Chelan Fruit Cooperative, located in Chelan, WA, announced the acquisition of the Orondo Fruit Co. packing plant in Orondo, WA, from the Griggs and Clennon families.

Cutler, CA-based Wileman Bros. & Elliot Inc., a grower-packer-shipper of California citrus, welcomed DAN GARCIA on July 2 as its senior sales account manager.

Mr. Garcia brings with him 20 years of experience in the produce industry, most recently working for Dinuba, CA-based Fruit Patch Sales LLC for the past 10 years. His primary focus at Wileman Bros. & Elliot will be to distinguish and develop new business.

Heading into its sixth full citrus season, Lone Star Citrus in Mission, TX, has plenty to celebrate. In short order the company has become one of the state’s top providers of citrus. The company recently inked a deal to be the exclusive provider of Texas grapefruit for Sunkist. And this season, Lone Star will mark a major milestone when it harvests the first fruit from the first trees planted in its own groves five-and-a-half years ago.

The latter is a particular source of pride for the company.

The last 12 months have been remarkable for Nash Produce of Nashville, NC, one of the larger sweet potato distributors in the United States. The company improved traceability, added new bagging and packing capabilities, and Director of Marketing Laura Kornegay was selected as one of 36 participants in the PMA Foundation’s Emerging Leaders Program.

Protected agriculture continues to grow in Mexico and now represents a preponderance of horticultural exports to the United States, according to Eric Viramontes, chief executive officer of the Associación Mexicana de Horticultura Protegida A.C., or Mexican Association of Protected Horticulture, headquartered in Culiacan, Sinaloa, and better known by its acronym AMHPAC.

In sharp contrast with the 2011 production season, potato growers in the Red River Valley may have to deal with the impact of dry weather as they begin production on this year’s crop. “For the most part, we’ve been drier than average,” said Ted Kreis, marketing director for the Northern Plains Potato Growers Association in East Grand Forks, MN. “Last year, we had a problem with crops getting drowned out. [This year,] we could have used some additional rain.”