“The Sunshine State.”

Florida’s famous state motto appears everywhere. It is on the state’s license plates, much of the promotional materials issued by state and local governments and even used by many in the state’s ubiquitous tourism industry.

But, what happens when the sun does not shine very often in Florida for an extended period of time?

Hy-Vee Inc. is in the process of acquiring the Strack & Van Til Food Market chain — also known as Indiana Grocery Group LLC — which has store locations throughout northwest Indiana.

The acquisition will add 22 stores to Hy-Vee’s more than 550 retail business units, which include grocery stores, drugstores, pharmacies, restaurants and convenience stores that focus on meal solutions for busy families.

The Canadian Produce Marketing Association, the International Federation for Produce Standards and the Global Coalition of Fresh Produce have named the speakers who will lead discussions around sustainability challenges for the produce industry at the upcoming International Sustainability Summit, on Friday, April 26, in Vancouver.

Keynote speakers

ZAG Technical Services, an IT consulting firm specializing in cybersecurity, data analytics and managed services in the Ag and Food & Beverage industries, announced the launch of a new webinar series designed to empower agricultural businesses with the knowledge and tools necessary to protect their digital infrastructure against increasing cyber threats.

Equifruit, a North American market leader in Fairtrade-certified bananas, has achieved B Corp certification.

The B Corp certification requires companies to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency set by the nonprofit organization B Lab.

Growers will complete the transition from the Southwestern Desert regions to the coastal valleys (Oxnard, Santa Maria and Salinas) of California this week. These regions were impacted by another cold storm system with substantial precipitation between half an inch and two inches over the weekend. Forecasts indicate that this system looks to be the last winter type storm system of the season.