Though temperatures in the 90s and dry conditions turned up the heat on New York produce in early July, shippers said the growing season up to that point has been near ideal.
“It is a little on the dry side, but everything looks pretty good right now,” said John Williams, partner with Williams Farms LLC, Marion, N.Y.
Harvest timing appears about normal, he said.
The dry conditions were a turnabout from last year, when heavy rains caused some fields to go unplanted, said Jason Turek, partner in Turek Farms, King Ferry, N.Y.
This year, growers are looking for rain, he said.
“Up to this point, I would say the (growing) season has been pretty good except for the heat that we’ve had in the last two days,” said Ron Myruski, salesman for Goshen, N.Y.-based Raymond Myruski LLC. Onion harvest will begin in early to mid-August, he said July 3.
2017 recap
A look at U.S. Department of Agriculture shipment figures for New York fruit and vegetable shipments showed mixed trends.
- Apple shipments, the top volume commodity in New York, were down 11% from 2016.
- Onions, the second-ranked fresh commodity by volume, saw shipments increase 18% in 2017 compared with the previous season.
- Sweet corn, ranked third in volume during 2017, recorded fresh shipments in 2017 that were up 30% from 2016.
- Cucumber shipments in 2017 were up 5% from the previous year, and fresh bean shipments were up 1%, the USDA said.
- Cabbage shipments were off 3%, and potato shipments were nearly unchanged from a year ago.
Harvest was underway for green beans in early July for Torrey Farms Inc., Elba, N.Y., said saleswoman Shannon Kyle.
“We haven’t had some of the weather challenges you’ve heard from other regions where they’ve had some heavy rains,” she said.
Cabbage and squash are expected to be underway by mid-July, and Kyle said the region has not experienced any major planting gaps.
“Supply should be steady, and quality looks very good,” she said, noting fairly normal harvest timing.
Another shipper said quality and demand have been good so far.
A later spring put crops a little behind normal pace, but recent heat has moved timing to normal, said Brian Haley, general manager for Eden Valley Growers, Eden, N.Y.
“Everything is rolling in about the same time frame as last year,” he said. “We’re looking forward to having a great season this year.”
The company has begun harvest of lettuces, broccoli and cucumbers by early July and bell peppers and hot specialty peppers in mid-July. Sweet corn will start the third week of July, he said.
The company also grows squash and cucumbers. The company will ship to the end of October, with hard squashes and pumpkins offered in the fall.
Local demand
New York shippers say they are well positioned to retail and consumer needs.
With 50 million consumers to supply in the Northeast, Haley said there is plenty of demand for local produce.
“We really like that retailers appreciate the consumers wanting local product,” Haley said.
“We’re hopeful that our customers see the benefit of carrying local, and they see the benefit on the sell side of it,” he said.
“We hope they can understand as we ask for just a few more pennies, that’s going just to help pay for rising costs.”
