Live Oak Farms will assume the marketing of the Coachella Valley Fall Vegetable program of Pasha Marketing LLC.  This new venture will expand Live Oak Farm’s fall Bell pepper program at a time when consumer demand has exceeded all expectations.

Mucci Farms announces major expansions in Kingsville, ON, and Huron, OH, totaling 206-acres over the next two years.  These investments support their ongoing emphasis on maximizing local and regionally grown fruits and vegetables year-round through expansion and lit culture grow light technology.  “Demand for greenhouse grown produce is growing rapidly as consumers continue to put pressure on the food industry to prioritize food safety, sustainability, responsible growing practices and clean growing environments,” said CEO Bert Mucci. 

Publix  will expand its distribution center in Greensboro, North Carolina, to include a dry grocery warehouse, which will add more than 1.2 million square feet of space. In February 2020, Publix broke ground on the distribution center’s first phase, a refrigerated warehouse, currently under construction.

Farm Fresh Produce Inc. recently welcomed a new member to the team, Davy van Ewijck. Based in the Netherlands, Davy will act as junior commercial manager, assisting Farm Fresh with sales.

Dole Food Co.‘s new Dole Just Add Chicken Salad Kits combine original Dole dressings, chicken sauté and seasoned finishing sauces with Dole lettuces and toppings to create a true culinary experience at home. Shipping to retail nationwide, four initial Just Add Chicken SKUs target the growing population of salad kit buyers who want an affordable, total-meal solution for America’s most popular lean protein.

Center for Growing Talent has announced that Leonard Batti, vice president at Taylor Farms, will serve as the chair of the organization’s board of directors for 2021. Batti stepped into the role during CGT’s first board meeting on Oct. 22. During this time, CGT also welcomed nine new industry members to the CGT board of directors, growing the overall board by three volunteers. In this role, Batti will also serve on the PMA board of directors and the executive committee.