NEW YORK — The Eastern Produce Council presented Theresa Lowden with its first Woman of Distinction Award Dec. 11 during the 2013 New York Produce Show.

Lowden is executive vice president of the Mid-Atlantic Division of JOH Produce; she also serves on the EPC board of directors. When the council formed a Women's Leadership Committee almost six months ago, it named Lowden to chair it.

Robert Lee Carey was born in Bridgeville, DE, on Aug. 25, 1931, and died about eight miles down the road in Seaford, DE, on Nov. 29, 2013. In those 82 years in between, he traveled the world and left an indelible mark across the globe.

WASHINGTON — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Dec. 12 a new coordinated effort to contain and combat citrus greening, while calling on Congress to reauthorize the farm bill that pumps funds into urgently needed research programs.

Market Fresh Produce, based in Nixa, MO, added STEPHANIE SANCHEZ to its business development team at its tomato repacking facility in Florida.

Sanchez has a strong sales background with proven results. Most recently, she was a territory sales representative at G&K Services.

Ogranic blueberries led the way for Gourmet Trading Co.’s Chile deal, with shipments beginning in early November.

“Gourmet Trading Company handles conventional and organic blueberries out of Chile,” said Luciano Fiszman, procurement manager for the Los Angeles-based firm, a leading supplier of year round high-quality fruits and vegetables. “We will also have some Chilean asparagus this season.”

Sam Jones is the senior manager of domestic citrus operations for Duda Farm Fresh Foods, headquartered in Oviedo, FL. He said that the Florida citrus season started about two weeks later than last season.

“We are very pleased with the quality and color of the citrus fruits,” said Jones. “We have been challenged this early season with the small size structure of grapefruit and tangerines.”

Overall, Jones said that shipments are down from last season due to a later start, which translates into a later-maturing crop.