Summer heat could produce early end to local tomato deals
It's summertime, which means baseball, fireworks and barbecues as well as the time of the year when everyone's inner farmer is released as they put in a few tomato plants in their backyard gardens and pretend they know what they are doing.
In aggregate, these millions of tomato plants produce tens of millions of tomatoes and affect commercial production. In addition, legitimate seasonal growers throughout the country — challenged by terrain and weather most of the year — see the summertime as their chance to put their thumbprint on the fresh produce industry.
PAIA announces new West Coast chairman
The Peruvian Asparagus Importers Association has announced that Matt DeCarlo, president of Altar Produce Inc. in Calexico, CA, has been named West Coast chairman for the association.
Mr. DeCarlo assumes the position formerly occupied by Chris Martin, president of Gourmet Trading Co., who died suddenly July 23. The association joins the industry in grieving the loss of Mr. Martin.
Tosca acquires Georgia Pacific's RPC division
Tosca Limited, a Green Bay, WI-based provider of reusable container pooling and logistics services to the food supply chain, announced that it has acquired the reusable plastic container division of Georgia-Pacific LLC. The acquisition expands the company's portfolio of products and services offered to customers in the produce, dairy, beverage and protein industries.
Harris Teeter helping bring salad bars to community schools
Harris Teeter is launching a campaign designed to bring salad bars to schools in the Harris Teeter market communities to support Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools. In collaboration with the United Fresh Produce Association Foundation, a founding partner of LMSB2S, Fresh Express, a wholly owned subsidiary of Chiquita Brands, and nine additional produce suppliers, Harris Teeter will donate salad bars to at least 10 schools. These salad bars will benefit more than 5,000 students by providing them a healthy lunch option filled with fresh produce.
Chris Hoffman joins Fresh Tex Produce
Alamo, TX-based Fresh Tex Produce, a year-round shipper of tropical fruits and vegetables, as well as chili peppers and tomatoes out of Mexico, recently hired Rio Grande Valley native CHRIS HOFFMAN comes to the company after working for Glaziers for the past two years, handling outside sales. Mr.
Armando Palacios joins Fresh Tex Produce
ARMANDO PALACIOS, a Rio Grande Valley native, joined Alamo, TX-based Fresh Tex Produce after working in sales for six years at Azteca Milling, a producer of milled corn under the brand known as “Maseca,” under the position of executive sales. During his time at Azteca, Mr.
Travelling exhibit tells story, makes connections in Oregon
This year, Oregonians will have an opportunity to find out just what makes Oregon agriculture so strong. The Oregon Department of Agriculture is helping residents make the connection through its traveling exhibit, “Telling the Oregon Agriculture Story,” at selected county fairs.
J.P. Dulcich & Sons has across-the-board increases in production with more to come
“We’ve got increases in everything” for the 2012 grape season in the San Joaquin Valley and will have additional increases in coming seasons, said Nick Dulcich, a partner in J.P. Dulcich & Sons in Delano, CA, and president of Sunlight International Sales Inc., the company’s sales arm. “We are growing as a company.”
The company’s volume was up last year and continues to build this year with young vineyards coming into fuller production.
In addition, there are young vineyards yet to come into production, and new planting continues.
Wada Farms teams up with grower-shipper Worley & McCullough
Wada Farms Marketing Group of Idaho Falls, ID, is teaming up with Worley & McCullough, a fourth-generation potato grower-shipper in Colorado's San Luis Valley.
Worley & McCullough will continue to operate its packingshed under its current name; however, under the partnership arrangement Wada will conduct the sales and marketing.
Lighter Chinese crop may lead to higher prices for California garlic
A lighter-than-normal garlic crop in China, said to be due to small sizes, is expected to result in a 30 percent reduction in Chinese garlic exports to the United States this year, and that should bode well for California producers, giving them the opportunity for better returns on this year's crops.
"The word is that China is short," said Paul Auerbach, president of Maurice A. Auerbach Inc., in Secaucus, NJ. "Being that it is a world market these days, and being that this market her has developed into a very heavily Chinese marketplace ... that is a very important factor."