The days on the calendar approaching Valentine’s Day are being crossed off, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agriculture Specialists will be ready to conduct inspections of flowers coming in through the ports of entry. Cut flower arrangements are a popular gift brought in from Mexico.

Blue Diamond Growers announced the creation of its latest innovation, The Nutty Cruiser set to officially launch on National Almond Day, Feb. 16. Blue Diamond’s almond vehicle will embark on the Bring Your Flavor National Tour, with the goal of distributing 1 million almond samples to consumers. This nationwide initiative was designed to showcase Blue Diamond’s bold and craveable flavors to provide the ultimate snacking experience for flavor fanatics all over the United States.

ALDI plans to open more than 225 new store locations in 2025 as part of the next phase of its five-year national growth strategy. This is the most stores ALDI will open in one year in its nearly 50-year U.S. history.

The new stores will open through a combination of organic growth and converting select Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket stores to the ALDI format. In total, ALDI will convert approximately 220 Southeastern Grocers locations to the ALDI format through 2027.

Todd Greiner Farms, a trusted name in Michigan agriculture, is expanding its sales and marketing programming to add much needed strength to the year-round asparagus category, while boosting Michigan asparagus and other locally grown products.

Hall’s, located in Hoople, ND, is a fourth-generation family farm with a rich tradition of potato cultivation in the Red River Valley. Specializing in fresh potatoes for both retail and foodservice, the company packages its products in various sizes, including poly bags, cartons, 50-pound bags and totes for repackagers.

Westfalia Fruit is committed to utilizing all parts of the avocado across the supply chain. Avocados imported for retail, foodservice and wholesale customers are carefully inspected. Any unsuitable avocados are processed at Westfalia’s facility into products like avocado pulp, smashed avocado, guacamole and more. The avocado skins and seeds from the process, which were previously typically used in low-value applications such as anaerobic digesters, are now finding new, innovative, higher value alternative uses.