Numerous factors are contributing to the current quality and supply issues in California. While weather patterns are the main factor, the problems began with heavy winter rains delaying and disrupting planting schedules along with the overall lack of labor. 

Yesterday a bus transporting approximately 50 farmworkers to Cannon Farms in Dunnellon, FL, was hit by an oncoming pickup truck that crossed over the center line of the road, sending the bus off the road where it overturned after crashing through a fence and hitting a tree. 

Officials at the scene said there were eight fatalities. Of the remaining passengers, 34 were transported to local hospitals with eight in critical condition and the other 26 with non-life-threatening injuries.

Procacci Bros., operating four units at the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market, stands out as a prominent wholesaler in the Northeast. As a comprehensive distributor, Procacci Bros. supplies a full range of produce, including niche items such as salads, dressings, floral products, organic goods and specialty items.

Additionally, the family-run company, which just celebrated its 75th year in business, manages a warehouse in South Philadelphia and oversees farming operations in South Jersey.

New Mexico onions are very popular and often sought after during the summer months, and Chris Franzoy is returning to his family’s farm, Billy the Kid Produce, to sell this year’s crop via a new marketing entity called Legacy Fresh LLC.

Franzoy, a fourth-generation farmer whose family operates Billy the Kid Produce in Deming, NM, along with his wife, Tammy, recently launched Legacy Fresh LLC to serve as the marketing arm of Billy the Kid.

The allure of working from home seems to be wearing off for some employers, and specifically for the biggest.

According to several media outlets, retail giant Walmart, the country’s largest employer, with about 1.6 million U.S. workers, will be eliminating hundreds of corporate jobs throughout country while relocating most of the remaining remote office staff to its Bentonville, AR, headquarters, where a 350-acre campus is being designed to accommodate over 15,000 employees across 12 buildings. The news was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

The upcoming International Floriculture Trade Exhibition is scheduled to take place in Nairobi between June 4 - 6 at the Visha Oshwal Center. The IFTEX promises to be a remarkable event showcasing the vibrant floral industry.