The Freshealth division of DNO Produce kicks off its local summer harvest program with fresh-cut asparagus on May 24. The local harvest program was created to offer more access to local produce in Michigan schools.

With the transitions in the meal programs over the past year, the demand for fresh fruits and vegetables has increased — and, supporting the local community is a high priority for the K-12 school foodservice directors. The local harvest items will be available through DoD Fresh and also with commercial foodservice distributors to support the Summer Food Service Programs in Michigan

The 2021 Northwest cherry season is just around the corner and Chelan Fresh is looking forward to getting started selling what looks to be a very good crop of cherries. “We’re going to have promotable volume as the overall weather has been good. We are looking at a quality crop of good-sized fruit,” said Mac Riggan, director of marketing with Chelan Fresh.

A strong transition from California would go a long way toward a smooth start in the Northwest and Riggan is optimistic, “I think California will set us up for a good start up here,” he said.

“We’ll get started the first week of June,” he

Stephen M. Creed has been appointed to the new position of vice president of distribution and logistics. Creed is responsible for leading Big Y’s distribution teams at its newly expanded 430,000-square-foot Fresh & Local Distribution Center in Springfield, MA. In addition, he will serve as an advisor to the board of directors. He reports to Michael P. D’Amour, executive vice president and COO.

Creed has over 40 years of experience in the distribution industry, mostly within the supermarket realm. He began his career in 1979 with Stop & Shop Inc. where he held various positions, including

The U.S. Apple Association board of directors gave an enthusiastic go-ahead to hold the organization’s annual conference in-person this summer. The 126th annual Crop & Outlook Marketing Conference will take place Aug. 19-20 in Chicago. The two-day meeting will showcase diverse speakers and topics, growers and apple business leaders from across the nation, and the always anticipated crop forecast.

“Since Chicago has reopened for business and the majority of meeting attendees will have access to the COVID-19 vaccine by August, the board of directors agreed it’s time to move on with an in-person

Divine Flavor has started receiving its first shipments of grapes, officially kicking off its Sonoran grape program for 2021. This season the company anticipates packing more than 5 million boxes out of northern Mexico, which is about a 25 percent increase from last year

Leading the way is Carlos Bon, Divine Flavor’s vice president of sales, who is preparing the company for its biggest commercial volume season since the company was established in 2006.

Assisting Bon into this year’s grape deal are Divine Flavor veterans Dennis Hay and Alan Morfin, sales managers, and Antonio Escobar, grape

Legend Produce, a leading grower and marketer of melons, hired Marc Beoshanz as the newest farming operations manager.

Beoshanz joins the company from HM Clause Seed Co., where he spent 14 years helping growers find and develop some of the finest melon seed varieties in the world. He was a regional manager there, but his background spans different areas of food production with over 30 years of experience.

“I have worked in production agriculture, agricultural research and product development. When I started my career in research, I fell in love with Melons and that is why I’m here today,”