TAMPA, FL -- Temperatures dipped into the low- to mid-20s and winds gusted to 30 mph across Florida the night of Dec. 13 and into the early hours of Dec. 14, but most of the state's produce commodities survived with surprisingly little damage, though there was one more night of shivering temperatures to get through in this second cold snap of the season.

The Southeast Produce Council announced Dec. 8 that Tommy Irvin, Georgia's longtime commissioner of agriculture, will receive its 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award this March.

He will be honored during the council’s annual retail and foodservice conference and exposition, scheduled for March 3-5 in Orlando, FL. The award will be presented Saturday, March 5, during the keynote luncheon.

NOGALES, AZ — The amount of acreage devoted to growing tomatoes, bell peppers, squash, cucumbers and other vegetables in the state of Sinaloa and elsewhere in Mexico has increased steadily over the last several years, and this year is no exception.

In fact, following what were generally good returns for growers last year, sources say that there has been a significant amount of additional infrastructure built in Mexico for the 2010-11 season, much of it in the form of shadehouses and other structures for protected agriculture.

The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co., based in Montvale, NJ, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Dec. 12.

The filing was widely expected and occurred after the company struggled for years to manage its enormous debt and increased competition from discount chains. In the filing, the company lists assets of about $2.5 billion and debt of more than $3.2 billion. The company reported revenue of $9.5 billion in 2008, but that dropped to $8.8 billion in 2009 amid declining sales.

Pelion, SC-based Walter P. Rawl & Sons Inc. is wrapping up the year, pleased to have provided over 3 million servings of "LazyTown" SportsCandy fresh fruits and vegetables to schoolchildren throughout the Southeast.

In 2009, W.P. Rawl partnered with LazyTown Entertainment to pack single- serve fruits and vegetables under the “LazyTown” brand. That partnership, along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Fresh Fruit & Vegetable program, has helped W.P. Rawl provide a variety of fruit and vegetable snacks to over 500 schools in eight states.

TAMPA, FL -- With hard freeze warnings issued for Florida all the way south to Homestead, Dec. 13 will be a long, tense night for Florida growers. Misters will spray, Rain Bird sprinklers will chatter, helicopters will fly and countless gallons of water will flow through fields until dawn as farmers pull out all the stops to try to hold back an unprecedented early-season onslaught from Mother Nature.