ATLANTA — At least eight grower-shippers headquartered in California’s Salinas Valley will combine their booths at the Produce Marketing Association convention in 2012 and create a location-specific space.

Lorri Koster, vice president of marketing and co-chairman of the board of Mann Packing Co. Inc. in Salinas, CA, is spearheading the effort.

McCaffrey’s Markets and BrightFarms announced an agreement to build a greenhouse farm at one of McCaffrey’s grocery stores, according to an Oct. 12 press release.

BrightFarms will finance, build and operate the greenhouse, which will grow the ultra local fresh produce. McCaffrey’s will purchase the produce from the greenhouse — items such as lettuces, tomatoes and herbs — in accordance with a long-term produce purchase agreement.

ICEBERG LETTUCE

The Iceberg lettuce transition from Salinas, CA, to Huron, CA, is not seamless and the market is quickly gaining momentum. Quality of the last fields in the Salinas Valley is suspect due to the Oct. 4-5 rain followed by several days of warm temperatures.

Unsanitary conditions at Jensen Farms in Holly, CO, have been cited as the probable cause of the Listeria monocytogenes outbreak that has sickened more than 125 people and resulted in at least 25 deaths.

As a result of the outbreak, which was traced back to Jensen Farms in early September and which led to a recall of the firm’s cantaloupes, a multi-agency environmental review of the farm’s growing, packing and cooling facilities was conducted Sept. 22-23.