KANSAS CITY — In Kansas City’s wholesale produce business, “Liberty, C&C are dominant and doing a good job,” noted Jimmy Connell, a family owner of Keith Connell, Inc. “The three of them have all the business” within the metropolitan area’s produce trade, referring to Liberty Fruit Co., Inc., in Kansas City, KS, and C&C Produce, Inc. in North Kansas City.

Six days after the Feb. 5 passage of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley Emergency Water Delivery Act by the U.S. House of Representatives, California Sens. Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein introduced in the Senate a bill called the California Emergency Drought Relief Act of 2014, with a very different vision for addressing California's severe water shortage.

Founded in 1939 by H.W. (Cy) Mann as a carrot-packing operation, the company soon started growing broccoli for frozen food companies. Mann saw potential for the then relatively unknown vegetable and began shipping broccoli to America's heartland.

Irwindale, CA-based Ready Pac announced Ali Leon has been named senior director of marketing within the foodservice division. The company also recently added Gloria De Anda to its team as the buyer for retail specialties division.

In her new position, Leon will be responsible for the development and execution of short- and long-term plans that leverage consumer, culinary and customer insights and future trends, according to a company press release.

Watermelon is watermelon, where ever it’s grown. Attendees at the National Watermelon Association’s 100th birthday celebration in Savannah, GA, Feb. 19-23 will get a chance to find that out firsthand, as a contingent of Australian growers will be attending the Savannah celebration as part of a U.S. tour.

So how does the Aussie industry differ from the U.S. industry? There are some 400 growers who produced 136,861 tons in 2007, 152,140 tons in 2008 and 131,112 tons in 2009. Growers are scattered pretty much around the coasts of the continent, usually in remote areas.

“The primary produce items Customized Brokers has seen enter the U.S. this season have been asparagus from Peru and blueberries from Argentina and Chile,” said Nelly Yunta, vice president of sales, marketing and customer care, liner and logistics business groups for Crowley Maritime Corporation in Jacksonville, FL, and vice president of Customized Brokers, the customs brokerage and consulting division located in Miami.