“We are scheduled to start cabbage movement in Georgia on April 22,” Calvert Cullen, president of Northampton Growers, headquartered in Cheriton, VA, told The Produce News on April 16. “Cucumbers are scheduled to start around May 15, followed by peppers on May 25 and eggplant on the first of June.”

Mr. Cullen noted that the company was wrapping up the last week of cabbage movement in Florida in mid-April.

“We are also still moving peppers and squashes in Florida,” he said. “Our expectations are for a smooth transition into Georgia this year. But Georgia’s crops got slowed down a bit because of bad weather. In mid-March we had 21 inches of rain in one day alone in Georgia. We expect to be about a week later than movement started last year.”

He added that by mid-April the weather had warmed up considerably, and he felt that the risk of inclement conditions was past.

“Everything is fertilized, the weather is warm and the rain is coming in good amounts,” he said. “As growers, we can’t ask for much more, and we’re willing to live with a little late glitch if it means we can bring home an outstanding crop.”

Northampton Growers ships its fresh produce under the “Plantation” brand in Georgia and Virginia. In North Carolina it uses the “Mattanuskeett” label — after its namesake lake — on product from the Fairfield, NC, area. The company ships its product throughout the eastern United States, the Midwest and into Canada.

Mr. Cullen partners with Steve McCready, who is also the company’s comptroller. Founded in 1959, the company has evolved from a two-person operation to a staff of 30 full-time, in-house employees.

“Growth of this nature is proof that customers continue to come back, and new ones are responsive to our goods and services,” said Mr. Cullen. “Our priority is to provide high quality and top service. It has worked for us so far, and we anticipate that our future growth will also be based on our sound background in both areas.”

The company was already planted in the Carolinas in mid-April. Mr. Cullen said that cabbage would start there around May 20-25. Green beans are scheduled for June 1, cucumbers for June 10 and peppers on June 25.

“With decent growing conditions right now in all of our areas, we feel that the season will unwind nicely with high-quality and good-volume crops. We just need to stay away from hailstorms. Those late evening thunderstorms can be torrential.”

As long as the weather cooperates, Northampton Growers’ schedule is set for this year. Mr. Cullen added, “We just need to get things harvested, packed and sold. It’s just a matter of implementing as of now.”

Besides potential uncooperative weather, growers like Northampton are still battling the labor issue.

“Immigration is still up in the air,” Mr. Cullen said at the time of the inerview. “A year ago our workers were running everywhere because they thought they were going to be arrested. A judge in Georgia stopped that action, but it had a major impact on us. We’re now hoping to get immigration laws passed that will eliminate these problems.”

Fuel costs are still high, and it affects everything that a grower does to plant, harvest and market a crop. Mr. Cullen said that everything from the fuel in the tractors used in the fields to the wax used in the packing boxes, and everything in-between, is affected by fuel prices.

Northampton Growers is an active participant in locally grown initiatives in every state that it operates in.

“We’ve been doing this for so many year that it’s a given today,” said Mr. Cullen. “Our shed has a local grower and brand which helps to market the local product. We grow and pack in Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and everywhere else where we produce.

“We are looking forward to a good season, and once we get through this slight late hiccup in Georgia, we’ll be on the same basic program that we are on typically,” Mr. Cullen said. “Customers will have great supplies of high quality produce from Northampton again this year.”