ORANGE BEACH, AL -- Southern hospitality was in abundant supply for the 420 attendees of the National Watermelon Association's 94th annual convention, who were treated to a "slice of paradise" Feb. 20-24, here, at the Perdido Beach Resort.

The association and the National Watermelon Promotion Board both unveiled several new initiatives during the convention, the most notable of which was a congressional resolution proclaiming July as National Watermelon Month.

Fidel Castro's Feb. 19 resignation as president of Cuba will likely influence the face of the U.S. produce trade.

One industry source suggested that Cuban soil might create new production opportunities for Florida growers, while another source expects the inevitable exports of Cuban produce to the United States will inevitably hurt growers in Mexico and Central America.

James L. LaBarba, president and co-founder of Dallas-based produce brokerage firm Ideal Sales Inc., died Feb. 22 at his home in Dallas after a hard-fought battle with cancer. He was 66.

The first of six children, Mr. LaBarba was born Sept. 30, 1941 in Dallas to Zula C. and Carlo P. LaBarba. He graduated from Jesuit College Preparatory School in 1959 and from Southern Methodist University in 1966. Throughout his early childhood and college years, Mr. LaBarba worked for the family produce business, American Produce, which was founded by his grandfather in 1917.

Gills Onions has completed the purchase of a 200,000-square-foot packing and cold storage facility in San Joaquin, CA, that will supplement onion production at its Oxnard, CA, headquarters location.

Remember when avocados weren't good for you? Well, actually, they were always good for you, but there was a time when lots of food writers and even nutritionists didn't think so. Because of their high oil content, they were thought to be fattening and hard on the arteries, so to speak.

Guys ogled, women frowned and in the end, the label featuring an updated, attractive Mother Nature in her mid-20s was banished from the fruit juice line of Eagle, ID-based Global Juices & Fruits LLC.

The Mother Nature graphic was replaced in January by artwork deemed more appropriate: depictions of pomegranates and fruits such as cranberries, blueberries and mangos that are mixed with pomegranate juice to form the "Earthly Delights" line.

"[Mother Nature] wasn't sultry but she was attractive," said Chuck Watson, president of Global Juices & Fruits.