Alexis Taylor, the under secretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, toured Rice Fruit Co. Dec.

Calavo Growers Inc. announced the addition of Kurt Kistler as vice president of sales, tomatoes and papaya, and the retirement of industry veteran Brian Bernauer.

Kistler brings over 25 years of fresh produce industry experience after having spent the last seven years at Charlie’s Produce. He also previously held positions at Taylor Farms and UNFI. During his tenure at those respective companies, he became proficient in managing a national sales department, brokerage, purchasing, grower relations, marketing and quality control.

Sales across 25 U.S. grocery banners dropped 13.5 percent during a 12-week period ending Sept. 20, 2023, versus the same period last year, according to a report from Brick Meets Click and sponsored by Mercatus. The year-over-year sales decline was driven by a higher rate of lapsed customers who either shifted back to in-store only or switched to a rival’s online service.

CJ Buxman, a third-generation San Joaquin Valley grower-shipper and former president of Fruit World Co., has started Sunny Cal Farms.

Sunny Cal Farms is offering organic and conventional California-grown specialty and traditional citrus, along with heirloom and novel grapes.

Idaho and Eastern Oregon comprise a great deal of the onion supply in the United States. Idaho farmers regularly grows more than 10,000 acres of onions, while Oregon is above 21,000 acres annually.

This year, Pantone has chosen the color "Peach Fuzz” as the color of the year for 2024. Peach Fuzz is a heartfelt peach hue bringing a feeling of kindness and tenderness, communicating a message of caring and sharing, community and collaboration.