Mild winter and warm spring temperatures caused this year's New Jersey peach harvest to start early. While production has been average-to-good, demand has been sufficiently high that prices have remained strong.“Everyone started harvesting sooner this year,” said Bob Von Rohr, director of marketing for Sunny Valley International in New Jersey. “Picking started about two weeks early and should end two weeks early.” Harvesting usually begins in the middle of July and lasts through August, but the season began at the end of June this year.
Size, color and sugar content of fruit was reported to be good. Volume is expected to be similar to previous seasons with estimates ranging from 60 million to 70 million pounds of production for the season. Good production, however, has been met with good demand, which, in turn, has buoyed prices.
“Market prices are very good right now,” said Von Rohr. “That's due to good demand and fewer players from the South as their seasons finish.”