Salinas, CA-based Drew-Massa Transportation recently announced the hire of Colby Varley as transportation dispatcher.

On Jan. 23, Jim DiMenna, president of JemD Farms, headquartered in Kingsville, ON, told The Produce News that things were going according to plan and every detail was in good order in the development and construction of the company’s new Dublin, VA, [Pulaski County], greenhouse facility.

The company celebrated its groundbreaking on July 1, 2013.

Ecoripe Tropicals in Medley, FL, carries a widely diverse line of Asian fruits and vegetables. The line was originally developed specifically for the wide range of Chinese, Indian, Hispanic and Southeast Asian cuisines, but these foods have become highly desired by mainstream foodies who want to experience new, interesting and flavorful dishes. As the interest and demand has increased in recent years, so too has Ecoripe’s lineup and operation.

More than 100 California avocado growers and industry stakeholders attended the California Avocado Commission's inaugural field day Jan. 23 at Pine Tree Ranch Demonstration Grove in Santa Paula, CA.

Following presentations by researchers from the University of California-Riverside, attendees toured the new grove and experienced in-field demonstrations of different pruning practices.

President Obama signed the Agricultural Act of 2014 Feb. 7 at a ceremony at Michigan State University in East Lansing in an event hosted by Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee.

Big Red Tomato Packers LLC in Fort Pierce, FL, is voluntarily issuing a limited recall of 790 20- and 25-pound boxes of fresh tomatoes of lot 1106, because they may have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.

This is a voluntary precautionary recall as there are no known illnesses associated with this lot number.

Tomatoes from the lot were distributed to a limited number of receivers in Florida, North Carolina, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. All receivers of the lot have been notified.