HAMMONTON, NJ — The long winter of 2013-14 was affecting everyone who handles New Jersey produce, setting back harvesting dates of virtually all items. As a result, there were only a few produce items from New Jersey on hand at Frank Donio Inc. when The Produce News visited the company Thursday, May 8: asparagus, Boston lettuce, dandelion, and a little spinach.

Company Vice President Bob Donio said simply, “We’re late. We’re going to be late.” However, he added, “Other than the cool weather, everything else was OK. It’s just that everything’s late.”

“We recently formed a new registered trademark — ‘Fresher by Miles,’” Bill Nardelli, president of Nardelli Bros. Inc., in Cedarville, NJ, told The Produce News.

“The name exemplifies the message that we want to get across to consumers; we harvest today and it reaches the stores by tomorrow. And it includes the food-safety guidelines that we employ in our company. Today’s consumers want this information.”

Last June, Nardelli Bros. opened a facility in Plant City, FL.

SWEDESBORO, NJ — Sun Valley Orchards, which planted its first asparagus ever a few years ago, is expecting a full crop of asparagus this season, according to Joe Marino, one of the owners of the company.

“This is probably our first full season on all the asparagus acreage, so we expect a full crop from all the acreage,” Marino told The Produce News the first week in May.

COLONIA, NJ — Locally grown fresh produce is a key item at Nicholas Markets, a three-store chain of supermarkets operating under the Foodtown banner in northern New Jersey.

The stores are located in Cedar Grove, North Haledon and here in Colonia. The Produce News visited the Colonia store in mid-May and saw first-hand how the company emphasizes the locally grown concept.

WASHINGTON — A Senate committee voted May 22 on a compromise amendment that would help schools adjust to new nutrition standards but without allowing schools to opt out of the new standards that require more fruits and vegetables in school meals.

The latest vote comes just two days after a House subcommittee voted to grant the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture authority to hand out waivers if schools can demonstrate hardship in meeting the revamped nutrition standards. The issue has become a powder keg on Capitol Hill during the debate over USDA's fiscal 2015 spending measure.

Albertson's LLC has committed $12.5 million over 15 years to Boise State University for the naming rights to the school's famous stadium.

The agreement secures Albertsons Stadium through 2028, subject to approval by the Idaho State Board of Education on June 18. This is a first for both Boise State's stadium and for Albertsons.