Dandrea Produce Inc. in Vineland, NJ, was in assessment mode over the damage caused by Hurricane Irene as of Aug. 30, according to Frank Dandrea, president of the company.

“Notably, we’ll have some damage on squashes, peppers and cucumbers,” he said. “A huge amount of water fell over the state, washing out row crops, roads and dams. It’s going to take some time to assess the total crop loss or damage.”

VINELAND, NJ — The Vineland Produce Auction had a good spring and summer in 2011 and was looking to an equally good fall, with strong volume and high quality, according to Carol DeFoor, who joined the auction April 1.

The 2011 spring and summer “went very well,” Ms. DeFoor told The Produce News Aug. 23. “It was a very good season. Prices were good, and the farmers should have done well.”

Volume so far has been “comparable to previous years, if not better,” she continued. “Dollar volume was higher” than usual, as “volume was very good, very strong.”

VINELAND, NJ — “It’s been a pretty good summer so far. August seems to be a tad slower, but otherwise it’s been a pretty good summer. The whole line moved pretty well.”

Vince Consalo, president of Wm. Consalo & Sons Farms Inc., here, made that assessment of the 2011 New Jersey produce deal Aug. 24, as he prepared for the fall deal — the third and last portion of the long New Jersey produce season.

“The wind from Hurricane Irene wasn’t as bad as we feared, but the rain took a toll on our crops,” Jerry Mongelluzzo, president of Mike & Matt’s Produce Co. LLC, in Vineland, NJ, told The Produce News on Aug. 31. “In some places it was as much as 20 inches, but most areas here got between 10 and 12 inches.”

The company harvested as much eggplant, squash and peppers as possible, knowing that these crops do not like a lot of water. Luckily, it was able to ship these dry products.

HAMMONTON, NJ — The summer deal has been “a little bit of a struggle because of the weather,” said Bob De Lash of Frank Donio Inc. But “availability has been good, quality has been OK” due in part to the rainy summer, and “pricing has been very good.”

Nick Giordano, vice president of The Fresh Wave LLC, in Vineland, NJ, told The Produce News that the company’s import and fall-green programs are the big deals for the company.

“Lettuces are our primary category,” said Mr. Giordano. “We focus on certain growers who pack to our specifications. The results are phenomenal for us. In past years we had to work hard to sell fall greens, but today they come looking for us in the fall.”

The company is also leading the New Jersey-grown sweet potato deal, and is a year-round supplier of the commodity.