While it’s still a bit early in New Jersey’s 2026 season to paint a clear picture of 2026, Joe Atchison III, The New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s assistant secretary of agriculture and director of marketing and development, noted the state’s growers have overwintered leeks, early greens, asparagus, spinach and some greenhouse strawberries and basil in market already. 

“With the warming weather after a cool spring, we anticipate the season will catch up and be fantastic,” he said.

With the arrival of spring, the NJDA is looking forward to its annual trip to Canada to attend the CPMA show in Toronto later this month. 

“We are exhibiting and our primary message will be that the Jersey Fresh season is underway and ready to meet the needs of Canadian retailers for the many varieties of fruits and vegetables that our growers provide weeks before the Canadian season begins,” Atchison III said. “The majority of fruits and vegetables leaving the United States from New Jersey are destined for the Canadian market. Therefore, maintaining and establishing relationships with buyers in the Canadian market is an important part of New Jersey agriculture.”

At the show, the NJDA will be highlighting a multitude of seasonal items that New Jersey growers are known for.  “There always seems to be particular interest in squashes and blueberries from New Jersey, but we promote all the 100-plus varieties of fruits and vegetables when we promote the Jersey Fresh brand,” Atchison III said.

While the NJDA doesn’t promote individual farmers, it does promote awareness of the products harvested in the Garden State and maintains the FindJerseyFresh.com website where interested parties can search producers by location or crop.

New Jersey growers are facing many of the same challenges that others across the nation are dealing with and the NJDA is doing its part to help the growers overcome any issues.

“Rising input and labor costs along with climate impacts create challenges for farmers across the globe,” Atchison III said. “Additionally, regulatory and/or bureaucratic silos impede efficiency and frustrate farmers. New Jersey’s new administration has challenged departments of state government to reduce redundancies and to have more inter-agency cooperation to streamline paperwork and regulatory issues for all New Jerseyans — including farmers.”

Being at CPMA helps strengthen relationships between New Jersey growers and retail or foodservice buyers, which is why the NJDA returns year after year.

“Anytime you have an opportunity to meet face-to-face with another person, it is more effective at establishing and strengthening relationships,” Atchison III said. “Virtual meetings are convenient and serve well in a pinch, but one on one opportunities like those provided at shows like the CPMA event cannot be replaced.”

As technology evolves and improves along with research in the agricultural industry, the NJDA sees great opportunity for better, more vibrant harvests. 

“Improved technology will also lead to increased markets as online shopping and better logistic maps will allow more access to crops,” Atchison III said, “and the more efficient transportation and ordering becomes, the smaller the world becomes which leads to more exports to new markets.”