Michigan’s tree fruit growers sustained serious losses this production season following a rollercoaster cycle of warm weather and subsequent freezes. March temperatures soared upward as tree buds began to open early. The warmth was followed by killing freezes in April that stopped production dead in its tracks for apples, cherries, peaches and grapes. Blueberries, which move into production later in the season, were relatively unharmed.

Double D Farms in Coalinga, CA, is CCOF-certified organic grower, packer and shipper of West Side melons and various other commodities. In melons, “we primarily focus on organic cantaloupes and honeydews,” said Gurdeep Billan, director of sales. “Our whole program is organic.”

With regard to acreage, “last year was a substantial year for us and a lot of our customers experienced significant growth in the organic category,” he said. “We were able to provide our customers with consistent supplies throughout the entire summer.”

Favorable growing conditions in the Northwest are boding well for the 2012 stone fruit crop, and according to Joe Brand, sales manager for E.W. Brandt & Sons in Wapato, WA, pricing is also good.

Fresh-cut produce innovator Ready Pac Foods Inc. introduced a new line of organic single-serve salads available for national distribution. New Ready Pac “Bistro” Organic Bowl Salads feature four varieties that combine the convenience of the company's unique single-serve salad bowls, 100 percent organic ingredients and recipes that deliver the culinary adventure sought by target consumers.

Aarti Sequeira, Food Network Star Season 6 winner and host of her own Aarti Party cooking show, has joined the National Mango Board as its new spokesperson.

The celebrity chef and the board first partnered on a multi-city satellite and internet media tour to reach consumers in several important markets, as well as a packaged taping that will appear on cable and web television channels across the country.

Florida Citrus Mutual's board of directors announced its elected officers for the 2012-13 season. Mark Wheeler, chief financial officer of Wheeler Farms Inc. in Lake Placid, will serve as Mutual's president during the year. He succeeds Victor Story Jr., who will remain on Mutual's Executive Committee.