“It was simply too cold and wet in the spring to get plants in the ground on time in Michigan this year,” said Calvert Cullen, president of Cheriton, VA-based Northampton Growers Produce Sales Inc., in mid-June. “Everything is planted now, and we’re now getting some really good weather there. We expect things to pick up quickly and that we’ll have nice volumes and great quality in Michigan this year. We will start harvesting around July 4, which is about 10 days later than normal.”

“We are currently growing celery, corn and radishes at our Michigan operations,” said Brent Klamer, assistant manager of Michigan operations for Duda Farm Fresh Foods, headquartered in Oviedo, FL.

“All crops are running slightly behind schedule by about one week due to rain and cool weather in May,” he continued. “But they all look like once they begin they will be very good quality. Celery is the least affected because it is transplanted and the plants get a head start in the nursery.”

Weather during the past few summers has been challenging for farmers, and Jason Turek, partner at Turek Farms in Kings Ferry, NY, said 2014 is no exception. “The temps have been seasonal, but it’s still wet,” he told The Produce News in mid-June. And he offered a further perspective. “There was still ice on Lake Erie in April.”

Turek takes things in stride. “As farmers, we’re never happy,” he chuckled. The situation hasn’t dampened his enthusiasm, however. “We are hoping for a warm, long summer,” he added.

BROOKLYN, NY — Shoppers at the Foodtown of Bay Ridge come here for all the things that the best supermarkets anywhere around the United States provide today: a wide variety of items in all the various departments, especially the produce department; competitive pricing; clean, well-lit aisles; convenient hours; and friendly and knowledgeable personnel.

As old and new apple crop seasons dovetail each other, insights from the orchard show a bright future for New York’s industry. “Last year, we had an excellent crop, a full crop, one of the largest crops in history,” said Jim Allen, president of the New York Apple Association in Fishers, NY. “Pricing was OK. Quality and packouts were good. We’re still selling last year’s crop.”

ST. LOUIS — For H.R. Bushman & Son Corp., based here, “business in St. Louis has always been good. It picks up some every year. There are no downs,” Sal Pupillo, the company’s owner, said.

Pupillo added that there are not as many small produce distributors in St. Louis as there were in the past. The number of mom-and-pop stores in St. Louis has dramatically declined.