KINGSBURG, CA — The California stone fruit industry has seen considerable consolidation and attrition in recent years, and according to Bob Maxwell, sales manager at Kingsburg Orchards, here, it has left the industry stronger.

REEDLEY, CA — Twenty years ago, only 5 percent of the peaches and nectarines grown in California were white-flesh varieties, noted Don Goforth, marketing director for Family Tree Farms Marketing LLC, here. “Today, 25 percent of our industry is now white flesh.”

HANDFORD, CA — By design, the Flavor Tree Fruit Co. LLC, here, starts its peach and nectarine program later in the season than some other shippers. That is because the company is so heavily involved in cherries during the early season, according to Maurice Cameron, managing partner.

McALLEN, TX — Texas growers lost about 3,000 acres of watermelon this spring to periodic hailstorms that battered the state across all growing areas, including the southernmost Rio Grande Valley, where hail is an uncommon occurrence. Meanwhile, Mexican watermelon production is down — another victim of escalating drug cartel violence, according to some — opening doors for Texas grower-shippers with strong domestic programs but impacting others who import from south of the border.

Country Sweet Produce Inc., which is located at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley about 30 miles south of Bakersfield, CA, expects to start its 2012 onion season with red, yellow and white varieties, both conventional and organic, and including certified sweet onions, right after Memorial Day. That will place Country Sweet among the earlier suppliers of onions in the valley, according to Duke Dodder, commodity sales manager.

Colder-than-normal spring weather produced light mango supplies in May as harvest shifted from the southern districts to those in more central Mexico. But as the summer moves on — and the harvest continues to move north — supplies should be very good.

Marketers love to have great supplies in May before all of the U.S. summer fruits get going in a big way and competes for retail shelf space, but that just didn't happen this year. Though there were signs of increasing supplies and some ads were written for the Memorial Day weekend.