Homegrown Organic Farms in Porterville, CA, has a slight increase of about 10 percent in its stone fruit-producing acreage this year as some of the company’s growers have moved out of other commodities and switched to stone fruit, according to Stephen Paul, sales manager for stone fruit, specialty fruit and grapes.

As young plantings mature, “we see the program growing nicely” with incremental annual increases over the next five to six years, he said.

The Flavor Tree Fruit Co. LLC in Hanford, CA, which is the exclusive sales agent for Warmerdam Packing, is “so big in the cherry deal that we really don’t get going on the stone fruit deal until mid-June,” which is a bit later than some shippers in the industry, according to George Neves, national sales manager for Flavor Tree.

Once the company’s stone fruit program does get going, it is considerably heavier to peaches and nectarines than to plums, and stronger in yellow flesh peach and nectarine varieties than white flesh, at least until late summer and fall, he said.

SCOTTSDALE, AZ — The PMA Foundation For Industry Talent has a winner on its hands.

Fran Carfagno is the director of sales for T.M. Kovacevich International, and he also holds the title of director of food safety for T.M. Kovacevich-Philadelphia Inc. The two companies are separate entities, but both are owned by George Manos.

Mr. Carfagno told The Produce News that T.M. Kovacevich-Philadelphia received its U.S. Department of Agriculture Audit Program for GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) and GHP (Good Handling Practices) in August of 2012.

Chuck Zambito, owner of Zambito Produce Sales in West Deptford, NJ, told The Produce News that the company is reaping some of the benefits that the cutting edge Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market has brought to companies in the area.

The California Blueberry Commission continues its work to expand its presence in the global marketplace.

“We are constantly looking at export market opportunities,” Executive Director Alexander Ott said. “South Korea and Australia are good prospects.”

The commission was created by an act of the California State Legislature and approved by a grower-shipper referendum. The commission is funded through grower assessment and reauthorized every five years. The next referendum will take place in 2015.