It is significant that while there are some 25,000 acres of farmland in California, mostly in the San Joaquin Valley, devoted to garlic production, there are also some 14,000 acres in the valley that have been taken out of production due to the presence of a devastating and persistent soil-borne disease called white rot with the expectation that garlic may never be planted in those fields again.

Mission Produce Inc., based in Oxnard, CA, has hired Robb Bertels as its new director of strategic marketing.

Peruvian avocados first gained access to the U.S. market late in the season in 2011, making 2013 the third year but the second full season that avocados from Peru have been available to buyers in the United States.

The Peruvian season runs from June through September, corresponding to the peak of the California avocado season, and also to the peak consumption months for avocados in the United States.

David H. Murdock, chairman and chief executive officer of Dole Food Co., signed a definitive merger agreement with the company to acquire for cash all of the outstanding shares of Dole common stock not currently beneficially held by him.

Under the terms of the merger agreement, Dole stockholders will receive $13.50 in cash for each share of Dole common stock that they hold, in a transaction that places the total value of Dole at approximately $1.6 billion.

Supervalu announced Aug. 13 that John Jefferson has been named vice president of produce merchandising.

Taylor Farms has suspended production of salad mix and leafy greens from its processing facility in Mexico while the Food & Drug Administration investigates the Cyclospora outbreak that has sickened 535 people, the company announced Aug. 12.

Health officials have reported at least 535 cases of Cyclospora infection from 18 states, although federal health authorities are still unsure whether all the cases are tied to the same outbreak.