If any organization was going to throw down the gauntlet of artichoke web site dominance, it's only fitting for it to be the industry leader in artichokes. Ocean Mist Farms has launched a redesigned web site that offers interactive features, easy navigation tools and user-friendly information.

Janna Fitje got her start in produce quite by chance.

The 23-year-old, who graduated from Fairfield University in Fairfield, CT, in 2005 with a degree in English and philosophy, basically "stumbled upon" her current position as a sales assistant at Fresh From The Start LLC, a grower- shipper that is a division of ADS Management in Riverhead, NY.

"It's nothing that I ever thought I would be into," Ms. Fitje said about her first job in produce. "Honestly, at first I had no idea what to expect because I had never worked with anything like this before."

MONTEREY, CA -- The PMA Education Foundation plans to launch a produce industry job bank on the Internet in the fall. The web site (www.producejobsource.com) will include free resume searches and resume posting. The main goal of the project is to recruit students new to the fresh produce industry, said Cindy Seel, point person on the project for PMA Education Foundation.

David and Gloria Kasparian, owners of Diamond K Produce in Deming, NM, are excited about the coming green chile crop, saying that growing conditions have been great this season.

"This year, weather has been no more unusual than normal," Ms. Kasparian said.

Chiles are grown in the Las Uvas Valley near Deming, and Ms. Kasparian said that the growing region affords the grower some natural protection.

Southern Specialties has completed its facility expansion project at its headquarters in Pompano Beach, FL. The company now operates out of approximately 100,000 square feet of warehouse space with expanded office and meeting areas.

In May, Hannaford Bros. Co. proudly announced that it was the first "traditional supermarket in the Northeast" to achieve the designation of a certified organic retailer.

According to Barbara Houmann, spokesperson for the Organic Trade Association, Hannaford has joined a very select group of retailers that have gone through this certification process. "There's not many," she said. "It's more than a handful -- maybe two handfuls."