Agra Pro LLC in Nogales, AZ, a shipper, distributor and broker specializing in watermelons that was formed two years ago as a partnership between Mark Fletcher and Al Harrison Co. Distributors in Nogales, is now a sole proprietorship with Mr. Fletcher as owner and president.

Brent Harrison, president of Al Harrison Co., was previously president of Agra Pro and Mr. Fletcher was vice president.

“Brent and I were partners for a while” before dissolving the partnership. “We parted on very good terms,” Mr. Fletcher told The Produce News April 3.

California avocado season has kicked off with the California Avocado Commission’s “Wake up to Breakfast with California Avocados” promotion.

Sunkist Growers is embracing opportunities to showcase its fresh citrus outside of the produce section by offering its customers secondary display units. Six different display offerings give retailers the flexibility to showcase Sunkist products in the front lobbies, at the registers or in various departments to drive incremental sales.

It has been a topsy-turvy year for Florida, weather- and market-wise, with record high temperatures in January and record lows in March. In fact, Joel Silverman of Paradise Produce Distributors Inc. in Lakeland, FL thinks 2013 might be the most unpredictable year he has seen in his three decades in the business.

The Southeast Produce Council has been very busy for the last few years working to build its organization by investing in what it believes is its greatest asset: recognizing and promoting youth.

Unlike many produce commodities that are now available virtually year-round from one source or another, fresh cherries remain highly seasonal, and the first cherries of the season typically command very high prices.

The earliest cherries out of California typically start around the first of May, with crops out of the Pacific Northwest following several weeks later.