Arkansas
Local connections and relationships are helping new and old growers alike expand operations.
Arkansas is known for its tasty field-grown tomatoes, and grower-shippers say this year’s crop should put a smile on the faces of produce buyers and consumers alike.
When arrival nears for a new crop of Arkansas tomatoes, consumers can hardly wait. At least that’s the opinion of Gary Margolis, a tomato marketer who owns Hamburg, Ark.-based Gem Tomato & Vegetable Sales.
Blackberries, watermelon, sweet corn and tomatoes are just few of the approximately two dozen fruits and vegetables Arkansas growers will be marketing this spring and summer, and they say quality should be excellent.
There should be no gap between old crop and new crop sweet potato shipments in Arkansas, one leading marketer reports.
Helping to connect consumers with growers in the state, the Arkansas Grown program provides an online directory of suppliers that any Arkansas grower can join.
North Little Rock, Ark.-based Safe Foods Corporation, a division of PSSI, hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for its latest expansion project in North Little Rock on June 2.
Lowell, Ark.-based Kimball & Thompson Produce Co. has been awarded a five-year, $165 million contract to supply fresh fruits and vegetables to military installations and schools.
Recent Shelby Market data has revealed the top retailers by market share in each region of the United States.
Wynne, Ark.-based Matthews Ridgeview Farms is optimistic for a strong spring sweetpotato season, says Autumn Campbell, sales manager.
The Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Arkansas Grown program has a lot on its plate this summer, with plans for an advertising campaign and farmers market week, while preparing for its annual expo.
Arkansas grower-shippers already are harvesting many of their spring/summer crops, like berries, broccoli, cucumbers and lettuce, and movement will pick up as the season progresses.