Brad Fowler, president and owner of Hood River Cherry Co., said conditions are ripe for a quality cherry season in Oregon’s Hood River Valley. “In my little part of the world, production will be up 20 percent this year,” he said, noting that his orchards somehow missed the climatic drama experienced by other growers in the Pacific Northwest.

“The first half of the pollination season was rainy, so pollination wasn’t good in some areas. Warm weather was conducive to bee pollination in the second half of the season,” he said.

Ron Everts, fieldman for Borton & Sons Inc. in Yakima, WA, said the company’s Northwest cherry volume will track with statewide predictions for a reduced crop during 2013. “The overall cherry production will be down due to two factors: damage from frost in certain areas and the wind during bloom time causing poor pollination,” he told The Produce News. “The Northwest Cherry meeting that took place on May 15 stated they are projecting at this time that the overall cherry crop will be down about 20 percent.”

Shuman Produce in Reidsville, GA, is giving away the ultimate grilling tool, its ‘RealSweet Sportula’ – a multi-use heavy duty spatula – in a spring promotion.

Here, Shuman spokesman The Fat Man, of Chef and The Fatman fame, shows off the sportula – and lets people know how to get their own.

Frank Sinatra sang about Chicago, claiming he saw a stereotype-shattering scene: “a man who danced with his wife.” In a recent trip to the City of Big Shoulders, I saw two related but groundbreaking quests.

One, by Ecuador’s Chicago trade office, sought to inspire action by the U.S. Congress, that remote source of inspiration and action, to extend U.S.-Ecuador trade agreements. By July 31, no less. Otherwise, flowers from Ecuador will have a 6.8 percent tariff when they enter this country. A long shot, getting a trade pact through, but Colombia did it not long ago.

The New York Apple Association, based in Fishers, NY, announced industry veteran JULIA STEWART as the association’s spokesperson.

Ms. Stewart assumed spokesperson duties in March and has been supporting NYAA’s public relations activities since May 2012.

In her new role, Ms. Stewart’s responsibilities include planning and executing media outreach activities to promote New York apples, representing the association to consumer and trade media and providing strategic communications counsel to NYAA senior management.

MADERA, CA — Stellar Distributing introduced a new variety to its extensive California fig program several years ago.

The Tiger fig has striped green and yellow skin, a unique flavor and a bright red flesh that differentiate it from traditional figs.

Stellar is shipping figs with no break from now through mid-January due to volume from the southern California desert crop and central San Joaquin Valley crop.

The new Tiger variety will be available Aug. 1 during the main crop and will be the featured fig of the six varieties available.