Stemilt Growers Inc., headquartered in Wenatchee, WA, is pleased to see that the troublesome economy is losing its grip on organic shoppers. “Coming out of this economy, it seems to be that sales are on the uptick,” Director of Marketing Roger Pepperl told The Produce News May 24.

HAMMONTON, NJ — John Galaida is expecting a good crop of New Jersey blueberries in 2012 with good quality and good size. And oh yes: the earliest he has even seen.

Vegetables and other crops have been early this year in New Jersey as well as in the Middle Atlantic and Southern states, thanks to a very warm winter and early spring. Jersey blues are looking to follow that pattern.

VINELAND, NJ — At the very end of May, Vince Consalo was expecting strong volume and good quality to mark the 2012 New Jersey blueberry season — and an early start.

On May 23, Bob Von Rohr, director of customer relations for Sunny Valley International, headquartered in Glassboro, NJ, told The Produce News that at this time of the year an accurate assessment of New Jersey’s blueberry crop is pretty much a sure thing.

HAMMONTON, NJ — With a mild winter and early spring, plenty of sunshine during the growing season and rainfall coming at the right times, Tim Wetherbee is expecting a good crop of New Jersey blueberries in 2012, with the only possible negative — as it has been the last couple of years — the labor situation.

HAMMONTON, NJ —Atlantic Blueberry Co. was expecting to start this year’s blueberry harvest around June 7, a few days after some others in the state but still way earlier than the normal start date of around June 14, according to Art Galletta, president of the company, headquartered here.