The 2011 fall produce season is under way and should be highlighted by fair quantities of high-quality produce available for wholesale and retail purchase. To understand New Jersey’s fall season, one needs to take a look at the extreme weather that its farmers have had to deal with to produce its fall crop. This is the second season in a row that severe weather has had a major impact.

Last year, New Jersey experienced the third-wettest winter in recorded history and the wettest March. This was followed by the warmest April through September six-month period in recorded history.

For the second consecutive year, Syngenta’s biotechnology division, based in Research Triangle Park, NC, ranked among the world’s top 10 biotech employers, according to an annual survey conducted by Science magazine.

The company finished eighth in this year’s survey. Results will be published in the Oct. 7 issue of the magazine.

Alsum Farms & Produce Inc. recently launched its “Fast & Fresh” value-added line, according to Rick Kantner, director of sales and marketing for the Friesland, WI-based company.

“The first item in the line is a 12-ounce microwavable bag — one or two servings — of triple-washed, ready-to-cook potatoes,” said Mr. Kantner. “The product is available in either red or gold potato varieties.

“We plan to expand the value-added line in the future,” he continued. “Additional items will be launched in the next 30 to 60 days.”

The 2011 Wisconsin potato crop looks like it will be even smaller than the 2010 crop, according to Bob Johnson, representative for Rosholt, WI-based Katz Produce Sales LLC. “And that wasn’t a very productive crop,” he said.

“Growers are a couple of weeks behind their normal schedule, so some product is still in the ground,” he continued. “At this point there’s a little gray area as to what it will end up looking like, but we do know it was a slow start.”

Tom Lundgren, president of Stephens Point, WI-based Spud City Sales LLC, said that the Wisconsin crop is about average this year.

“We hoped to have a better crop, but yields seem to be off despite the good growing conditions we have had,” he said. “I don’t know why this happened, but it may have been the cool and wet spring. Mother Nature has a lot to do with our industry. Growers have ideal conditions for harvesting, however, so that’s helpful.”

“We started harvesting in August,” Mike Carter, president and chief executive officer of Rosholt, WI-based Bushmans’ Inc. told The Produce News on Sept. 20. “We’re now in the height of our storage season, and we’re storing potatoes at a breakneck pace. The crop is looking very nice.”

Mr. Carter added that some varieties are a little smaller than normal. Some russets sized up nicely, but others did not.