It’s not déjà vu all over again for O.C. Shulz & Sons Inc. And Dave Moquist, the company’s secretary-treasurer, said that’s a good thing. “It was such a pleasure this year compared to last,” he told The Produce News on Sept. 12.

“We had adequate moisture and excellent conditions for planting and the early stages of growing. It turned hot and dry for the rest of the growing season after July 4. It looks like the moisture in our area turned out to be adequate.”

Garber Farms in Iota, LA, has been in business for 131 years, giving the owner, Wayne Garber, some deep insight into growing issues, trends and changes throughout the years.

He explained to The Produce News that there is an aspect of growing where different crops compete for the same piece of land.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service issued its annual mushroom report Aug. 20. It states that sales of the 2011-12 U.S. mushroom crop totaled 900 million pounds, up 4 percent from the previous year. Value of sales for the 2011-12 crop is $1.1 billion, up 8 percent from the previous year.

In a typical year, Georgia leads the nation in pecan production and has for decades. But with the nut’s rising popularity and migration to the produce department, Georgia growers have enough new trees in the ground to increase production by about 50 percent between now and 2020. More importantly, Georgia growers believe they will find a welcoming market for those additional pecans.

The U.S. Sweet Potato Council, along with growers, marketers and state-based organizations, has a lot to be happy about these days. Sweet potato demand has grown by approximately 20 percent per year for the past several years. Hardly a day goes by that sweet potatoes aren’t popping up in front of consumers’ faces in food magazines, cookbooks and on television shows. And the more scientific research that is done on sweet potatoes, the more good news surfaces about its nearly miraculous benefits.

Benny Graves, executive director of the Vardaman, MS-based Mississippi Sweet Potato Council, told The Produce News that growers in the state started harvesting in August and were between 25 and 30 percent into the crop in mid-September.

“We have some good-looking potatoes coming out,” said Mr. Graves. “There are a couple of isolated spots that got a little too much moisture, but they are minimal, and overall we have some of the best shapes and qualities that I’ve seen in a while.”