Arizona Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (Arizona LGMA) is pleased to welcome Kevin Watson as its new LGMA compliance officer. In this role he will help to implement the program’s comprehensive, science-based, food safety standards. Watson joins Arizona LGMA in time for its winter harvest season and brings more than 20 years of experience to the position.

Pete’s, the California-based produce company specializing in hydroponically grown living lettuce and cress varieties in addition to butter lettuce wrap kits, will debut an innovative and sustainable new line of packaged salad varieties, Greenhouse Fresh, in retail locations in and around the West Coast in early January.

This past year has thrown several challenges at Maine potato farmers, leading to decreased production amidst the chaos of a pandemic. The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service’s crop production forecast for November reported Maine potato production at 13.4 million cwt, down 20 percent from last year’s forecast. The report further explained planted acreage at 51 thousand acres is down 2 percent and the yield forecast at 265 cwt per acre is down 18 percent from last year.

Southeastern Grocers, Inc., parent company and home of BI-LO, Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie grocery stores, concludes 2020 with the completion of 41 new and renewed grocery stores that provide local residents throughout Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi with an enhanced shopping experience.

California Giant Berry Farms strawberry growers are looking forward to the start of the year with volumes ramping up in California, Mexico, and Florida.

Autumn Glory apple shipments were up the month of November, and recent Nielsen data confirms stellar November sales. Autumn Glory placed in the top 20 not only nationally, but in all nine Nielsen regions as well. Organic apple and pear sales also soared, with both categories having record organic share.