Farm Fresh Produce Inc. is doubling its Napa cabbage production this spring, said company owner Steven Ceccarelli.

Ceccarelli “doubled up” his Napa acreage this year to 60 acres. It will be the second consecutive year that the firm has doubled this production.

Like the entire East Coast, Ceccarelli’s operation, based in Faison, NC, suffered a long, cold winter, which somewhat delayed spring planting. His normal harvest date is around May 6-7.

For 85 years, Brooks Tropicals has grown and sold tropical fruits from its South Florida headquarters. Charlie Brooks took the foray into agriculture when the real estate market was difficult in the 1920s, and the company has been on an upward swing ever since.

Over 200 people attended the Eastern Produce Council's May 13 meeting, which took place at the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market. This was only the second time that the council has held a meeting outside its traditional metropolitan New York and New Jersey zone. The council met in Philadelphia in 2012.

On Tuesday, May 13, Walmart announced through notices to the courts that it had reached settlement agreements on 23 cases involved in the 2011 Listeria outbreak tied to cantaloupes from Jensen Farms in Colorado.

In that food borne illness outbreak, 33 people died and 157 were sickened after eating cantaloupes that were subsequently traced to Jensen's Colorado farm and packingshed. Jensen subsequently filed bankruptcy and went out of business.

Dewey Oliver Gargiulo, a legend in the fresh tomato business, died May 9, after a long illness. He was 84.

Before moving to Immokalee, FL, to farm tomatoes in 1952, Mr. Gargiulo began his career in the produce industry working for his uncle in a produce market in the Bronx, NY.

Upon his arrival in Florida, Mr. Gargiulo recognized the opportunity to create a high-quality brand and he worked to grow and pack a premium tomato. He branded the tomato “Beefstake,” which quickly became the standard in the industry.

Over 200 people attended the Eastern Produce Council's May 13 meeting, which took place at the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market. This was only the second time that the council has held a meeting outside its traditional metropolitan New York and New Jersey zone. The council met in Philadelphia in 2012.

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