For many produce companies, being “integrated” means being involved in the growing, packing and marketing of a product. At Mulholland Citrus in Orange Cove, CA, integration goes a couple of steps further, as Mulholland is, among other things, a citrus tree nursery.

Not only does the company propagate trees; it sells them to other growers in addition to planting them on its own ranches.

Dole Food Co. announced that its stockholders approved the sale of the company to its chairman and chief executive officer, David Murdock, in a $1.2 billion deal.

At a special meeting held Oct. 31 at the company's headquarters in Westlake Village, CA, 50.9 percent of stockholders not associated with Murdock, 91, approved the deal that will take the company private. Approval of the deal required a majority of shares not controlled by Murdock.

Murdock currently controls 39.5 percent of the stock and offered $13.50 per share, up from the $12 he offered in June.

Triple T Transport Inc., a Columbus, OH, employee-owned third-party logistics provider, is celebrating its 25th anniversary. The company is marking the special occasion just a few months after a number of operational expansions, and there are still some exciting changes to come in the next couple months.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has appointed three members and four alternates to the Hass Avocado Board.

Producers James R. Greenwood of Fallbrook, CA, and Ohannes Z. Karaoghlanian of Temecula, CA, will serve three-year terms as members beginning Nov. 1. Faye Louise Hall of Fallbrook, CA, and Brock Bookwalter of Ventura, CA, will serve as alternates.

Avocado importers Sebastian Bulnes of Temecula, CA, and James Lotufo of Ringoes, NJ, will serve as member and alternate, respectively, for three years, beginning Nov. 1.

Colorful Harvest LLC, a grower and marketer of premium-quality fresh strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and unique vegetables known for unique colors and flavors, announced that founding members Doug Ranno, Tom Remick, David Knudsen and Art Davis, who jointly owned 60 percent of the company, have sold their shares to the Andrew Smith Co. and the remaining Colorful Harvest founding member, Jeffrey Sholl, giving each a 50 percent interest in the Salinas, CA-based company.

During a White House event with First Lady Michelle Obama, Sesame Workshop and Produce Marketing Association announced that they are forming a collaboration committed to increasing children's consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables.

The collaboration is part of a commitment to the Partnership for a Healthier America, which works with the private sector and PHA Honorary Chair Michelle Obama to broker commitments to help end the childhood obesity epidemic.