Primavera Marketing Inc. in Linden, CA, has added a new cherry line to its packing facility, giving the company five cherry packinglines in all.

“We are in process of completing a brand new cherry packingline that will be our fourth here on site to package red cherries,” said Richard Sambado, president and director of domestic marketing, in an interview with The Produce News April 5.”We previously had three red lines plus one Rainier line. Now we have four lines plus the Rainier line.”

Peri & Sons Farms Inc. is distinguishing itself in the California onion deal with a calculated business plan that emphasizes quality product production, branding and vertical integration.

“We at JemD Farms are really looking forward to the CPMA Convention & Trade Show in Toronto in April,” Jim DiMenna, president of JemD Farms, told The Produce News. “JemD Farms’ booth number is 600, and we will have a full crew of staff members on hand to meet and greet customers to share all of the exciting things going on in our company currently.”

TOM LANGE was promoted to Union Pacific Railroad's assistant vice president of corporate communications, succeeding Donna Kush, who was recently promoted to vice president of public affairs for the Northern Region.

Mr. Lange, a former newspaper editor with more than 25 years of media relations and communications experience in the consumer, manufacturing, sports and transportation industries, had been director of corporate communications at Union Pacific. He earned a bachelor’s degree in public relations from Webster University in St. Louis.

Citing the inability to secure water in northern Colorado, grower-shipper Harry Strohauer of Strohauer Farms in LaSalle, CO, recently relocated a portion of his potato production to northeast New Mexico.

Mr. Strohauer, who grows conventional, organic and specialty potatoes and onions, told The Produce News that half his potato operation is in New Mexico this season. Conventional russets and Yukon Golds for the dry bulk/repacker market segment were planted in March, and Yukon harvest is expected to start in mid-July, with russets to follow.

California avocado growers, aware of their geographic advantages and increasing pressure from imports, focused on premium positioning at a series of California Avocado Commission annual meetings held in three growing districts this week.