Mobile phones can be great marketing tool
It has been said that one third of Americans would rather give up sex than their mobile phone.
Clyde Watson Jr. joins Val Verde Vegetable
McAllen, TX-based Val Verde Vegetable Co., which was gearing up for the start of its 2012-13 greens season in mid-to-late October, announced the hiring of CLYDE WATSON JR. as its greens harvest supervisor.
PMA draws record crowd to new format
Whether it was the always-popular California location, the truncated format or normal growth is hard to say, but the 2012 edition of the Produce Marketing Association’s annual meeting, Fresh Summit, attracted what was announced as a record crowd of more than 20,000 attendees.
Farm bill on the lame duck agenda
WASHINGTON -- Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) said the House will vote on a stalled farm bill during the lame duck session, the first indication the issue is on the House Republicans’ crowded agenda for congressional action after the election.
Rep. Cantor appeared at a Boise, ID, campaign event for Rep. Raul Labrador (R-ID), where he explained that the House delayed action on the farm policy legislation because it didn’t have the votes on the floor, according to the Oct. 24 Idaho Statesman.
Health trends portend to recovering economy
ANAHEIM, CA -- According to Suzy Badaracco, president of Culinary Tides, health trends among today’s consumers indicate that the economy is in recovery.
“We’re coming into recovering. We’re doing it kicking, dragging and screaming, but we’re heading in that direction,” she told PMA Fresh Summit 2012 attendees during her presentation at the “Top Health Trends to Shape Produce Profitability” workshop on Oct. 26, here.
She added that consumers seem “more realistic” today and will pay more money if they truly value a product.
Philadelphia and New York terminal markets, Eastern growers batten down for Hurricane Sandy
As Hurricane Sandy was bearing down on the Northeast, the produce trade was making preparations to cope with the storm of historic proportions that was expected to cause massive flooding and power outages throughout the densely populated area.
At 9:10 a.m., Mon. Oct. 29, Tad Thompson, business development manager for the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market, told The Produce News that just 10 minutes earlier, market officials made the decision to close the market early.
Dragonberry dares to be different
Amy Nguyen, sales executive for Dragonberry Produce Inc., said that the specialty boutique-style company, located in Clackamas, OR, is known for out-of-the-box thinking.
“We are daring to be different,” she told The Produce News. “That is the fun for me. We are a very unique company. We are not a cookie-cutter company.”
Lone Star Citrus harvesting high-quality fruit from its first plantings
Twenty years ago there were at least two dozen citrus houses in the state of Texas. That number has now dwindled to four, not due to attrition but to mergers and acquisition, which makes it all the more remarkable that Lone Star Citrus in Mission, TX, has thrived and prospered.
Deal brings Modern Mushroom Farms into Giorgio Fresh fold
Giorgio Fresh Co. and Modern Mushroom Farms have reached an agreement to transition the Modern Mushroom fresh mushroom business to the Giorgio family of brands.
Under this agreement, Giorgio will manage Modern’s packing facility in Chester County, PA, and purchase those mushrooms from Modern’s growing operations. Additionally, the Modern sales and customer service teams will become a part of the Giorgio team. Both the “Modern Farms” and “Green Giant Fresh” brands will continue to be in the market, and Green Giant Fresh will continue featuring Box Tops for Education.
Best of Idaho tour brings chefs and food editors to Gem State
The Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion Committee, the Idaho Potato Commission and Clear Springs Trout teamed up to host the 2012 Best of Idaho chefs and food writers tour Oct. 3-5, which gave chefs, culinary instructors and food editors the opportunity to visit farms and packinghouses across the state of Idaho and learn how onions, potatoes and trout are raised, harvested and packed.