In 1979, while still working for his previous employer, Duane Eaton joined 2,700 others and attended his first Produce Marketing Association convention, which was held in Phoenix. There were 224 booths.

“In those days the PMA trade show was about the size of the regional shows today,” he said.

It is not uncommon for a California strawberry shipper to have production in as many as three districts — most commonly Oxnard, Santa Maria and Salinas-Watsonville. But not many grow strawberries in five different districts throughout the state. Naturipe Berry Growers in Salinas, CA, does, however, and as of the first week of February was actually harvesting berries from four of the five districts — Coachella, Irvine, Oxnard and Santa Maria, said Craig Moriyama, director of berry operations.

RIO RICO, AZ — Grower Alliance LLC is going year-round in the Roma tomato business for the first time. Working from a modern warehouse amid seemingly countless other produce distributors in the Rio Rico Industrial Park, the firm in mid-January began receiving Roma tomatoes from Culiacan. This deal, coming through Nogales, AZ, will end about July 4.

Jorge (George) Quintero Jr., the firm’s managing partner, said the Nogales Roma deal will give the firm an extended season. Traditionally Grower Alliance brought Romas through McAllen, TX, with that season ending in February.

Del Monte Fresh Produce was the official fresh produce provider of the 2014 Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival, a national, star-studded, four-day destination event showcasing the talents of the world’s most renowned wine and spirits producers, chefs and culinary personalities.

FoodLink, a leading provider of supply chain and commerce solutions for the fresh food industry, based in Los Gatos, CA, announced March 4 that Gourmet Trading Co., a leading distributor of fresh asparagus in North America, will implement the company's produce traceability solution on all packed and shipped produce within the United States.

Paramount Citrus will increase the capacity at its Wonderful Halos plant in Delano, CA, by 75 percent to meet increasing demand for the fruit, according to a company press release.

The expansion at the plant, which is already among the largest and most advanced citrus packinghouse in the world, will enable Paramount to process more than 52 million Mandarins a day.