A Visit to Laverne's Produce Supply

Laverne Nolt of Laverne’s Produce Supply said that agriculture is always a challenge and there is never a normal year.

“One time a guy asked me what a normal year is and I said I don’t know,” he said.

On their farm they grow about 10 acres of watermelon, cantaloupe, and pumpkins, and they have other fields to grow corn and soybeans.

With the weather being warmer than usual, Nolt said they might see pests emerge earlier.

“Especially with the vegetables, we get pests that come out early,” he said.

Allium Leaf Miners are pests that can often be found on onions and garlic.

“They emerge earlier and earlier every year it seems,” Nolt said.

He said they also always struggle with flea beetles who seem to be some of the first pests to hatch out.

Nolt said having colder and snowy weather normally helps, but with the milder winters it is becoming more difficult.

“I usually like to have a lot of cold weather that freezes the ground in the winter, but we did not get a whole lot of that,” he said.

Nolt thought there might be more issues because of that later on in the year, but he said they will have to see what happens.

He is also hoping for more rain than last year.

Laverne’s Produce Supply has been in the Cove for about 20 years.

Nolt said they started in the area in the Spring of 2004.

Their main business is growing and providing supplies for the commercial vegetable industry and also commercial gardening.

He said they also have a contract with Perdue which involves them raising chicken eggs.

They sell items a commercial business would need such as greenhouses, soil, fertilizer, and pots.

There is also a building that is open to the public where they have garden seeds, potting soils and other various garden supplies.

“Right now is the season for people to be getting garden seeds,” Nolt said.

Seed potato supplies were flying off the shelves, he said, especially with the recent warm weather.

“Onion sets are also popular this time of year,” he said.

Then in the greenhouses they have hanging baskets that go to the Morrisons Cove Produce Auction.