The value of domestic mushroom production topped $1 billion for the third in a row, according to a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture report.

The approximately 895 million-pound crop from 2012-13 shows an overall 14 percent increase in production since 2009-10.

DNE World Fruit LLC, based in Ft. Pierce, FL, added to its list of packinghouses by signing contracts with Premier Citrus Packers LLC in Vero Beach, FL, and John Stephens Inc. in Frostproof, FL.

Last year Premier Citrus packed approximately 1 million cartons of Florida grapefruit and John Stephens packed about 420,000 cartons of Florida citrus, with a mix of tangerines, Navels, juice oranges and grapefruit.

The Idaho Potato Commission has stepped up its global marketing efforts with the addition of TRACI HIEBERT as its new international marketing director.

David Proenza, chief executive officer and president of Urban Farms Inc. in Rio Hato in Panama's central-southern coast, became interested in what his company calls food growing facilities when climate change began affecting his part of the world.

The growing system is sometimes referred to as vertical farming, and in Asia it is commonly referred to as plant factories.

"We have been in the food business since 1985," said Proenza. "Initially we were in packing, marketing and distributing in the U.S., but we began field farming in Panama in 1998 under the Global Farms name.

“We have what looks to be a later-than-average season for us” in Watsonville, CA, so for the fall period this year “we are going to have a lot of nice fruit out of Watsonville, CA,” in addition to summer plantings specifically for the fall harvest in Santa Maria, CA, said Fritz Koontz, owner and president of Santa Cruz Berry Farming Co. LLC in Watsonville.

There are still a lot of people who haven’t tried asparagus or don’t eat it as often as they might, said Charlie Eagle of Southern Specialties, which has its corporate offices in Pompano Beach, FL. It is for this reason that the firm’s vice president of business development believes asparagus, and especially Peruvian asparagus, has a bright future in front of it.