The third-warmest first quarter of the year has had a significant impact on the growing conditions for spring Jersey Fresh produce. Our record spring warmth got everything off to a historically early start. Spring was drier than usual as well. This weather encouraged many growers’ abilities to get seed or transplant into the soil at earlier dates than most can remember, allowing for more plowing and planting, and more gradual growing conditions and bee pollination.

This spring’s cool nighttime temperatures created excellent quality lettuces, greens and strawberries.

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture requires any person buying or receiving produce from New Jersey growers on a credit basis to be licensed and bonded.

Security must be filed with the Department in an amount relating to the value of their credit purchases. The security is meant to provide financial protection to New Jersey producers in the event of a default on payment.

Immokalee, FL-based Lipman has acquired Dallas-based Combs Produce, a three-generation tomato repacker and fresh produce distributor, in a move that expands the Florida company's access to the Southwest.

Lipman Chief Operating Officer Darren Micelle told The Produce News June 1 that the move was part of an overarching service strategy; Combs was not a specific takeover focus, but as existing long-time strategic partners, discussions over the past few months evolved into an opportunity to make the move.

All of the operations employees at Dandrea Produce Inc. in Vineland, NJ, took a few minutes to gather for this photo in early May. (Photos by Gordon M.

HAMMONTON, NJ — The unusually warm winter and early-spring weather has made for not just an extremely early start to the 2012 New Jersey spring produce season, but also for what one industry veteran is calling the earliest he’s ever seen.

On May 17, Tom Sheppard, president of Eastern Fresh Growers Inc., in Cedarville, NJ, told The Produce News that the company’s crops would be running on schedule for the remainder of the spring season.

“Squashes, cucumbers and peppers are all on their normal harvesting schedules,” said Mr. Sheppard. “We had a warm March which indicated an early movement, but the cold snap in April put us back to where we are normally. We have a big crop of cucumbers this year, but otherwise our volumes are normal.”