Tottori 20th Century pears from Japan are the latest item to be packed exclusively under the "Oppenheimer" brand.

The sweet, yellow-skinned pears are one of the more unusual items in the Vancouver, BC-based marketer's pipfruit repertoire. Grown with exacting care by growers in Japan's Tottori prefecture, the quality of these pears make them a perfect fit for the "Oppenheimer" brand, according to John Anderson, chairman, president and CEO of Oppenheimer.

After thrashing Cancun and Cozumel in Mexico Saturday, Oct. 22, Hurricane Wilma was heading toward southern Florida on a path that was expected to take it somewhere between the Florida Keys and Tampa.

Forcasting the tracks of hurricanes is extremely tricky, but as of Sunday afternoon, Oct. 23, the best estimates by weather forecasters have the category 2 storm coming ashore sometime in the early morning hours Monday, Oct. 24 in the vicinity of Naples, FL, then cutting through the state before exiting into the Atlantic Ocean and heading northward up the East Coast.

When a homeowner says to a newscaster that in the aftermath of Hurricane Wilma, his favorite backyard tree now belongs to his neighbor (considering the "possession is nine-tenths of the law" theory), you know the news cannot be much better for Florida fruit and vegetable growers.

Pear Bureau Northwest President and CEO Kevin Moffitt has added another title to his industry resume, having been elected secretary/treasurer of the U.S. Agricultural Export Development Council.

The election, which gave Mr. Moffitt a two-year term, took place during the council's board of directors meeting in July. After serving his term, Mr. Moffitt will considered for the position of vice chairman and then chairman.

Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce in San Diego and Sundance Berry Farms in Watsonville, CA, have announced a merger of their strawberry operations.

The merger was made "with an eye on expanding year-round availability of strawberries to better serve retailers and foodservice operators," according to an Oct. 18 press release from A&W.

Sundance, which was founded in 2003, operates berry farms in three California growing districts: Oxnard, Santa Maria and Watsonville.

Spreckels, CA-based Tanimura & Antle Partnership has sold all of its interest in Dulcinea Farms LLC in Ladera Ranch, CA, to Syngenta Seeds.

In 2003, T&A partnered with Switzerland-based Syngenta to form Dulcinea Farms to market "Dulcinea!" brand produce items in North America. Those items include Pure Heart watermelons and Tuscan-style sweet cantaloupes  proprietary products of Syngenta  and other fresh produce items developed by Syngenta and licensed to Dulcinea.