James N. Duggan, a 30-year veteran of the produce industry, died Sunday, Feb. 19 in his Chico, CA, home after a brief battle with cancer.

Born in San Francisco, Mr. Duggan started his produce career in 1976 when he bought Dale Landing Produce in Eureka, CA. A. Levy & J. Zentner subsequently made Mr. Duggan a deal and took over Dale Landing, making Mr. Duggan manager of the Eureka branch. He then transferred to San Luis Obispo, where he managed that location from 1977 to 1979.

The International Fresh-cut Produce Association in Alexandria, VA, is partnering with the Perishables Group, an independent consulting firm, to provide the fresh-cut produce industry with syndicated data reports that measure the performance of the total fresh-cut fruit and vegetable business at retail.

The new initiative -- sponsored by DuPont -- will provide association members with the first-ever picture of the total fresh-cut produce space, including UPC-coded product, as well as items sold by the pound and processed in the store.

Sibling rivalry isn't an issue for brothers Jay and Glenn Johnson at the Johnson Produce Co. in Pompano Beach, FL.

It's more of a team effort for this third-generation duo at the company founded by their grandfather, John Bill (JW) Johnson, 60 years ago.

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL -- If exciting field tours, educational workshops, a bold keynote speech, a comprehensive trade show and fun-filled social events make for a successful conference, then by all accounts the Southeast Produce Council's recently completed third annual conference and expo fit the bill.

The conference, held March 2-4 in the Fort Lauderdale area, got underway with a golf tournament at the TPC Heron Bay in Coral Springs. The team from Southern Valley took first place, and all golfers enjoyed a buffet barbecue dinner at the club Thursday evening, March 2.

The U.S. mango industry has been collecting assessments on imported mangos for the past 14 months and the National Mango Promotion Board is poised to begin promoting the product.

"By the end of March, we will have run some trade ads and begun some promotional programs in the industry," said William Watson, executive director of the board.

Acreage figures point to a Texas spring onion crop that is almost 15 percent larger than last year, and early reports indicate that quality and size will also be up.

"My guys just finished walking the fields and they told me the crop is looking quite good. We are very optimistic," Bob De Bruyn of De Bruyn Produce Co. said March 1. "It doesn't look like a particularly heavy crop, but the condition is really good."