A U.S. Department of Agriculture announcement April 8 confirmed the finding of black spot fungus (Guignardia citricarpa) in a commercial citrus grove in Immokalee, FL. As of May 10, 11 cases of the disease had been confirmed.

Considered an exotic disease, black spot symptoms include dark, speckled spots or blotches on the rinds of citrus fruits. It is an economically significant citrus disease in that it causes early fruit drop, reduces crop yield and renders the highly blemished fruit unmarketable in the fresh market.

Bradner (Brad) Cameron, age 52 and a night salesperson for D'Arrigo Bros. Co. of New York Inc., based at the New York City Hunts Point Terminal Market, died April 30 in a car accident.

Matthew D'Arrigo, vice president of the firm, said that Mr. Cameron was an innocent victim when his car was broadsided by another driver while Mr. Cameron was driving near his home in Shelton, CT. He was on his way to work around 2 a.m. when the accident occurred.

TORONTO -- Christian Sarraino remembers his first day working full-time at Fresh Taste Produce Ltd. Canada.

"It wasn't what I was expecting," he said, joking about his start as a produce buyer last year. "I had been a salesman here part time for a few years while I was in university, but the switch to a full-time buyer and sales manager was pretty big. I really had to learn each and every customer's requirements so that I could tailor my buying and sales pitch to better fit their needs."

Liberty Fruit Co. Inc., based in Kansas City, KS, launched a revamped web site April 30.

Scott Danner, chief operating officer, told The Produce News May 5 that the web site "is a lot more friendly. The information is a lot cleaner. It's crisp and provides information on our food-safety efforts. And we get our golf tournament information out there. We have on-line ordering, people can do job applications on-line and you can see Liberty's weekly market updates for the last three years. It also contains our company history."

DELANO, CA -- Pandol Bros. Inc. is introducing what it termed a dynamic new package that will deliver greater convenience and time savings to consumers.

"This represents a ground-breaking change for the grape category and is directly in line with what time-starved consumers are seeking," Tristan Kieva, Pandol's director of business development and marketing, said in a May 7 press release.

California new potato acreage for 2010 is roughly on a par with 2009, when the estimate was 8,375 acres in Kern County.

Lee Frankel, president and chief executive officer of Salt Lake City-based United Potato Growers of America, told The Produce News May 4 that Kern County's acreage is down on russets. But Kern County potato acreage is up on red and yellow potatoes, fingerlings and small potatoes, he said. "There's a shift away from russets" among California growers, Mr. Frankel noted.