HAMMONTON, NJ — Persistent rain and bursts of heat during the summer of 2013 have adversely affected many crops in New Jersey, cutting into both volume and quality, according to Bob Donio, vice president at Frank Donio Inc., a grower, shipper and distributor of a full line of fresh produce.

“We’ve been subject to the elements,” Donio told The Produce News Thursday morning, Aug. 15 at the company’s headquarters here in southern New Jersey. Over the course of the summer, “we got a lot of rain, then a lot of heat, then we got more rain.”

As a result, “Our volume’s been off because of that,” he said. “Our quality’s been off because of that. You do the best you can, but the weather is the weather.”

More specifically, he said that volume of many summer items at Frank Donio Inc. is down about 20-30 percent from normal levels. He mentioned squash, cucumbers, herbs and some greens as examples of items most affected by the tough weather conditions that have prevailed this summer in the Garden State.

The weather even affected one of the state’s signature items: blueberries. “Volume was OK,” said Donio, but the rain did make for some soft berries this season.

Asked how New Jersey’s upcoming fall season might fare with the weather-related problems of the summer in mind, Donio replied, “There’s going to be production gaps in the fall. There’s going to be a bunch of product and then no product, a bunch of product and then no product. You’re going to see a roller coaster of volume.”

He added, “A smart wholesaler or retailer could take advantage of when volume hits.” He offered this advice: “Be nimble enough to take advantage of when volume is around with spot buying.”

And despite the problems of the summer, the Donio executive was optimistic as the fall season approached. Retailers and consumers are very attuned to enjoying local product in the spring and summer, “but that’s overlooked in the fall,” he said. The fact, however, is that New Jersey can indeed provide local products, “especially items such as tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and all the leafy vegetables,” during the fall season — right until the first hard frosts.

Offering another example, Frank Donio Inc. “has a good planting of green beans for this fall,” he said. “Barring a severe front, the beans should go until around mid-November.”