Monterey Mushrooms Inc., a leading mushroom supplier based in Watsonville, CA, has hired veteran retailer Mike O'Brien as vice president of sales and marketing. He assumes the position Nov. 10 and will report to Shah Kazemi, president and chief executive officer.

Men’s Health magazine recently dubbed Sunset Kumato the best tomato for men. Introduced in 2010, "Sunset Kumato" brand tomatoes have quickly gained notoriety for their size, unique color and well-balanced flavor. These non-GMO verified tomatoes naturally turn a reddish-brown color at their peak ripeness.

“We had an exceptional harvest this year,” in the Bard Valley, with “a great yield,” Erin Hanagan-Muths, marketing manager at DatePac LLC in Yuma, AZ, said in an interview with The Produce News.

The agricultural industry has been getting a bad rap from environmental activists for a long time, and most of it — those in the industry would contend — is without justification. The California citrus industry is certainly no exception, and yet the environmentalist lobby has been the driving force between many of the legislative initiatives and bureaucratic policies that have made it increasingly difficult for farming enterprises — especially the smaller ones — to survive and have forced California growers to take tens of thousands of acres of once-productive land out of production.

If the fresh produce industry and the stock market have anything in common, it’s Drew Billmeyer, part of the third generation of family members spearheading operations at Ben B. Schwartz & Sons Inc. in Detroit.

This year’s rivalry between Oregon State University and Washington State University will extend beyond the football field with the real winner being the local food banks. The Oregon Potato Commission and the Washington State Potato Commission are teaming up to tackle hunger via a friendly wager on the outcome of the Nov. 8 matchup in Corvallis, OR, between the Beavers and Cougars.