Monsoon rains just before harvest in 2012 and 2013 caused severe losses to the date crop at Hadley’s Date Gardens Inc. in Thermal, CA. If it had happened a third year in succession, “I don’t know if we would have made it out of that,” said Albert Keck, president. “We were down for the count.”

Mexican avocados are “very important” in the U.S. distribution network of McDaniel Fruit Co. in Fallbrook, CA, according to Rankin McDaniel Sr., president of the company.

“Perhaps 50 percent of our distribution requirements are going to be supplied out of Mexico during the 2014-15 season,” principally October through June, he said.

LAS VEGAS -- The day before Republicans took charge of the U.S. Senate and strengthened their hold in the House of Representatives, a pair of journalists discussed the immigration reform inaction that has been part of the U.S. political scene for the past generation.

If the two debaters are accurate, the shift in power will not have a major impact on comprehensive immigration reform, at least in the short run.

Grand Rapids, MI-based Meijer, a retailer that operates 213 supercenters and grocery stores through Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky, is now setting its sights on its next target — southeast Wisconsin.

As a pioneer in the "one-stop shopping" concept, Meijer will be taking its full-service stores into Wisconsin's highly competitive grocery market next summer by opening its first grocery/general merchandise supercenters in the region.

"Wonderful Halos," the easy-peel variety of Mandarin oranges marketed by Paramount Citrus, is entering the second year of an unprecedented multi-million dollar promotional campaign and will feature new television spots and point-of-sale materials to drive consumption.

Delano, CA-based Paramount Citrus brought "Wonderful Halos" to the market last year after previously marketing easy-peel Mandarins under the "Cuties" brand in partnership with Sun Pacific Cos.

The Southeast Produce Council has announced that legendary football star Archie Manning will be the keynote speaker at the council's 2015 conference and trade show, known as Southern Exposure.

Southern Exposure will take place Feb. 26-28, 2015, at the Caribe Royale All-Suite Hotel & Convention Center in Orlando, FL. Manning will deliver the keynote address Saturday, Feb. 28, during the luncheon and general session.