Keith Mixon of Winter Haven, FL-based SunnyRidge Farm Inc. believes that it is a good time to be in the blueberry business in general and in the Florida blueberry business in particular.

He should know.

SunnyRidge built its reputation on blueberries and has become a major player in the overall berry category since its first plants went in the ground in 1993.

Gary Wishnatzki was literally born into the berry business.

As the third-generation owner of Wishnatzki Farms Inc. in Plant City, FL, he has leveraged technology and cutting-edge marketing to become one of Florida’s primary suppliers of berries and other commodities. But even he never saw the Florida blueberry boom coming.

Jack Cain, vice president of sales and marketing at Westlake Produce Co. in Winter Haven, FL, is optimistic about the upcoming Florida blueberry season, and with ample reason. The company has doubled its volume since last year and continues to make a commitment to supply a premium finished product by investing in the latest packing technology and food safety.

Winter freezes in Florida did not affect the blueberry crop, and in fact February and March brought perfect weather to ensure that this season’s offerings are on time and abundant.

Two multi-generational strawberry farming companies in California have joined forces to form a new sales company called CBS Farms, which is headquartered in Watsonville, CA.

The sales company will service customers year round with strawberries from multiple locations throughout Mexico and California, selling the various labels of the two companies, including “Colleen” and “Beach Street Farms.”

Like many other California vegetable commodities this winter, carrot production has been lighter than usual because of colder-than-normal winter temperatures.

The lettuce market remained hot for most varieties the week of March 6-13, but there were signs that volume would be increasing in the next couple of weeks, which should bring prices down.

Intermittent cold, wet weather over the past several months and disease problems related specifically to Iceberg lettuce combined to create a demand-exceeds-supply situation for most of the past three months.