AALPUM to hold second grape symposium
The Asociación Agricola Local de Productores de Uva de Mesa, known commonly by the acronym AALPUM, announced that it will hold its second International Table Grape Symposium Feb. 5-6 in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.
The organization said it hopes to improve on the quality and impact of the first event, which was held in January 2013. The event will cover a variety of topics suggested by producers, researchers and technical advisers, including best practices for producing early crops. In all, 18 presentations are planned for the two-day event.
Albertsons, Safeway name leadership for combined company
Albertsons and Safeway Inc. announced the new senior leadership team and division leaders for the combined company that will take effect upon the closing of their merger, which is pending customary regulatory approvals.
Baja greenhouse production takes big hit from hurricane
Greenhouses on Mexico's Baja peninsula endured enormous damage from the winds of Hurricane Odile, which delivered its strongest punch Sept. 16 on the southern part of the peninsula.
Lance Jungmeyer, president of the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas, located in Nogales, AZ, indicated Sept. 19 that the hurricane "hit southern Baja pretty hard. Reports are still coming in, but the first reports are of 100 percent loss" of the region's produce greenhouses and their crops.
Retail View: Men shopping more, but have different drivers
An NPD Group research project has confirmed that men are more often the primary shopper in their households than they once were, but they accomplish the task a bit differently than women and approach it with different attitudes.
Anecdotal evidence, as simple as one’s own observation, seemingly points to a growing trend of more men doing the grocery shopping.
Tribute: Remembering what Terry Vorhees meant to the Southeast Produce Council
The Southeast Produce Council will hold its annual fall conference Sept. 25-27 at Brasstown Valley Resort & Spa in Young Harris, GA, a beautiful venue located in the north Georgia mountains.
Ocean Spray pushing continuous improvement of fresh cranberry quality and freshness
Quality again will be at the forefront of Ocean Spray’s 2014 fresh cranberry season, and the agricultural cooperative is taking a regional approach to quality this year to improve the performance of its products and ensure that retail partners can maximize sales and customer satisfaction.
Pirrone serving Great Lakes region with cranberries
Local produce demand is the strength of the fresh cranberry marketing program of Mike Pirrone Produce. The firm, which is based in Capac, MI, sells cranberries to Great Lakes states, noted Joe Pirrone, a salesman for the firm. Pirrone’s cranberry brands are “Michigan Cranberry” and “Great Lakes Cranberry.”
SEPC plans variety of events for 2014 Fall Conference
At the Southeast Produce Council fall conference, the council will recognize the members of the 2014 graduating class of its STEP-UPP program, which is co-chaired by SEPC board member Faye Westfall (front row, third from
In the Trenches: Use smarter work management to simplify produce tasks
During the 18th century, all farm work was accomplished by hand — cultivating by using a hoe and grain cutting by swinging a sickle. Around 1830, it took approximately 300 working hours to produce 100 bushels of wheat. This was achieved by walking and using only hands.
Productivity in earlier years was not exactly meeting labor budgets like we must attain today. In the 1850s, there was never-ending labor in handling barrels and bushels of bulk produce in a grocery store.
SEPC News: Looking back on a decade of service to SEPC
It is hard to believe that after a decade in the leadership structure of the Southeast Produce Council, I will soon be on the other side of my day-to-day service, starting the next phase as a member of the council’s advisory board, not an active officer. I have been fortunate enough to be the first SEPC member in council history to hold every office on the board of directors.