Although New York state was plagued by rainy conditions during this year’s onion planting season, Bland Farms LLC expects to have good volume and a highly promotable Empire-Sweets crop.

“This spring we had a challenge,” Michael Hively, the company’s chief financial officer and general manager, told The Produce News June 14. “We had too much rain.” He went on to say that the rich field soil became mucky, making it difficult to plant. “We had to pick and choose the fields to be planted,” he added.

GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ — This summer citrus season is beginning in a stronger marketing position than a year ago, according to Marc Solomon, president of Fisher Capespan, headquartered here.

Limoneira Co. Inc. in Santa Paula, CA, is formalizing 20-year-old relationships with lemon export allies in both Argentina and Chile.

On June 17, Alex Teague, senior vice president of the firm, which is a division of Calavo, told The Produce News, “We have had, over the last 20 years, an informal association with the two groups.” Limoneira is “beginning a formalization” with FGF Trapani, headquartered in Tucuman, Argentina, and Rosales Packing in La Serena, Chile.

The new arrangement means Limoneira’s product will now be shipped from Chile and Argentina.

“For summer citrus, these are exciting times,” said David Mixon, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Seald Sweet International in Vero Beach, FL.

In a June 9 interview with The Produce News, Mr. Mixon said that Seald Sweet this year is importing citrus produced in South Africa, Peru and Chile — and the firm’s summer citrus volume will be up.

In the week of June 5, Seald Sweet received its first South African clementines by container into New York.

For the first time, DNE World Fruit Sales, based in Ft. Pierce, FL, this summer is receiving some shipments of Chilean fruit into Florida and repacking in its Florida packinghouses. The endeavor supplements similar, pre-existing work in DNE facilities close to New Jersey and California seaports.

In 1991, Kevin Bartolotta, president and owner of Bartolotta Inc., in Torrington, CT, moved to Salinas, CA, to take a job with Stewart Packing Co., which was owned by LID Co. in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.