COLUMBIA, SC " Hugh Weathers, South Carolina?s commissioner of agriculture, announced that plans are coming together for relocating the Columbia State Farmers Market.

The market has been located on a 50-acre site here on Bluff Road since the fall of 1951. It ranks second in the nation behind the Atlanta market and seventh in the United States and Canada in the volume of produce handled.

Since 1901, The Blue Book has been considered the financial bible by members of the produce industry, who refer to it for comprehensive information regarding current and prospective clients and business partnerships.

In 1905, The Blue Book, published by the Produce Reporter Co. in Carol Stream, IL, implemented its Trading Membership designation as a way to recognize firms that have demonstrated themselves to be financially sound and in possession of an exceptional reputation for honest trading policies and payment practices.

The Pride of New York Program?s marketing campaign, entitled "Portraits in Pride," promotes consumer awareness of the Pride of New York brand through the generations of family farms and food processors that have made New York state one of America?s leading suppliers of food and agricultural products.

Sy Katz Produce Inc. has moved its sales and administrative departments into new offices in Boone, NC.

Sy Katz founded the company in the early 1940s; in 1984, Owen Margolis took over ownership. Although the firm is a substantial force in the Florida fresh produce market, it maintains its headquarters in Boone.

Keystone Fruit Marketing in Greencastle, PA, announced the hiring of Dan Borer, who will handle sales from the company?s Northwest Divisional office located in Walla Walla, WA.

Formerly senior sales manager for Seald Sweet LLC in Vero Beach, FL, Mr. Borer brings a wealth of produce sales and marketing experience in the areas of citrus and sweet onions.

Nearly a year after Paramount Farms announced a massive recall of millions of raw almonds and after negotiations failed to reach a settlement, two law firms have sued the company on behalf of plaintiffs who said they got ill from eating the company?s almonds.