As we begin the transition from the Southwestern desert regions to Central California, the recent weather patterns have been conducive for growth rates of the various crops. The Huron region of Central California will begin harvesting this week with mostly Romaine and some Iceberg supplies available from select shippers in the region. This region acts as a bridge for supplies for approximately three to four weeks until the coastal California valleys (Oxnard, Santa Maria and Salinas) take over production around mid-April. Quality looks good in the Huron region with some insect pressure expected

Continental Fresh LLC is celebrating World Water Day this week on March 22. Known for its deep grower relationships, the importer prides itself for connecting dependable growers to its retail, foodservice and wholesale customers in the U.S. market.

World Water Day, celebrated globally on March 22, is the annual United Nations Observance focusing on the importance of freshwater. According to the UN, 2.2 billion people globally are living without access to safe water. Continental Fresh’s Water For All is a program which aligns with the U.N’s Sustainable Development Goal of water and sanitation

The majority of Prima Wawona's land has been sold, and as suggested by a San Joaquin Valley grower in an October article on The Produce News, the sale was at a highly discounted price.

Last year Prima Wawona reportedly received a $275 million bid for the business but did not move forward with it. At the time a report put together by Pearson Realty estimated the company had about 13,500 acres of land to liquidate, with a value of approximately $370 million.

Now Sun Pacific and Moonlight Cos. have purchased approximately 5,000 acres of the land for $91 million; about 1,300 acres of Prima

The New England Produce Council hosted a well-attended Top Golf event Feb. 28 at the Top Golf site in Canton, MA, sponsored by RPE, Taylor Farms, Suja/Vive, Bard Valley, T. Marzetti and R2Fresh Solutions.

The evening included a dinner meeting with sponsor presentations, followed by golf. Chris Downs, director of retail sales, and Amanda Knauff, vice president of sales for retail Canada/U.S. at Taylor Farms, presented Taylor Farms' retail products, highlighting innovation and future growth capabilities in the Northeast market, including New England.

"The NEPC top golf event was a great

The full-fledged watermelon season is right around the corner, and in preparation watermelon prices are on the rise, up 20 percent over the previous week, according to ProduceIQ. Mark Campbell, founder and CEO of ProduceIQ, said short supply on both coasts is the reason for the elevated prices — at a 10-year high for the fourth consecutive week. “Import volume is historically low, and domestic production won’t be able to provide relief for at least three more weeks,” he said.

On the other end of the spectrum, after a few weeks of declining prices, eggplant markets are back on the rise. He

The U.S. Department of Agriculture imposed sanctions on two produce businesses — All Fresh Farms LLC and South Side Fresh Produce LLC — for failing to meet contractual obligations to the sellers of produce they purchased and failing to pay reparation awards issued under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act.

These sanctions include suspending the businesses’ PACA licenses and barring the principal operators of the businesses from engaging in PACA-licensed business or other activities without approval from USDA.

The following businesses and individuals are currently restricted from