With more than a century of farming history in New Jersey, Russo Farms continues evolving its operation through expanded production, infrastructure investments and a strong focus on quality as the company heads into the heart of the 2026 season.

Russo Farms, based in Vineland, NJ, operates nearly 350 acres and handles more than 50 categories of vegetables, while also maintaining its own trucking fleet and direct grower relationships throughout the region. 

“We had a very unseasonably cold spring, which was actually a blessing,” said Thomas Russo Jr., president of Russo Farms. “It held our products back a little bit, but overall it’s been very good for us.” 

The colder conditions created challenges for some fruit growers throughout the region, particularly peaches and blueberries, though Russo noted vegetable production at Russo Farms benefited from the slower pace.

“A lot of the peach guys and blueberry growers lost most of their crops because of the late freezes,” Russo said. “On the green side, it actually worked out pretty well for us.” 

As the company moves deeper into spring and summer production, crops such as green onions, Swiss chard, cilantro, parsley, dill and squash are entering full production. 

“We should be in full swing within a week or week-and-a-half,” Russo said. 

One of the biggest advantages for East Coast growers this year has been freight costs, which continue impacting shipments from Western growing regions.

“There’s good availability out west, but freight rates are so high right now that it creates a pretty strong competitive advantage for the East Coast,” Russo said. “I’ve never seen freight rates this high.” 

The company is also seeing increased demand for customized packaging and customer-specific programs.

“I almost don’t know if there are two customers who get the same mixed products,” Russo said. “We pack cilantro 10 or 12 different ways with different case counts, rubber bands, private labels and box types.” 

That flexibility has become increasingly important as retailers push for more specialized programs and onboarding requirements.

“You have to be adaptable,” Russo said. “A lot of retailers are pushing to get fully up to speed with these programs, and growers have to be capable of doing that.” 

Relationships with outside growers remain another important part of the company’s success.

“The key is treating growers fairly,” Russo said. “A lot of my neighbors are not just growers we work with — they’re friends.” 

Russo noted that being a true grower himself helps strengthen those partnerships.

“When I talk to another grower, I know exactly what they’re going through because I’m dealing with the same fertilizer costs and the same growing challenges,” Russo said. “It’s my job as a shipper to help them get a good return so they keep growing the product.” 

The company has continued investing heavily in irrigation and crop management systems as weather conditions become more extreme.

“We’re doing a lot more drip irrigation than we ever have before,” Russo said. “It helps conserve water, provides better water to the crops and helps control humidity during the hot New Jersey summers.” 

Russo Farms is also undergoing a significant facility expansion that will increase storage capacity and improve overall efficiency.

“We’re hoping to have the expansion completed by the end of the year,” Russo said. “We simply need more room.” 

Another major initiative involves bringing transplant production in-house through the potential purchase of a nearby greenhouse operation.

“It’s not really about saving money, it’s about quality,” Russo said. “We like having everything in-house whenever possible.” 

The company is also producing lettuce for the first time this year, including romaine, green leaf, red leaf, escarole and endive.

“We just started harvesting and I think they’re beautiful,” Russo said.