As in past years, New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s Division of Marketing and Development is providing New Jersey’s fruit and vegetable industry with vital and expert inspection and grading services.

Working in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, NJDA’s inspectors work with brokers, shippers, dealers, processors and farmers throughout the state.

Through this service, NJDA’s inspectors perform both shipping point and terminal market inspections, and issue official certificates that are admissible in all U.S. courts as prima facie evidence.

While many consumers know that New Jersey is the Garden State and are familiar with the ever popular Jersey Fresh marketing and advertising program, with the increasing popularity of the Farm to School initiative, these two issues are now starting to reach New Jersey’s youngest consumers — school-aged children.

The third-warmest first quarter of the year has had a significant impact on the growing conditions for spring Jersey Fresh produce. Our record spring warmth got everything off to a historically early start. Spring was drier than usual as well. This weather encouraged many growers’ abilities to get seed or transplant into the soil at earlier dates than most can remember, allowing for more plowing and planting, and more gradual growing conditions and bee pollination.

This spring’s cool nighttime temperatures created excellent quality lettuces, greens and strawberries.

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture requires any person buying or receiving produce from New Jersey growers on a credit basis to be licensed and bonded.

Security must be filed with the Department in an amount relating to the value of their credit purchases. The security is meant to provide financial protection to New Jersey producers in the event of a default on payment.

Immokalee, FL-based Lipman has acquired Dallas-based Combs Produce, a three-generation tomato repacker and fresh produce distributor, in a move that expands the Florida company's access to the Southwest.

Lipman Chief Operating Officer Darren Micelle told The Produce News June 1 that the move was part of an overarching service strategy; Combs was not a specific takeover focus, but as existing long-time strategic partners, discussions over the past few months evolved into an opportunity to make the move.

All of the operations employees at Dandrea Produce Inc. in Vineland, NJ, took a few minutes to gather for this photo in early May. (Photos by Gordon M.