While northern New Jersey is heavily populated, the southern part of the state is very much rural and agricultural. It also is is one of the top 10 states in produce shipments of several items, many which are being loaded on trucks now for shipments up and down the east coast, as well to Eastern Canada and even the Midwest, but mostly east of the Mississippi River.
The Garden state has 730,000 acres of farmland. New Jersey produce shipments make up 40 percent of the state’s agricultural shipments. For example it ranks 3rd in cranberry (mostly for processing), 3rd with bell peppers and spinach, 4th with peaches, 5th with blueberries and cucumbers, 6th in squash and 7th with tomatoes.
The state typically ships over 1,600 truckloads of blueberries a year. and about the same amount of peaches.
Its produce shipments started in late March and will wrap up in early October. Fall loadings from New Jersey range from apples to squash, sweet potatoes, greens, cranberries and broccoli and last until the first hard frost.
New Jersey volume is down some, plus crops are maturing later than usual due to weather factors.