Rick Estess, retail marketing manager at Six L's Packing Co. Inc. in Immokalee, FL, has left that company to take a sales position with Russet Potato Exchange in Plainfield, WI.

Mr. Estess was with Six L's as it branched out into potato production in Florida last year, growing a debut crop of red, white and gold potatoes on almost 1,000 acres at the northwestern edge of the Everglades.

Six L's announced plans to double its Florida potato acreage this year.

TAMPA, FL -- Founded 10 years ago with just six members, the Southeast Produce Council is on a roll. From humble beginnings, it has grown to 600 members, many of whom will be in attendance when the council hosts the 2010 Retail & Foodservice Conference & Exposition, known as Southern Exposure, here March 4-6.

E. Alan Mills, who retired as manager of the California Grape & Tree Fruit League in 1979 after 28 years with the organization, died Feb. 15, two weeks before what would have been his 89th birthday.

According to information furnished to The Produce News by Bruce Obbink, past president of the California Table Grape Commission, Mr. Mills was born in Granada, MN, on March 2, 1921, the next to youngest of nine children of Joel Webster Mills and Ida Jane Stewart Mills.

WASHINGTON -- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack reaffirmed his commitment Feb. 23 to revamping the school lunch program to make it easier for schools to buy healthy fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products, one component of the Obama administration's proposal to reauthorize the Child Nutrition Act this year.

Harvest is now underway for the 2010 California avocado crop, which is estimated at 470 million pounds -- up dramatically from just 170 million pounds in 2009 -- which promises to provide some excellent promotional opportunities for retailers, according to Jan DeLyser, vice president of marketing for the California Avocado Commission.

Shuman Produce comes to the Southeast Produce Council's 2010 Retail & Foodservice Conference & Expo March 4-6 in Tampa, FL, with a focus on food safety and new packaging.