Watsonville, CA-based California Giant Berry Farms has expanded its entire family of berries both in acreage and with regard to seasonality. This latest expansion is a direct result of customer demand for a complete berry line on a year-round basis.

A federal judge will rule by Oct. 10 on whether the Social Security Administration should send no match notices as part of the Bush administration's crackdown on undocumented workers.

Throughout its 70-year history, the Idaho Potato Commission has always been on "the cutting edge of media technology" in its advertising and promotional efforts, said Frank Muir, the commission's president.

"We were the first commodity organization to be in print advertising and then radio advertising and then TV advertising. We have been on the air in TV since [about] 1950."

The 2007-08 school year represents a major milestone in Monterey Mushrooms' ongoing scholarship program: over $1 million in educational scholarships have been awarded to the children of Monterey Mushrooms employees.

Initiated 15 years ago, this program was the vision of Shah Kazemi, president of Monterey Mushrooms, and Carl Victor Fields, the former vice president of marketing, who died in April 2004.

Frontera Produce Ltd. announced that Will Steele was promoted to president and chief executive officer of the company during comprehensive strategic planning sessions held the last week of September at the firm's headquarters in Edinburg, TX.

Mr. Steele, a 15-year produce industry veteran, has served as vice president of Frontera Produce since the company was founded in 1992, and has been a catalyst for the continued expansions and growth of the organization, according to a company statement.

Chiquita Brands International Inc. announced the opening of a new distribution center in Nogales, AZ, which serves retail and foodservice customers with "Chiquita" brand fresh fruits and vegetables.

The facility offers state-of-the-art inventory management and easier handling, loading and unloading of products. It is also certified to leading food-safety standards from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Arizona Department of Health Services and Primus Labs.