Tops Friendly Markets and Dole Packaged Foods LLC launched the fifth annual Learning Garden contest that will grant two elementary schools in either upstate New York, Vermont or northern Pennsylvania a Captain Planet Foundation Learning Garden. The contest begins Jan. 5 and runs until Feb. 28.

Tops shoppers can enter their school for a chance to win by visiting topsmarkets.com or  https://captainplanetfoundation.org/contest/topsmarkets/ and filling out the contest application. Two lucky schools will win a comprehensive Learning Garden complete with lesson kits filled with supplies, a

Fruit sales in Chile have been very strong throughout the pandemic according to the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association, with monthly retail fruit sales increasing each month when compared to the same time period last year.  

The berry category has been particularly strong. In fact, IRI data showed the berry category had an absolute dollar gain of $58 million, or growth of 13.6 percent vs. the same period last year.

Chile started exporting blueberries to North America in mid-August, but there were only small volumes until mid-November, and very concentrated in organics from the northern region

Carl Northam grew up in Shafter, CA, in the 1940s and 50s in the heart of the agriculturally rich San Joaquin Valley, so it seemed only natural to look for a job on a ranch when he was first seeking employment in his late teens.

In 1960, Northam did, in fact, secure what he calls a “gopher” position with nearby Vignolo Farms. At the time, Vignolo Farms was a row crop operation growing alfalfa, cotton, wheat and beans.

“The founder, C.J. (Ted) Vignolo, was a personable fellow so I stayed around,” said Northam.

In those early years, Northam didn’t think much beyond the next day so he didn’t

With many anxious to close out a tumultuous 2020, there is so much to look forward to in 2021. Just weeks ago, the United Nations General Assembly designated 2021 the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables, with the Food and Agriculture Organization serving as the lead agency for the year-long celebration in collaboration with other associated organizations and bodies.

As president and CEO of the Produce for Better Health Foundation, I had the pleasure of representing North America, alongside other global leaders, during the IYFV official launch on Dec. 15. Health is a top priority in

Most people are lucky to find one great job, let alone two. Yet that descriptor defines the more than 40 years Roger Pepperl patrolled the produce sector, leaving his mark on both the buying and selling of fresh produce.

His career was split in half between Michigan and Washington and between retailer Meijer and fruit producer Stemilt. The common thread for Pepperl was that both jobs involved marketing, which he said is in the wheelhouse of his skill set. In fact, it was his marketing of cherries at the retail end that led to his position as a supply side marketer.

Though he was born in

In a typical year, the Hunts Point Produce Market and its 30-plus family-owned merchants handle thousands of varieties of fruits and vegetables, with more than 210 million packages of produce passing through.

Of course, 2020 was not typical by any means, and the COVID-19 pandemic impacted many in the produce industry — including those operating at the Hunts Point Market.

“At the start of the pandemic, the loss of business was immediate,” said Phillip Grant, general manager of the Hunts Point Produce Market. “We lost the restaurant/foodservice business, which accounts for 20 to 30 percent