COMMERCE CITY, CO — One of its hallmark products, sweet corn from the Olathe area of western Colorado, could well be reaching Ringer & Son customers early this season.

Company President Joshua Johnson is handling the corn deal for sister company Mountain Fresh LLC, a farming operation just outside the town of Delta on the state’s Western Slope.

With shipments likely to startOlathe-area sweet corn grown by Mike Ahlberg and his sons, Zach and Scott, and sold by Ringer & Son in Commerce City will start loading from Mountain Fresh near Delta, CO, in mid-July. in mid-July and running through the first or second week of September, the corn season looks promising. But central to every crop’s success is Colorado’s water situation, which has become increasingly serious with record high temperatures, an ongoing drought and wildfires breaking out across the region.

Early in the season Mr. Johnson said that shipping is likely to start a week ahead of normal, with first loads going out mid-July. He noted that the operation, run by grower Mike Ahlberg and his sons, Zach and Scott, has cut back on white and is growing more bi-colored and yellow corn.

In addition to focusing on the colored varieties, Mountain Fresh has also expanded its hydro-cooling for RPC customers, predominantly larger chains both in and outside Colorado.

Ringer also moves Colorado peaches, potatoes, apples, cabbage, green beans, leafy greens and onions, and in late June Sales Agent Gene Schneider told The Produce News that record heat had brought many Front Range crops on very early.

“The weather has everything jacked up,” he said, noting how certain produce items will be affected is unknown.

“We’ve not had this kind of heat before, and things could change dramatically in the next days and weeks,” Mr. Schneider said.

“One or two days of excessive heat happens from time to time, but today [June 26] we’re on five consecutive days of over 100,” he added. “We’re moving cabbage, green beans and leaf lettuce now [from Weld and Larimer counties north of Denver], and onions might start early.”

Mr. Schneider will work the cantaloupe and watermelon sales for Ringer, handling fruit from Hirakata Farms in the lower Arkansas Valley. He said cantaloupe will be a small deal this year, starting the third week of July.

As a result of last year’s listeria outbreak in cantaloupe grown by Jensen Farms in southeastern Colorado, only one of four commercial growers is producing this year. Volume will only be 15 percent of what it was last year, Mr. Schneider said.

Watermelon acreage in the Arkansas Valley of Colorado is up, and Mr. Schneider said specialty melons such as honeydew and Athena cantaloupe are being offered this year.

Sales Agent Deb Pate works Colorado potatoes, peaches and apples. Palisade peaches from Clark Farms started quite early, with early shipments going out the last week of June. Wholesale apples from United Marketing Exchange are also handled by Ms. Pate.

Sales Agent Dayn Borgmann does not work any one specific Colorado deal but fills in for others during the season.