With a similar acreage planted to last year and normal yields expected, the 2014 California garlic crop should be up a little from last year, when yields were off somewhat, according to Bill Christopher, president of Christopher Ranch LLC in Gilroy, CA.

Ed Baloian, patriarch of Baloian Farms died surrounded by family Aug. 2. He was 92, and despite health problems over the last few years, Mr. Baloian was a constant presence at the office every day until the last few weeks.

A second-generation farmer and the son of an Armenian immigrant, Mr. Baloian understood the value of hard work from an early age when he worked side-by-side with his father growing and distributing fruit and vegetables throughout the Fresno, CA, area.

Ready Pac has added a new item to its Bistro Bowl offerings: the Caprese Bistro Bowl Salad, a 210-calorie salad that includes mozzarella over ripened tomatoes with a tangy balsamic drizzle.

Ready Pac expects its latest release to quickly become a customer favorite. The single-serve, complete meal is based on the latest restaurant trends.

As Market Basket enters its third week of employee unrest — a result of the board of directors firing Arthur T. Demoulas, now-former chief executive officer — James Gooch and Felicia Thornton, current co-CEOs, have started a three-day job fair to replace employees who have not returned to work.

The Aug. 4 deadline for employees to return to work, which coincided with the first day of the job fair, has passed without any reported firings.

New York state’s apple harvest is anticipated to get under way Aug. 15, right on schedule, and growers are expecting this year’s crop to be a strong encore to last year’s vintage yield. Meanwhile, an all-new consumer website dedicated to New York state apples offers variety information, recipes and locator maps to help find local apples.

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s marketing and development division announced that Christine Fries has joined the team as an agricultural marketing specialist.