Valentine's Day took on an added dimension this year when Wal-Mart, the nation's largest food retailer, introduced bagged "Pink Lady" brand apples to its produce departments.

The limited-time promotion was detailed by Pink Lady America Director of Marketing Alan Taylor, who told The Produce News that Wal-Mart "made available another option in its selection of Valentine's Day presents, a selection that already included flowers, gift baskets, personalized gifts, candy, fragrances and lingerie."

Ephrata, PA-based Four Seasons Produce Co. has enlisted the services of produce industry veteran Maggie Bezart to help recast the company's image and marketing efforts.

The strawberry history of Plant City, FL, began over a hundred years ago when the first railroad was extended to the western coast of the state.

Since that time it has evolved into one of the world's larger and more advanced producing areas.

The Florida Strawberry Growers Association, headquartered in Dover, was formed in 1982 as a way for growers to become "partners in research, promotion and member-community service."

Today, 16 million flats of strawberries are produced annually in the state. The association has also evolved tremendously over the years.

Nunhems, a major global producer of vegetable seeds, has opened a new service center in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico, according to Clark Huffman, director of marketing and sales for Nunhems USA.

"Our objective is to be able to provide our customers with services that are more responsive than ever and to take advantage of Leon's strategic central Mexico location and interior port and transportation capabilities as an excellent hub for distribution to the rest of the country," Mr. Huffman said in a statement.

Early strawberry volume from Southern California districts as of late January was running significantly ahead of a year ago when a series of rainstorms caused problems with the crop.