Oppy’s Northwest cherries coming early from Orchard View Farms
Though not as early as had been predicted, Oregon cherries grown by Orchard View Farms in The Dalles and marketed by The Oppenheimer Group were on shelves May 28 or 29, according to Jon Bailey, grandson of company founders Walter and Mabel Bailey and deal manager for Oppy.
Bailey said that start date is seven to nine days ahead of last year, but he added, “We had been thinking we were 14 days ahead, but with cooler weather we have backed up a few days.”
Bob Donio: Volume and quality of early product looking good
HAMMONTON, NJ — Despite very cold weather during the winter and early spring, the 2015 New Jersey spring produce deal seems to be off to a good start, according to Bob Donio, vice president of Frank Donio Inc., here.
“I think things are starting out well,” Donio told The Produce News Thursday morning, May 14. “The produce is looking good, the pricing on this early product — the lettuces, the greens — has been good. And quality has been excellent.”
Jimmy Nardelli comes on board at Nardelli Bros.
Jimmy Nardelli graduated from the University of Delaware this spring and immediately joined the family business, Nardelli Bros. Inc., in Cedarville, NJ.
The youngest son of company President Bill Nardelli, Jimmy joins his older brother, Bill Jr., both of whom have worked for the company since they were very young.
NJDA provides third-party food-safety audits
The New Jersey Department of Agriculture Division of Marketing and Development is continuing to move forward on the food-safety front.
During the 2014 growing season, the Division performed 78 Third Party Food Safety audits on farms, packinghouses, and shipping facilities throughout New Jersey. That is almost a 25 percent increase from the 2013 season.
The Third Party Audit program is currently voluntary in conjunction with the USDA GAP/GHP, and the Harmonized audits.
Another bitter winter can’t stop Jersey Fresh
This past winter, New Jersey was lucky not to have the record snowfalls that many in the Northeast and across the country experienced. However, we had extremely cold stretches followed by wet periods in late winter and early spring. Thankfully, fields have warmed and dried and Garden State growers are busy working to bring you another great season of Jersey Fresh fruits and vegetables.
Maintaining consistent principles creates better consumer confidence
We become quite familiar and comfortable with the natural rhythm of the seasons, with what we come to regard as predictable ebb and flow, with the frozen landscape of winter giving way to thawing and warming, and the re-emergence of life all around us.
Facts about Doug Fisher
Douglas Howard Fisher was born on April 28, 1947, in Bridgeton, NJ. He graduated from Bryant College (now Bryant University) in 1969 with a bachelor of science degree in business administration. He served in the New Jersey National Guard from 1969 to 1975. In 1971, he began a 30-year career as a supermarket owner and operator.
Great start to 2015 New Jersey season for D’Ottavio
VINELAND, NJ — “The 2015 Jersey season looks to be off to a great start,” Mike D’Ottavio stated in mid-May.
“Weather issues in the southeastern United States have created very high markets with even stronger demand,” he continued. “The unfortunate California drought problems are certainly paying off for us growers on the East Coast. We haven’t seen lettuce markets like this in a long time.”
Late start in New Jersey a minor issue for Nardelli Bros.
CEDARVILLE, NJ — A cool and wet spring has delayed the start of the New Jersey vegetable deal by about a week, but Bill Nardelli of Nardelli Bros., here, is not concerned in the least.
“The weather is starting to warm up, and once that happens things will really start to pop,” Nardelli said May 5, on a day when the mercury reached an unseasonably warm 84 degrees.
Nardelli Bros. is one of the Garden State’s leading growers, producing 80 different commodities on approximately 2,000 acres. But despite its size, there are no plans to stand pat.
Vivid moves into new space at the Vineland Produce Auction
VINELAND, NJ — New Jersey’s 2015 spring vegetable season is starting out “solid,” and “quality has been beyond perfection,” Jonathan Consalo of Vivid Fruit & Produce LLC told The Produce News Tuesday morning, May 12.