Agricultural products giant Monsanto Co. announced Jan. 24 that it will acquire fruit and vegetable seed company Seminis for about $1 billion in cash plus the assumption of $400 million in debt.

A group of high-ranking members of Russia?s agricultural community, representing both the private and public sectors, will be visiting several U.S. farming facilities during early February.

The tour will be hosted by the Russian Farm Community Project, a Minnesota-based foreign development program with offices also in Moscow. The international organization is chaired by Allen J. Vangelos, who is also currently chairman of the board of Vancouver, BC-based BC Hot House Foods Inc.

SYSCO Corp. announced Jan. 24 that its FreshPoint produce subsidiary has agreed to acquire Piranha Produce Inc., and has also completed the acquisition of Nashville Tomato Inc. Terms of the transactions were not disclosed.

Piranha?s management team, staff and headquarters will remain intact and the company will function as an operating company of FreshPoint.

SPRING HOUSE, PA " Since 2002, many of the major U.S. apple shippers have applied the "SmartFresh? brand product to slow the ripening rate, thereby maintaining crunchiness and juiciness in fruit.

AgroFresh Inc., here, is now introducing SmartFresh to much wider segments of the fresh fruit and vegetable industry, with tomatoes, bananas and melons high on the firm?s priority list.

Gary Robert Curry, CEO of Curry & Co. in Brooks, OR, died Sunday, Jan. 23, in Salem, OR, surrounded by his family and friends. Mr. Curry, who succumbed to multiple myeloma, was 61.

A memorial service was held Thursday, Jan. 27 at St. Paul?s Episcopal Church in Salem, OR.

Born March 4, 1943 in San Diego to Beverly and John Curry, he is survived by his wife, Martha; his sons, Matt and Grant; his daughter, Megan; his daughter-in-law, Kari Ryan Curry; and two grandchildren. He is also survived by his mother and two brothers, Mike and Paul Curry.

SALINAS, CA " After a three- or four-year gestation period, it appears that D?Arrigo Bros. Co. of California finally may be able to move forward on plans to build a 219,000-square-foot facility near Spreckels, CA, near its current base of operations, here.

A Monterey County Superior Court judge has upheld a board of supervisors decision last March to permit D?Arrigo Bros. to build the facility. Advocacy group LandWatch Monterey County filed a lawsuit last spring, challenging the board?s decision by arguing that an environmental impact report was needed.