“We are anticipating a very nice crop of apples this year, with volumes similar to the 2012 crop,” said Julie Bancroft, the newly appointed executive director for the Pennsylvania Apple Marketing Program, headquartered in Harrisburg, PA, on Aug. 8. “The fruit size also looks good — but not too large.”

Steve Volpe, founder and owner of Royal Madera Vineyards in Madera, CA, turned 90 on Aug. 20, but entering his 10th decade hasn't slowed him down much.

After nearly 80 years in the produce industry, Volpe still comes into the office frequently, according to his daughter, Cheryl Cerniglia, who, like many family members of the second- and third-generation, works for the company.

"We are in our harvest season," she told The Produce News in mid-August, and "he was down here again today."

Tommy Wilkins, who has worked with United Supermarkets produce buying department for about two decades, left the firm Aug. 2 to seek a new challenge. A spokesman for the firm confirmed his departure and said it had no prepared statement with regard to an announcement about his replacement.

Wilkins told The Produce News Aug. 20 that he has been working with United Supermarkets since it left a wholesale grocery distributor in the early 1990s.

CHICAGO — The U.S. apple crop this year is expected to total 246.5 million bushels, a figure that was formally announced Aug. 22 at the 2013 Apple Crop Outlook & Marketing Conference, held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, here.

If the estimate is accurate, this would be the 12th-largest crop in U.S. history. This crop is estimated to be 14 percent larger than the frost-decimated 2012 apple harvest. In 2012, U.S. apple volume was 215.7 million bushels, 31 million bushels below the 2013 estimate.

Officials from Peru estimate that the country’s 2013 Peruvian onion crop will increase by 10 percent when compared to 2012. The Bureau of Agricultural Statistics of the Regional Management of Agriculture of La Libertad announced on April 16 that volume is anticipated to be 40,000 tons of onions grown on more than 1,000 hectares of land.

According to Luis Díaz Vergara, this compares to a total volume in 2012 of 34,913 tons. The lion’s share of volume came from Viru, Ascope and Chepen, production provinces located in the country’s coastal region.

Valley Fruit & Produce, a full-line wholesaler-distributor of quality fresh fruits and vegetables based in Los Angeles, announced the promotion of Rick Paino to sales manager.

In his new position as sales manager, Paino will work with the Valley sales team to create strategies for accomplishing its sales goals, while continuing as commodity manager for the apple and pear division at Valley.