Christopher Ranch announced March 9 that it has added Hawaiian purple sweet potatoes to its product line.

According to the Gilroy, CA-based company, it is already well established with farmers in Hawaii, handling over a half-million pounds of fresh Hawaiian-grown ginger annually, so it was a natural fit to work with them on another Hawaiian crop.

Hawaiian purple sweet potatoes are a member of the morning glory family and are called "Uala" in Hawaiian.

Acreage is up, the market is solid and Texas onion growers are expecting a banner 2011 crop, the beginnings of which are already being harvested. Volume ramped up steadily through the first half of March and supplies will continue in force through April.

ARLINGTON, VA -- Health care reform, agricultural labor shortfalls and produce safety regulations were just some of the items on produce industry's agenda at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Fruit & Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee meeting this month.

The group of industry leaders tackled a wide range of issues at the meeting, held here Feb. 28-March 1.

Twenty years ago, there was virtually no commercial production of blueberries in the state of Florida, save for U-pick farms and berries grown for local markets. This year, some experts say that Florida’s blueberry production may reach 18 million pounds, although more conservative estimates place the total between 13 million and 15 million pounds.

That is still just half the average of leading states in fresh-category production like Michigan (49 million

In further continuing growth strategies and expansion, Seald Sweet International in Vero Beach, FL, announced March 7 the launch of its Tropical Commodity division. The division brings new depth and diversity to Seald Sweet's fresh fruit supply base, adding products such as pineapples, plantains, mangos and avocados to its portfolio.

Kelly Ricketts, a sales associate for Sweet Onion Trading in Melbourne, FL, joined the company in May 2009 as an intern soon after graduating from the University of Florida with a degree in food and resource economics.