DALLAS — Thousands of people packed the Dallas Convention Center for the United Fresh 2012 convention and expo, here, May 1-3 and the mood on the bustling floor was decidedly upbeat.

“The recession is over,” said one trade association executive. “There are a lot of people here and there is a lot of money here. You can tell things are getting better.”

Despite a February freeze that wiped out half of the early season crop, Georgia blueberry growers will still bring as many as 60 million pounds of fruit to the market this season.

One hundred Texas schools are the lucky recipients of salad bars as the United Fresh Produce Association continues its push to increase access to fresh produce at its annual meeting venues.

Local media packed into a room off the United Fresh 2012 convention floor to cover a press conference May 1 announcing that more than 60,000 children throughout Texas will benefit from the salad bars.

Deardorff Family Farms is moving into the branded tomato category. For 75 years, Deardorff Family Farms has been shipping tomatoes from California. Four generations of Deardorffs have seen many good varieties over those years — some with great flavor or great shelf life, others with better health characteristics or high yield. But, none combined everything in one variety — until now.

Jim Wiers, senior partner at Wiers Farm, said significant changes have occurred in the fresh produce industry during the past decade. He shared his comments and observations with The Produce News April 20.

Membership in the Ohio Proud program continues to grow. “The program had hovered around 200 members,” Lori Panda, senior program manager, told The Produce News on April 12. “Then the fee was reduced, and this helped smaller businesses come in.” Today, the program is comprised of 489 partners in 79 counties. “That is the highest number ever,” Ms. Panda commented.