Madison, ME-based Backyard Farms, one of the larger New England greenhouse growers of high-quality vine-ripened "Backyard Beauties" tomatoes, has appointed Roy Lubetkin president and chief executive officer.

Mr. Lubetkin, 50, will be responsible for leading the company's strategic growth efforts with ongoing "best-in-class" production process improvements, evaluation of new sustainable energy technologies, development of new varietals, exploration of new crop introductions and pursuit of wider geographic reach.

AgriWorld Exchange, the first live, on-line agri-trading marketplace, announced that Oxnard, CA-based Mission Produce Inc. has signed an agreement to trade fresh produce using AgriWorld Exchange.

The agreement enables Mission Produce - one of the world's larger avocado producers and shippers - to offer its grower base the latest technological methods for selling its products.

Gilroy, CA-based Christopher Ranch enjoys strong sales of its garlic and ginger items and promotes its "California Grown" brand garlic.

Both garlic and ginger are often associated with the Asian palate. Patsy Ross of Christopher's marketing department said that ginger is closer to a specialty item and is not as common as garlic. The firm offers a four-and-a-quarter-ounce bottle of ginger-garlic stir fry mix and a nine-ounce bottle of ginger for retail.

The "we dodged the bullet" clich? came a little too soon following the early January cold front that passed through Florida from the north. While field vegetables and fruits, including citrus, came through relatively unscathed, late reports arrived about a week after stating that strawberries suffered more than originally thought. And it looks like the damage could change the strawberry forecast for the upcoming Valentine's Day holiday -- a typically strong strawberry market time.

B"Brooks Tropicals has grown starfruit on its 100 acres of groves on Pine Island, near Ft. Meyers, on the west coast of Florida, since the 1960s," said Mary Ostlund, director of marketing for the Homestead, FL-based company. "The soil and climate are perfect for producing the highest-quality fruit. Starfruit are tart, but some are less tart than others, and these are the sweetest grown anywhere."

DINUBA, CA -- Fruit Patch Inc., here, a major shipper of California stone fruit as well as grapes, citrus and specialty fruit, has recently undergone a major reorganization of its sales operation.

Several members of Fruit Patch's previous sales team have moved on to pursue other opportunities, and the company's newly named president, Glen McClaran, has brought in Dewey Forry Jr. and John Forry, owners of D.J. Forry Co. Inc., to head the new Fruit Patch sales organization.