A mild Northeast winter set the stage for an early start to harvest of spring crops for R&R Flaim Farms/Next Generation Produce, and company officials are looking forward to carrying the momentum through the summer season.

Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer across the U.S. For many, it is a proud family tradition to cap off the day with a large family meal. It’s an opportunity to fire up the grill and spend time together with loved ones outside. The voices of celebration and the sound of fireworks will ring out from town to town.

Fresh Farms, a leading grower, packer and shipper of high-quality produce, has announced the launch of its new marketing campaign, “Taste to Believe.” The campaign invites consumers to try Fresh Farms' produce and experience the superior taste and quality that sets the brand apart.

HILLSDALE, NJ — The New Jersey Department of Agriculture hosted the Eastern Produce Council's Jersey Fresh Cookout May 23, here, at Demarest Farms.

Jersey Fresh foods held a starring role throughout the evening as the state-sponsored program — the oldest of its kind — marked its 39th year. Douglas Fisher, New Jersey’s secretary of agriculture, extolled the virtues of New Jersey produce and the Jersey Fresh program before other speakers shifted the focus to Fisher, who is retiring July 1 after 15 years in his current role.

Joe Ingardia Sr., who founded Ingardia Bros. Produce Inc. along with his brother Sam, died May 16, one month short of the company's 50th anniversary. He was 87.

Mr. Ingardia was born on Jan. 5, 1936, the second of five children of Pietro and Gaetana Ingardia, both from Sicily.

Mr. Ingardia immigrated to America from Tunisia at the age of 18 along with his mother, brothers Sam (Salvatore) and Larry (Lorenzo), and sister Marie (Maria). His father and his older sister, Kathy (Catarina), had come a year earlier to earn enough money for the rest of the family.

Favorable weather conditions in the mango-growing regions in Mexico have set the stage for ample volumes of fruit that so far has shown excellent quality, which is music to the ears of officials at Splendid by Porvenir.