"Growers in Palmetto, Ruskin and some in the Immokalee areas are underway" with the initial tomato planting process, said Reggie Brown, executive vice president of the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange in Maitland, FL. "They could be in for some major losses if Fay delivers strong winds."

La Quinta, CA-based Ag Accounting LLC is rebounding with its California- grown Keitt mangos following a disastrous year with the fruit in 2007 when January freezes wiped out 50 acres of the variety.

"We had 30,000 cartons [of Keitt]" in 2007, said Ted Johnson, chief operating officer of Ag Accounting. This year, Ag Accounting should have in excess of 250,000 cartons of conventional and organic Keitt mangos, he said.

Dennis Gertmenian, chief executive officer of Ready Pac Foods in Irwindale, CA, has retired from the company he founded in 1969.

This is the second retirement for the 62-year-old Mr. Gertmenian, and this one looks like it will stick. He will, however, continue as a board member for Ready Pac Foods and remains the company's major shareholder.

Mr. Gertmenian said that the company is coming off a record year and is at the forefront of the industry again.

The Organic Trade Association announced that it will co-locate its 2009 All Things Organic conference and trade show with Expo Comida Latina and All Asia Food June 16-18 at McCormick Place in Chicago.

Eurofresh Farms in Willcox, AZ, is launching a new marketing program designed to educate Arizona shoppers about the advantages of buying locally grown Eurofresh tomatoes.

Eurofresh is bringing back the familiar "Arizona Grown" logo and will include it on all packages and all materials shipped to Arizona grocery stores.

Muranaka Farm Inc. broke ground Thursday, July 24, on a new cooler that will sit on the company's 600 acres of farmland by its headquarters in Moorpark, CA.

The new cooler will be located just down the road from the company's current cooler and is scheduled for a December opening. The 18,000-square-foot facility will be more than four times the size of the current cooler, with additional doors for the loading dock.

It will replace Muranaka's 30-year-old cooler, which will be converted to a processing facility for new products that are in development.