BRIGHTON, CO — Though he’s stopped short of retiring after more than six decades at the helm of Sakata Farms in Brighton, CO, Bob Sakata has passed the mantle of his operations to son Robert T. Sakata.

The elder Mr. Sakata, an icon in American farming, was born and raised in northern California, and because his parents came from Japan, he and his family were relocated — along with some 120,000 other Japanese Americans — to internment camps following the attack on Pearl Harbor. His internment was spent in Utah.

Farm Fresh Direct LLC, headquartered in Monte Vista, CO, is one of Colorado’s premiere suppliers of premium potatoes. Dave Yeager, vice president of sales based in Atlanta, said that the company’s innovative approach to business continues to foster its growth and success.

“Farm Fresh Direct is a vertically integrated, grower-owned, sales and marketing corporation comprised of 24 growers only,” he told The Produce News June 29. “We grow over 99 percent of the volume we sell, so customers are dealing directly with the source. We are not a broker, marketer, repacker or cooperative.”

JemD International in Kingsville, ON, has appointed ADRIAN ABBOTT as director of operations.

David Arena, president of Frank Donio Inc. in Hammonton, NJ, told The Produce News June 30 that the company started receiving its first shipment of early-variety New Jersey peaches during the prior week.

“They look excellent,” said Mr. Arena. “The color and size [are] extremely good. We’ll have New Jersey peaches from now all the way through mid-September.”

Phil Neary, director of operations and grower relations for Sunny Valley International, headquartered in Glassboro, NJ, told The Produce News at the end of June that the New Jersey peach crop enjoyed a great winter chill.

“We had outstanding bloom by about April 15, with a full crop set,” Mr. Neary said June 28. “Then we had a heavier-than-normal bloom drop which helped to thin the crop out perfectly. We’re expecting a great crop, and we are tracking for a start right after the July 4 holiday.”

The numbers tell the story. As a commodity group, fresh produce is the fifth largest agricultural sector in Colorado. “Produce represents 17 percent of total farm receipts for crops grown in Colorado,” said Tim Larsen, senior international marketing specialist with the Colorado Department of Agriculture.