The 2009 California avocado season will be hitting full stride just in time for this year's Cinco de Mayo festivities, and the California Avocado Commission has put together a creative promotion plan to encourage avocado consumption around the May 5 celebration.

Celebrity chefs, mouth-watering avocado recipes, public relations efforts and extensive on-line outreach will position California avocados top of mind for consumers.

California Giant Berry Farms has all the bases loaded going into the United Fresh convention. Cindy Jewell, director of marketing, said that conventioneers would have a chance to learn more about the "Sweet Lineup Sweepstakes," launched April 1 and running through May 31.

"The timing [of the convention] is perfect because we're coming into peak berry season," Ms. Jewell told The Produce News.

BRADENTON, FL -- The 10th annual Sunripe Golf Classic, held April 18 at the Legacy Golf Club, here, saw continued strong support from the produce industry, raising $80,000 to endow a scholarship program at the University of South Florida that benefits the children of migrant farmworkers.

Let me be the first to echo what the iconic sign at the end of Las Vegas Boulevard has said for years: "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas!"

The 2009 United Fresh convention and expo promises to be the best yet. We look forward to a house packed with attendees fully immersed in new technologies, innovations and solutions that will revolutionize the produce industry.

Doug Meyer, vice president of sales and marketing for West Pak Avocado Inc. in Temecula, CA, told The Produce News April 9 that he is looking forward to attending the United Fresh Produce Association convention April 21-25 in Las Vegas, NV, because of all of the "wonderful seminars and workshops" that are going to take place.

SunnyRidge Farm, based in Winter Haven, FL, has entered into a partnership with Leduc Blueberries LLC, based in Paw Paw, MI. The firms will be working together to promote high-quality Michigan blueberries to a wide range of valued customers.

The new partnership will be called BlueberryRidge LLC and will be packing under the "SunnyRidge Farm" label.