Senior Vice President James Mills announced that he will leave family-owned, Salinas-based grower-shipper Mills Family Farms, effective Jan. 1.

With his 50th birthday approaching, Mr. Mills has decided to pursue some personal goals and dreams. He declined to comment on the specifics of those plans other than to say that he and his wife would take a long motor coach trip to Alaska in the near future. He will continue to serve as a consultant to the company.

Within the next few months, the Vancouver, BC-based Oppenheimer Group will gain additional greenhouse pepper distribution as the result of increased volume from Divemex.

Divemex, the produce marketer's Mexican pepper grower, has more than doubled the size of its Etzatlan facility, planting over 36 new acres under glass since early 2005. Divemex Chief Executive Officer Luis de Saracho said that he anticipates this winter's yield to surpass the 2004-05 crop by roughly 60 percent.

REEDLEY, CA -- It was in the spring of 1955, half a century ago this year, that Jim Ito and his wife, Yukiko Ito, started a small tree fruit packing operation here with fruit from their own 14-acre ranch as well as some of their neighbors.

It began with a hand-packing operation off "a little belt," Yukiko Ito told The Produce News in a recent interview. They were what was known at the time as "shade tree packers," she said, and the workers visually graded and sized the fruit as they picked it off the belt.

WASHINGTON -- After three years of negotiations, Mexican and U.S. officials inked an agreement that spells out new safety rules for Mexican cantaloupe growers who want to ship product to the United States.

"We're pleased that our years of effort to pressure the two governments to come together have finally paid off," said Lee Frankel, president of the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas, who added that the agreement was hammered out three years ago, but recent political changes in both countries made it easier for technical staff to finish it.

MONTEREY, CA -- Randall Freeman, at one time the national director of sales for the cut-fruit-in-glass line for Del Monte Foods Co., has entered into a multi-year licensing agreement with Sunkist Growers Inc. to launch a cut-fruit- in-glass line under the "Sunkist" brand name to compete with Del Monte.

Mr. Freeman's newly formed Freeman Foods LLC, based here, will handle all sales and marketing logistics. Under terms of the agreement with Sunkist, Freeman Foods can sell product in plastic or glass in the United States and Canada.

As the Florida produce industry begins its recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane Wilma, members of the state's tomato industry are fearful of a crisis situation if quality standards are not eased while growers attempt to regroup.