Stemilt founder Tom Mathison was honored posthumously by the Washington Agriculture & Forestry Education Foundation, more commonly known as Ag Forestry, with the 2011 Stu Bledsoe Leadership Award.

Stu Bledsoe was a well-known agriculture leader and served as the executive director of the Washington Forest Protection Association from 1978 to 1988.

Santa Maria, CA-based Bonipak, one of the larger produce companies on California’s Central Coast, has launched a new web site to reflect its “Seed to Sale” philosophy of marketing its product.

In 1925, Walter P. Rawl and his wife, Ernestine Price Rawl, started selling farm-canned fresh peaches and vegetables to local markets. That was the beginning of Walter P. Rawl & Sons Inc., now a major provider of fresh and value-added produce headquartered in Pelion, SC.

With a red-hot market for peppers, Boone, NC-based Sy Katz Produce Inc. is well-positioned for a spicy spring and summer, with a focus on bell and variety peppers grown on its North Carolina farms.

The pepper program at Sy Katz has grown steadily in recent years, including a 30 percent jump last season, according to President Owen Margolis.

“It is pretty much business as usual for us,” said Bobby Creel, director of business development. “There’s a lot more interest in locally grown and people wanting locally grown in the Carolinas.”

Northampton Growers, headquartered in Cheriton, VA, expects a good crop in both volume and quality from North Carolina this year. Calvert Cullen, president of the company, told The Produce News that despite a little dry weather in the region, the crops are faring very well.

“With proper irrigation, there should not be any problems,” said Mr. Cullen. “Everything looks to be on schedule, and quality wise the crops look good.”