SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, TX -- Texans attending the annual Texas Produce Association convention here Aug. 17-19 were in for some pleasant surprises. Temperatures were a reasonable 90-91 degrees, a welcome break from the sweltering 100s the rest of the state has endured for the last month or more. Commissioner of Agriculture Todd Staples, campaigning for the office of lieutenant governor, stopped by for a visit and to deliver the keynote address. And at least 100 more attendees than were expected turned out for the event.

Nardelli Brothers Inc. in Cedarville, NJ, was spared serious damage by Hurricane Irene in late August.

“The good Lord has been good to us,” said Bill Nardelli, president of Nardelli Brothers. “We got some rain and 40- to 60-mile-per-hour winds, but the rain and wind didn’t coordinate so well as to cause a lot of damage. There will be a little loss on squashes and cucumbers, but our early assessments were pretty reassuring.

After farming for over 100 years, the company knows which areas to plant in during certain times of the year.

Dandrea Produce Inc. in Vineland, NJ, was in assessment mode over the damage caused by Hurricane Irene as of Aug. 30, according to Frank Dandrea, president of the company.

“Notably, we’ll have some damage on squashes, peppers and cucumbers,” he said. “A huge amount of water fell over the state, washing out row crops, roads and dams. It’s going to take some time to assess the total crop loss or damage.”

VINELAND, NJ — The Vineland Produce Auction had a good spring and summer in 2011 and was looking to an equally good fall, with strong volume and high quality, according to Carol DeFoor, who joined the auction April 1.

The 2011 spring and summer “went very well,” Ms. DeFoor told The Produce News Aug. 23. “It was a very good season. Prices were good, and the farmers should have done well.”

Volume so far has been “comparable to previous years, if not better,” she continued. “Dollar volume was higher” than usual, as “volume was very good, very strong.”

VINELAND, NJ — “It’s been a pretty good summer so far. August seems to be a tad slower, but otherwise it’s been a pretty good summer. The whole line moved pretty well.”

Vince Consalo, president of Wm. Consalo & Sons Farms Inc., here, made that assessment of the 2011 New Jersey produce deal Aug. 24, as he prepared for the fall deal — the third and last portion of the long New Jersey produce season.

“The wind from Hurricane Irene wasn’t as bad as we feared, but the rain took a toll on our crops,” Jerry Mongelluzzo, president of Mike & Matt’s Produce Co. LLC, in Vineland, NJ, told The Produce News on Aug. 31. “In some places it was as much as 20 inches, but most areas here got between 10 and 12 inches.”

The company harvested as much eggplant, squash and peppers as possible, knowing that these crops do not like a lot of water. Luckily, it was able to ship these dry products.