The relatively cool summer in Southern California has helped extend the California avocado season this year, and the California Avocado Commission is actively promoting the late-season fruit while gearing up its plans for 2011.

CAC will share the latest avocado category data demonstrating the value of the California season and unveil key aspects of the commission's marketing support plans at this year’s PMA Fresh Summit expo.

Red Blossom Sales, based in Salinas, CA, will be offering Florida strawberries as part of its winter and early-spring product sales.

The McDonald family in Plant City, FL, which has been growing strawberries in Florida for 30 years, will grow and sell 200 acres of Florida strawberries exclusively for Red Blossom. Additionally, Mark McDonald, along with his son, Shane, and nephew Andy McDonald, will all be joining Red Blossom.

Mark McDonald is excited to bring all his business operations under one umbrella company and label.

Naturipe Farms has appointed Brian Jenny to the newly created position of director of business development for the East Coast, effective Oct 4.

In this role, Mr. Jenny will have the responsibility of leading the East Coast sales team, servicing the firm's existing client base, and developing new business opportunities in the retail, foodservice and wholesale channels.

As attendees of the PMA Fresh Summit this October in Orlando, FL, make their way down the 3600 aisle of the exhibit hall during the upcoming convention, they might be enticed to taste a special melon, which the producer claims is one of the sweetest in the world.

"We are going to use our space this year to do as many demos as possible," said Rodrigo Lima, the U.S. representative for Itaueira Farms of Brazil. “We want to show off the taste of this fruit both to new customers and our current customers.”

DUNDEE, FL -- Dundee Citrus Growers Association announced that effective Oct. 1, its sales and marketing division will be rebranded Florida Classic Growers Inc. to align with the cooperative's well-known "Heritage Citrus" label.

WASHINGTON -- Comedian Stephen Colbert grabbed the headlines Sept. 24 after he testified -- in character -- at a House of Representatives subcommittee hearing on immigrant agricultural workers.

Mr. Colbert was invited to testify by subcommittee Chairman Zoe Lofgren (D- CA), both of whom picked beans and packed corn during a 10-hour stint in upstate New York under the United Farm Workers of America's Take Our Jobs initiative that invites Americans to work in agricultural jobs.