LOS ANGELES -- The San Diego County Farm Bureau recently named grower Henry William (Bill) Witman its 2009 Farmer of the Year. The farm bureau presented the award to Mr. Witman Nov. 11 at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido, CA.

Mr. Witman supplies avocados to Giumarra Agricom International LLC, based in Escondido.

Johan van den Berg has been reappointed president and chief executive officer at Eurofresh Farms in Willcox, AZ, the company he co-founded in 1990. The firm emerged from bankruptcy Nov. 18 after restructuring its debt, which reportedly reached $300 million when it filed for bankruptcy protection in late April of this year.

Dennis Jackson, who worked for the Pear Bureau Northwest in the New England region as a category manager, is joining the staff of FirstFruits of Washington. Mr. Jackson was hired as a category manager and will also serve regional marketer. He will be based in New Hampshire.

FirstFruits officially opened its doors in August. It is a grower cooperative based in Yakima, WA, which currently represents Broetje Orchards, headquartered in Prescott, WA, and Columbia Valley Fruit, located in Union Gap, WA.

This holiday season, consumers can toast to suppertime savings with a multi- partner retail promotion offering coupons on "all the fixings," including Idaho potatoes.

Through the end of the year, Frontera Wine will feature bottleneck coupons offering $1 off Idaho potatoes, Kitchen Basics cooking stock, Bruce's Yams and Reynold's Wrap -- some of the essentials for holiday entertaining.

Two recent voluntary recall episodes involve the same customer of two separate produce companies, according to Rex Lawrence, director of sales and marketing for Davis, CA-based Timco Worldwide Inc.

Mr. Lawrence also said that findings of possible Salmonella contamination of Timco watermelons and cantaloupes from Brawley, CA-based Five Crowns Marketing were determined at the same testing lab used by the customer linked to the two produce companies.