Stanley Farms cleared in Vidalia trademark investigation but gets one-year probation
A five-week investigation conducted by Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Gary Black has cleared Vidalia, GA, onion grower Stanley Farms of allegations that it misrepresented other onions as the state’s trademarked sweet onion. But the company will face a one-year probationary period for improperly storing non-Vidalia onions with Vidalias.
California water restrictions deepen as situation worsens
More than 125 California agricultural users with senior water rights and thousands upon thousands of acres under their control have been ordered to stop siphoning water from two of the state’s key rivers, as the drought moves into the summer months with no rain expected.
eat brighter! shows positive effect on sales, movement to extend through 2018
One year after the launch of the eat brighter! movement, an initiative created to change the game of marketing in the fresh produce industry and inspire children and their families to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, Sesame Workshop, the Partnership for a Healthier America and the Produce Marketing Association have agreed to extend the program through 2018.
Farm Star Living partners with NatureSweet
Farm Star Living, a national lifestyle brand highlighting farms, farm-fresh foods, and the farm-to-everything movement, has teamed up with NatureSweet to create an exciting summer campaign, including editorial content, recipes, video, online advertising and a national sweepstakes.
SEPC Southern Innovations Symposium Bright Ideas Platform application deadline extended
MILLEN, GA — The announcement last month of the Southeast Produce Council’s new addition of the Bright Ideas Platform to the Southern Innovations Symposium has been buzzing around the industry, creating a high demand for an extension for members to apply until June 29, 2015.
Beauty and culture behind Peruvian avocados
Now in its fourth season shipping to the United States, avocados from Peru are being promoted by the Peruvian Avocado Commission in a video series showing the beauty and culture of Peru and the quality of the avocados it produces.
Crown Jewels expecting earlier SJV season
Looking at another early start to the San Joaquin Valley grape season, Atomic Torosian, partner in Crown Jewels Produce LLC in Fresno, CA, said Flames will likely start June 16-20, with Superior Sugraones coming of the southern part of the valley June 26.
“That’s the talk right now,” Torosian said in late May.
Warm spring puts Turek Farms’ Eastern Shore sweet corn on schedule and in super quality
In late May, Jason Turek, a partner in both King Ferry, NY-based Turek Farms, and its marketing arm, Cayuga Produce Inc., told The Produce News the company’s sweet corn crop on the Eastern Shore is coming along nicely.
The company partners with and handles sales for Magee Farms for its Eastern Shore crop of sweet corn.
Generation Next: Lauren Dandrea joins family business with sights set on international growth in the future
When Lauren Dandrea graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in May 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in public health, and a minor in biology, she planned to enter a different industry. But the idea of joining her family business, Dandrea Produce Inc., in Vineland, NJ, always lingered in her mind.
Retail View: Reaching millennials in-store and online
Recent consumer research reveals that 67 percent of millennials — currently 15- to 35-year-olds — shop online, accounting for about 50 percent of all online retail purchases. Other research shows that about 81 percent of all retail purchases by this demographic still occur in a physical store.