Harvesting on beets in New Jersey is underway. “The beet crop is great. We have cut beets and bunch beets and we’re doing well with them. The crop looks good and the weather looks favorable. We’ve had a few rains but for the most part, it looks like we’ll have a good supply,” says Bill Nardelli Sr. of Nardelli Brothers.
He notes that the harvest starts at approximately the same time as last year. “We’re very fortunate that we’ve been spared the storm that was coming up the coast,” he says. “We were concerned about that because we don’t need a heavy rainstorm right now.” Harvest will continue into December, depending on the weather.
Along with New Jersey, there are some other areas also producing the vegetable including Ohio, Michigan and more. In New Jersey, supplies will peak towards the end of next month and Nardelli Sr. says it will be in its heaviest production between now and the Christmas holiday.
Good demand for beets
As for demand, it’s strong for beets. “It’s a good healthy item that people like and we’re doing well with it,” he says. “It’s generally regarded as a cooler weather crop in the spring and fall but beets are consumed all year round. Storage, cut beets go all the way through the wintertime.”
In turn, pricing is good in the mid to high teens. “It’s a bit higher than last year at this time,” says Nardelli Sr. “Our costs are up so we’re trying to satisfy our consumer but the input costs are so high. There have been increases of 30-50 percent on some commodities.” He believes that the market should stay steady through the remainder of the harvest.
