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The 2018 watermelon season in Delaware, Maryland and the Eastern Shore of Virginia may see reduced volume and possible supply gaps this summer.

Annual volumes of Peruvian avocados exported to the U.S. have trended upward — from 20 million pounds in 2011-12 to a peak of 142 million in 2014-15, with record volumes expected this season.

Importers report good volume and quality for Peruvian asparagus, with interest expected to tick up as production in numerous other regions finishes up.

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.

Peru’s onion season is off to a slow start, but quality is good and production is expected to increase over last season.

Portland, Ore.-based USA pears kicked off the start of the 2018 harvest season with actress Amy Smart’s new role as official spokesperson for the group.

The storm clouds have fled and sunshine has returned, but it will take North Carolina sweet potato growers several days to assess damage from Hurricane Florence.

North Carolina sweet potato growers are scrambling to harvest as much of their crop as possible before Hurricane Florence makes landfall.

Hurricane Florence caused more than $1.1 billion in damage to crops and livestock in North Carolina, according to a new state estimate. Of that, about $27 million is damage to vegetables and horticultural crop losses.

Significant damage to North Carolina’s sweet potato crop is anticipated after Hurricane Florence pounded many areas of the state with double-digit rainfall totals.