The 2010 National Blueberry Conference & Expo is scheduled for Oct. 12-15 at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel convention center in Grand Rapids, MI. This year's conference and expo is being held in conjunction with the North American Blueberry Council and the United States Highbush Blueberry Council meetings scheduled at the same location that week, according to the June 2010 USHBC newsletter.

Pegi Adam, director of communications for the New Jersey Peach Promotion Council in Clayton, NJ, said in late June that 2010 marks the fifth year the organization has promoted its "Peach Parties" events.

Celebrated during August, which is New Jersey Peach Month, the parties are gaining in popularity each year with retailers, farmers markets and foodservice operators. Although the council is a non-profit, non- governmental agency, it works closely with the New Jersey Department of Agriculture to promote the Jersey Fresh locally grown initiative.

LOS ANGELES -- John Corsaro, executive vice president of the Giumarra Cos., announced July 12 that Giumarra will be opening a new division, Giumarra Southeast, to focus on marketing vegetables and melons from the southeastern region of the United States. This new division will also be responsible for imports from South America for shipment to the eastern United States.

Giumarra Southeast will be based in Boca Raton, FL, and will be headed by Gary Sargent.

The Union of Growers of Brazilian Papaya, whose primary focus is the production and distribution of papaya from South America's largest country, also handles ginger and is now promoting the availability of that commodity to the U.S. market.

Numerous factors have created a nationwide truck shortage and higher freight rates, with the impact being especially acute in California because of new state regulations on reefer emissions.

Irvine, CA-based Western Growers Association sent out an advisory to its members in late June stating that rates were already climbing.

A second round of testing for a "green" Michigan celery-shipping carton will begin July 15.

Gary Wruble, general manager of the Michigan Celery Cooperative Inc., headquartered in Hudsonville, MI, told The Produce News June 25, “We have spent a fair bit of time looking at packaging for the fresh product” to boost that industry by developing a recyclable carton. A first round of testing has been completed. With the July 2010 testing, “we will walk with this to make sure it works.” If so, “we will really launch it in 2011.”