TAMPA, FL -- While January and February are typically boom months for Florida strawberries, this year's abnormal weather patterns continually pushed back harvesting and maturation so that the bulk of the Florida crop is just coming to market in mid-March.

After 75 years as a leader in Florida agriculture and at one time considered the nation's largest pepper grower, Dubois & Son in Boynton Beach has filed for bankruptcy protection.

The company filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection March 10 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of Florida, listing $27.3 million in liabilities against $627,616 in assets, which are mainly comprised of trucks, equipment and machinery.

"Our international promotion efforts are ongoing," said Sue Johnson- Langdon, affectionately known as "Sweet Sue," the executive director of the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission, in Smithfield, NC. "We participated at Fruit Logistica in early February in Berlin through a company in the Netherlands that imports North Carolina sweet potatoes. Through this same company, we will be conducting sweet potato samplings in one of the smaller chain retailers in Germany."

Following a nearly devastating 2009 sweet potato harvest caused by heavy rains, producers in Mississippi are putting the past behind them and gearing up for the future. The state says it will be down by as much as 75 percent, depending on how packouts unfold.

After years of looking for an animated character with which to partner to promote sweet Vidalia onions, the Vidalia Onion Committee in Vidalia, GA, finally found the right match with the hugely popular Shrek character, and excited retailers are poised to reap the benefits.

"This is probably the biggest marketing campaign the Vidalia Onion Committee has ever done," said Wendy Brannen, executive director of the committee. "We do have industrywide participation. Every major grower- packer is on board in some way, shape or form with the program, which is fantastic for all of us."

WILMINGTON, DE -- Taylor Farms has announced that it is increasing its contribution commitment to the Produce for Better Health Foundation with a $250,000 pledge over the next five years.

Taylor Farms joins other longtime $50,000-plus annual PBH donors, including Paramount Farms, Stemilt Growers and Syngenta, which have been at or above the $50,000 level for several years.