December and January and it could get a little dicey,” Nardelli said. “People have to prepare and we are working very hard to make them aware about supply gaps and the fact that some crops may either not be available or in lighter than needed supplies.”

Nardelli said that his retail partners understand the challenge of competing with Mother Nature. Still, he noted, that his team has worked very hard keeping the retailers informed on what is going on and doing what they can to maintain a steady supply of product. “Retailers are all about long-term planning,” he said. “They need a month or two of advanced notice, so it is up to us to make sure the lines of communications are open and we keep them informed of everything that is happening. At the same time, we ask our retailers to stay open minded about the weather situation in Florida and how it impacted our farmers. They know what we are going through because they are experiencing the same issues as the American farmer.”

Even with Mother Nature playing her games, Nardelli is quick to add the importance of Florida produce to the Cedarville, NJ-based company’s operation.

Florida’s long growing season and its temperate winter weather has made the state a crucial part of feeding consumers all year for the company. The state plays a huge role in feeding consumers up and down the East Coast and throughout the midwest.

“Thankfully, weather conditions are improving in the state and we expect to have a return to normal production in the months ahead,” he added. “We know our job and we know that Florida plays a leading role in keeping America feed throughout the winter. We will make this right.”

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