While New Jersey peaches were subjected to weather-related challenges early in the season, the crop has come on strong. 

"It has been a rocky road this spring with the very early bloom and the temperatures near freezing, but we have come through with a very good crop," Santo John Maccherone, chair of the New Jersey Peach Promotion Council, said in a press release. "I had white-fleshed nectarines blooming in early March, but surprisingly I looked at those blocks when we started thinning and they were heavy with fruit."

Gold Coast Packing Inc., a vertically integrated grower, shipper, processor of fresh, ready to use, broccoli, cauliflower, cilantro, spinach and parsley, released its new company logo July 2.

Located in California's Santa Maria Valley, Gold Coast Packing has been involved in the production of fresh processed vegetables for over 33 years.

The clock is ticking for some agricultural producers in Colorado's South Platte River Basin who must decide whether to turn on wells for a limited period of time to bring in their crops. Such an action would run counter to a June 19 decision issued by Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper in response to a request for emergency relief by the Weld County Board of County Commissioners. In that request, the commissioners asked that Weld County producers be allowed to turn their wells on for a temporary 30-day period.

More than 15 salad bars are coming to schools in the Salinas/Monterey County area in California, thanks to the Grower-Shipper Association of Central California.

At the 74th annual GSA Golf Tournament and Gala Events, produce industry leaders raised more than $43,000 to support the Grower-Shipper Association Foundation's More Produce in Schools Program and United Fresh Produce Association Foundation's campaign to place salad bars in schools across the country.

Gills Onions and Duda Farm Fresh Foods will host an event July 11 to unveil the world's largest vanadium flow battery and 37,000 square feet of photovoltaic solar panels, respectively. The companies' latest initiatives highlight the continued growth of Ventura County, CA, as a sustainable corridor, ripe with innovative, environmentally responsible practices, particularly within the fresh-cut industry.

The Oppenheimer Group, based in Vancouver, BC, recently hired JULIA HASHIM as its new business development representative at the company’s office in Newark, DE.

In her new role at The Oppenheimer Group, Ms. Hashim will focus on “executing impactful promotions for primary brands, providing solutions for retailers, and creating interest in and excitement for each of Oppenheimer’s key categories at retail,” stated a company press release.