The effect of heat on grapes is dependent on many factors, including the way grapes are farmed. But buyers who “have been around a while” know that a prolonged stretch of very high temperatures in the growing areas “can contribute to having some issues later on,” said Kevin Beno, owner of Fresh Buyers Inspections Inc. in Visalia, CA, Aug. 8.

The late July recall of both cantaloupes and honeydews by a North Carolina grower-shipper because of the finding of Listeria monocytogenes in the packing facility has not had an impact on the overall marketing of the product at this point, according to a California shipper.

Steve Patricio, president of Westside Produce in Firebaugh, CA, told The Produce News Aug 15 that “the general marketplace has slowed recently, but I don’t think the recall of the North Carolina melons has affected our sales at all.”

RPE Inc. has entered into a partnership with Lynn and Jeffery McCullough, the father-and-son team who own Lynn McCullough Farms LLC, Spud Grower Farms LLC and The Spud Seller LLC in Colorado's San Luis Valley, whereby RPE will serve as the exclusive marketer for Spud Grower Farms and The Spud Seller.

The biggest single factor that seems to point to increased asparagus consumption is household income. While there are some geographic variances as well as difference between the genders and marital status of consumers, how much money a household makes appears to have the most influence.