The heat is here, and the temperature has been turned up high. After all, this is July, and it does get hot during summer days. However, the heat is expected to be very intense and possibly reach record-setting temperatures, especially out in the West. This can threaten certain crops and cause heat stress on lettuce, broccoli, spinach and leafy vegetables.

BFC Software Inc. a leading provider of warehouse management software for food distribution, acquired Herlitz Inventory Management, a leading provider of demand forecasting and replenishment software. The two companies will combine to form a comprehensive, purpose-built operations platform for food distributors in North America and beyond.

Production of strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and blueberries has been hit by intense heat, causing supply and quality issues.

Salinas and Watsonville are past their peak harvest time frame for strawberries as of two weeks ago. We will continue to see a slow and steady decline in production moving into the end of July through September. We will see some softer fruit with increased bruising.

The state of Delaware is partnering with Enstructure, the private operator of the Port of Wilmington, to build a new port terminal at a site in Edgemoor, DE, at an industrial site acquired in 2017 by the taxpayer-owned Diamond State Port Corp.

Expected to cost $635 million, the new port will be largest shipping terminal in Delaware joining the Port of Wilmington, which opened in 1923.

Duane Eaton, a long-time senior staff executive who led the Meetings and Trade shows team at the International Fresh Produce Association's legacy organization Produce Marketing Association, died July 3. He was 75.

On June 27, Ocean Mist Farms officially celebrated its centennial, marking 100 years of successful family farming.