Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers have product with exceptional quality this year, which should help growers rebound from slowed movement in 2012 and allow them to make improvements and additions to their facilities.

George Gilvesy, general manager of the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers in Leamington, ON, told The Produce News that the organization has placed a concentrated effort on the launch of this season’s Ontario greenhouse program.

Unified Grocers has named Charlie's Produce as its exclusive partner in all produce categories for Unified's independent retail customers operating stores in Oregon, Washington and Alaska. Retail customers of Unified in the Pacific Northwest will now have more than 5,500 fresh produce items available, as well as a broad assortment of specialty and prepared produce, floral and home meal replacement products.

Throughout its many generations farming in the rich soil of Elba, NY, Torrey Farms Inc. has acquired the expertise necessary to bring the freshest quality produce to the marketplace.

“We continue to focus on growing proven varieties for flavor, nutritional value and freshness, and we are always trying new things to adapt and to produce the best product possible,” said Shannon Kyle, part of the company’s sales and marketing team.

The message from Greg Orchards & Produce Inc., based in Benton Harbor, MI, is clearly one of health and abundance.

“We should have an abundant crop of good-quality apples and peaches,” Sales Manager Marilyn Redder told The Produce News. “Growers have been busy thinning, which is an excellent sign. All our fruit trees, both apples and peaches, are very healthy coming into the 2013 season. We had abundance of blossoms and more leaves present than normal. The trees are green, lush and full of good-quality fruit. A healthy tree produces more flavorful sweet fruit.”

Nick Huizinga, general manager of Hearty Fresh Inc., said weather conditions will affect commodity production during the 2013 season. “We did not get into our fields until the third week of May, which is abnormally late,” he told The Produce News. “Weather has been very unpredictable. So it’s hard to say what quality, sizing, yields, etc. will look like compared to years past. We had a very wet, cold spring, and a lot can change from now until harvest.”

The California Agricultural Statistics Review 2012-13 provided a snapshot for pear production during 2011.

• California ranked second nationally for its pear production during 2011. The state’s producers accounted for 26 percent of national volume for a total value of $98.7 million.

• The category “other pears” reached record production in 2011.

• Bartlett pear production increased 15 percent for a total value $60.7 million in 2011.

• Tonnage for utilized production in 2011 was set at 252,000 tons for all pears.