The thousands of acres of south Texas citrus grown by the member-owners of the Edinburg Citrus Association are set and ready for a banner season if not a bumper crop. The fruit is in excellent shape and with a little rainfall should continue to size up as the season gets underway.

“The market is ready. We are getting calls every day from customers ready for our fruit,” Sales Manager Ruben Shives said in late September. “We are checking the fruit daily as there is a strong demand for Texas red grapefruit and oranges.”

At the Produce Marketing Association Fresh Summit convention in Anaheim, CA, Duda Farm Fresh Foods will introduce its new line of seasonal packaging, Celery Celebrations, in time for the busy holiday cooking season.

'Tate,' the PEI Potatoes mascot, and 'Bud the Spud,' the mascot for WP Griffin Inc. joined Sobey's staff at the world's largest potato display Oct. 3 in Charlottetown, PEI.

With the Produce Marketing Association Fresh Summit convention just weeks away, Mastronardi Produce, based in Kingsville, ON, released a three-minute video via its Facebook page and YouTube channel talking about what flavor means to its staff.

"We came up with the idea over the summer to help our customers and consumers understand what flavor means to our staff each and every day," Chris Veillon, director of marketing, said in a press release.

It’s not déjà vu all over again for O.C. Shulz & Sons Inc. And Dave Moquist, the company’s secretary-treasurer, said that’s a good thing. “It was such a pleasure this year compared to last,” he told The Produce News on Sept. 12.

“We had adequate moisture and excellent conditions for planting and the early stages of growing. It turned hot and dry for the rest of the growing season after July 4. It looks like the moisture in our area turned out to be adequate.”

Garber Farms in Iota, LA, has been in business for 131 years, giving the owner, Wayne Garber, some deep insight into growing issues, trends and changes throughout the years.

He explained to The Produce News that there is an aspect of growing where different crops compete for the same piece of land.