Abundance of product at Vineland Produce Auction
Abundance of product at Vineland Produce Auction
VINELAND, NJ — The Vineland Produce Auction has seen “pretty stable” volume so far this year, and “quality has been very good” on items across the board, according to the Auction’s Carol DeFoor.
A blue tarp covering part of a roof torn away during a powerful storm that struck the Vineland Produce Auction back on June 30 with winds of 100 mph. (Photo by Gordon M. Hochberg) However, “Prices are still low, especially compared to last year, which was our best year ever,” she said, noting that prices are “more in line with two or three years ago.”
The reason for the lower prices would seem to be simply a matter of supply and demand. “The good weather” during most of the spring and summer “affected us,” bringing on harvests of most crops much earlier than normal in New Jersey as well in many areas of the southern and eastern United States, leading to very strong volume and lower prices, she explained.
And looking ahead to New Jersey’s fall deal, Ms. DeFoor said that “even the fall products are looking plentiful.”
When The Produce News visited the auction Aug. 21, some damage was still visible from a powerful storm that struck back on June 30. “We had winds at 100 mph for 20 minutes,” Ms. DeFoor recalled.
Some brokers at the auction lost power for up to one week, and one tractor-trailer was knocked on its side, she noted. One wall shifted three feet and sections of the roof on one platform were ripped off. Blue tarp coverings — often seen on roofs in the wake of hurricane damage — were now protecting the affected roofs at the Vineland Produce Auction.
“We’re in the process of getting the approvals to start repairs,” she said. “Our crews came in right away. They worked really well.” And “even through all that, the auction proceeded as normal.”
Ms. DeFoor’s buoyancy and confidence were evident as she looked ahead to the state’s fall deal, too. “We’re hoping for a great fall,” she concluded. “We’re always optimistic. We have to be.”
