Despite a spring marked by unpredictable weather and freezing temperatures across parts of New Jersey, D’Ottavio Farms is entering the 2026 blueberry season optimistic about crop quality, sizing and long-term growth opportunities.

“This season started with some unusually cold weather for New Jersey,” said Mike D’Ottavio, president of D’Ottavio Farms. “A lot of growers experienced damage to peaches and blueberries after a couple cold mornings earlier in the spring.”

Mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in full bloom with vibrant patriotic container combinations from Proven Winners. From easy-to-create red, white and blue combos to exciting new 2026 plant varieties, these festive planter ideas make it simple to add seasonal style to porches, patios and outdoor spaces.

Proven Winners takes the guesswork out of container gardening with expertly designed recipes created to deliver bold color, texture and continuous blooms to celebrate this historic anniversary.

Jim Angelucci, longtime general manager at Phillips Mushroom Farms and a respected leader, mentor and friend whose remarkable career spanned more than 50 years with the company, has died at the age of 76.

Bolthouse Fresh Foods is launching limited-time 12-ounce Party Sticks, fresh carrots in bold patriotic packaging designed to drive incremental sales and impulse purchase behavior in the produce department.

This year, the avocado market has seen record volumes from Mexico and a third straight year of California eclipsing the 300 million-pound mark, so there is no shortage of fruit for the U.S. market.

That has led to a slow start for Peru, according to Isabel Tavera, vice president of Pacific Produce, who told The Produce News on May 25 that just 194 containers of Peruvian avocados had shipped to date compared to 1,124 containers the same time last year. 

Floral is one of the most operationally sensitive categories in fresh. It moves fast, responds quickly to disruption and leaves little room for error. In a category where timing, temperature, handling and consumer demand all intersect, even the smallest misstep can have immediate consequences.

That sensitivity is exactly what makes floral such an important model for the rest of the industry.