Recent rains don’t diminish worries about water supplies
Monsoonal flows, which began in July, were well-received by Colorado residents and agricultural producers. But the rainfall was not enough to overcome extreme drought conditions and improve water supplies.
Craig Cotten, district engineer with the Colorado State Engineer’s office, provided The Produce News with a detailed snapshot of conditions experienced in the San Luis Valley this production season.
AMC Direct to undergo brand update
AMC Direct, an importer of fresh produce based in Glassboro, NJ, along with sister companies AMC Fazio and AMC Canada, is set to launch new brand assets in next month before the PMA Fresh Summit Convention & Exposition in New Orleans. All three companies are members of the Spain-based AMC Group.
Publix to acquire seven BI-LO stores, expanding presence in the Carolinas
Publix Super Markets Inc. and Bi-Lo Holdings LLC, parent company of the BI-LO and Winn-Dixie grocery store chains, have entered into an agreement under which Publix is expected to purchase seven BI-LO-branded stores in North and South Carolina.
Publix continues to look at aggressive growth in the North Carolina market, and the acquisition will allow the company to further enhance its footprint in the company’s Charlotte Division.
Revamped Domex website debuts
Domex Superfresh Growers, located in Yakima, WA, recently launched its revamped website to engage consumers. “It will now act as the hub for all outbound marketing strategy,” said Vice President of Marketing Howard Nager. “Using a proprietary social data analysis tool, we are discovering and actively engaging in conversations with consumers related to the products that we grow.”
Stabenow to kick off Washington Public Policy Conference
Senate agriculture committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow will kick off the Washington Public Policy Conference, delivering the keynote address at the opening general session breakfast Tuesday, Oct. 1. In her role as chair of the Senate agriculture committee, Stabenow plays a pivotal role in shaping U.S. agricultural policies. Stabenow will discuss the public policy opportunities and challenges facing the produce industry, including the status of the farm bill and comprehensive immigration reform.
Candidates square off in race for Texas Commissioner of Agriculture seat; March primary is crucial
Three Republican candidates have declared their intention to seek the office of Texas Commissioner of Agriculture in the November 2014 elections to replace the departing current officeholder, Todd Staples. No Democrat had officially entered the race as of Sept. 10 — and it likely will not matter if one does. In an overwhelmingly red state, the real battle for the commissioner’s seat will almost certainly come down to the March primary.
SPC President Andrew Scott joins Michigan’s Superior Sales as VP of sales and marketing
Industry veteran and Southeast Produce Council President Andrew Scott is joining Superior Sales Inc. of Hudsonville, MI, as vice president of sales and marketing, effective today.
Scott will be based in Atlanta and will also have an office at J&R Baker Farms, Superior’s southeastern growing partner in Norman Park, GA.
Generational know-how keeps Pacificpro at the top of its game
It’s an exciting apple season for three generations of the Hartmann family at Pacificpro Inc. “Washington apples have been the core commodity of Pacificpro and the Hartmann family since they first started in the business 50 years ago,” Vice President Randy Hartmann told The Produce News. The company is headquartered in Bellevue, WA.
Hendrix Produce signs partnership with the National Breast Cancer Foundation
Hendrix Produce Inc. has teamed up with the National Breast Cancer Foundation for a cause-marketing program involving sweet onions during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.
“We’re really honored to partner with NBCF,” said Vice President Kevin Hendrix. “While we enjoy giving back locally — and even regionally — we’ve wanted to branch out on a more national level for some time.”
Citrus psyllid find in California expected to trigger quarantine
Several specimens of Asian citrus psyllid were found in three adjoining backyards in Dinuba, CA, in an area surrounded by commercial citrus groves, early in the week of Sept. 9, and the discovery is expected to trigger a quarantine, prohibiting the movement of citrus fruit or plant materials from anywhere within a five-mile radius of where the pests were found, according to Bob Blakely, director of industry relations for California Citrus Mutual in Exeter, CA.