IMG Citrus Inc., based in Vero Beach, FL, signed an agreement with Hogan & Sons Inc., also of Vero Beach, whereby IMG will be the exclusive North American marketing agent for the 2012-13 season.

"Hogan & Sons has been in business since the 1930s," said Matt Kastensmidt, domestic sales manager for IMG, told The Produce News. "The company has an impeccable reputation, and they do an outstanding job of packing Indian River citrus, especially grapefruit."

The effect of heat on grapes is dependent on many factors, including the way grapes are farmed. But buyers who “have been around a while” know that a prolonged stretch of very high temperatures in the growing areas “can contribute to having some issues later on,” said Kevin Beno, owner of Fresh Buyers Inspections Inc. in Visalia, CA, Aug. 8.

The late July recall of both cantaloupes and honeydews by a North Carolina grower-shipper because of the finding of Listeria monocytogenes in the packing facility has not had an impact on the overall marketing of the product at this point, according to a California shipper.

Steve Patricio, president of Westside Produce in Firebaugh, CA, told The Produce News Aug 15 that “the general marketplace has slowed recently, but I don’t think the recall of the North Carolina melons has affected our sales at all.”

RPE Inc. has entered into a partnership with Lynn and Jeffery McCullough, the father-and-son team who own Lynn McCullough Farms LLC, Spud Grower Farms LLC and The Spud Seller LLC in Colorado's San Luis Valley, whereby RPE will serve as the exclusive marketer for Spud Grower Farms and The Spud Seller.