NORTH MADISON, CT — With Connecticut’s fresh produce season pretty much right on time, Roberts Food Center was offering shoppers good volume of many local items in mid-July, with more expected in the days and weeks ahead.

WASHINGTON — Proposed federal school lunch rules that would double the number of fruit and vegetable servings made available to 4 million low-income children is likely to be a boon to produce suppliers, according to industry participants of a July 26 webinar sponsored by the United Fresh Produce Association.

More than 80 participants tuned in to the “Schools: A New Produce Sales Opportunity” webinar to get tips on how to navigate school districts and break into the growing market for federally supported school lunch, breakfast, and fruit and vegetable snack programs.

Specialty Potato Alliance announced July 22 that it has added organic fingerling potatoes to its extensive line of products.

Despite the calendar turning to August, cherry season is far from over thanks to Stemilt Growers LLC’s Kyle Mathison’s unique, high-elevation orchard operation called Amigos.

Named after the Spanish word for friends, the Amigos ranch sits between 3,000 and 3,500 feet above sea level, not too far from the Mathison family’s original homestead on Stemilt Hill near Wenatchee, WA. These towering altitudes combine with late-ripening cherry varieties to extend Stemilt’s cherry harvest into September.

SunnyRidge Farm, based in Winter Haven, FL, and Viverosur, based in Curico, Chile, signed an agreement designed to further the raspberry industry in Mexico. Under the agreement, SunnyRidge Farm will have license to produce the new Amira raspberry variety in Mexico.

Tanimura & Antle, a third-generation family-owned-and-operated produce shipper based in Salinas, CA, is running a product promotion this fall titled Salad Smarts to support two healthy-eating school initatives: Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools and Freggie’s children’s programs.

During the course of the three-month promotion, Tanimura & Antle will promote each cause through various communication efforts including new high-impact packaging, in-store graphic materials, print and on-line trade and a promotional web site featuring its Artisan lettuce.