Produce Crops
Mushroom demand continues to grow, with larger pack sizes and Monterey Mushrooms’ Baby Bellas seeing significant growth this past year, said Bruce Knobeloch.
Avondale, Pa.-based Basciani Foods has invested in automation, and that move is paying off, said Fred Recchiuti, general manager of the company.
A shorter apple crop and inflationary supply chain pressures have changed the feel of the 2021-22 apple compared with a year ago.
Bagged apple sales haven’t disappeared nearly two years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic but the trend toward packaged fruit is moderating some, industry leaders report.
Blended products have been the top driver behind product innovation and increasing the consumer-facing portfolio for Rochester, N.Y.-based Leep Foods.
Organic apple supplies are tight and getting tighter in the 2021-22 marketing season.
California has received historic rain numbers this December. The rain year so far has been the wettest since 2017, the wettest year on record. Still, farmers are cautiously optimistic.
With good amounts of moisture during the growing season, citrus production and exports in Australia are expected to grow significantly for the 2021-22 marketing years, according to a UDSA report.
Less than 1% of fruits and vegetables tested by the USDA show pesticide residue levels outside permitted ranges.
At 941,000 acres, the 2024 U.S. potato planted acreage forecast is a 24,000-acre reduction from 2023 but is 18,000 acres more than the 2020-22 average, according to the USDA.
The 2023 Irrigation and Water Management Survey shows the number of farms irrigating, the amount of land irrigated and the total water used for irrigation decreased between 2018 and 2023.
From citrus to other fruits, these crops are essential to the state’s economy but also provide opportunities for retailers to meet consumer demand.
Farm manager Chris Parks shared the news with the Florida Strawberry Growers Association, which celebrates the annual feat officially kicking off the season.
Growers in the state are describing their 2024-25 potato crops as “almost ideal.”
Acreage shifts over the past decade demonstrate the big gains made by the small fruit.
The USDA estimates that Chilean table grape production, aided by high yields, will increase by 6.6%.
Traverse City, Mich.-based North Bay Produce has announced its Erandy blackberry program is flourishing and it is expected to be strong this year.
North Carolina was by far and away the no. 1 state in fresh sweet potato shipments in 2021, according to USDA data.
About one in three consumers say they have purchased sweet potatoes in the last year, The Packer’s 2022 Fresh Trends survey reveals.
Florida citrus country was almost paradise when Fred Gmitter went to the University of Florida in Gainesville to study for his Ph.D. during the 1980s.
Mississippi’s biggest sweet potato grower expects a smooth transition between old crop and new crop supplies this year.
The value of U.S. fresh fruit exports declined 7% for the year from July 2021 through June 2022, USDA statistics show.
With new package and freight options for customers, Idaho Falls, Idaho-based Eagle Eye Produce is looking at the start of its yellow onion harvest in mid-August.
No matter how you slice it, Idaho and Oregon make up a big part of the U.S. onion supply.
The Oberlin, Ohio association has come up with a half-dozen varieties that enable small growers to offer great-tasting apples without the expense of the pricey managed varieties marketed by larger growing operations.
California’s fresh fig season is officially underway, according to Madera-based California Fresh Fig Growers Association.
Citrus growers all over the world are fighting against huanglongbing, aka HLB and citrus greening disease.
The 775 family farms that cover 34,500 acres play a vital role in the Michigan apple industry, the largest and most valuable of the state’s fruit crops.
Onion acreage is stable for Caldwell, Idaho-based Symms Fruit Ranch Inc., company officials report.
The Folsom, Calif.-based U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council is planning its Blueberry Summit for Oct. 5-7 in Nashville, Tenn.