Bengard Ranch, a leading provider of premium vegetables based in Salinas, CA, announced that it has hired Jesse Gomez as executive vice president of sales and marketing. He will be responsible for managing the daily sales and marketing functions of the company and will be charged with leading Bengard Ranch to a stronger national position across various segments of the industry. "Bengard Ranch has been a cornerstone in the produce industry for over four decades and has positioned themselves very well," Mr. Gomez said in a statement. "The company is well known for its strong ground base, year

Watermelons, cantaloupes and Delaware and Maryland truck crops were generally looking good late this spring, as the Laurel Farmers' Auction Market in Laurel, DE, was anticipating a normal opening around July 7. Auction manager Tom Wright said that most growers in his region have irrigation that has overcome very dry production weather. But one precipitation matter that cannot be solved by irrigation is the local wild and commercial bee population. Vegetable crops can successfully pollinate without bees, but Mr. Wright said that fruit crops, including watermelons, peaches and apples, need bees

The numbers say that the volume of Mexican mangos being sent to the United States is up, but many mango importers who were interviewed in late May and early June cited lower-than-expected supplies and a strong demand for the fruit. There seemed to be several different reasons for the discrepancy between the perception of the situation and the facts as reported by EMEX, the Mexican organization that keeps track of the daily crossings into the United States. In the first place, early estimates indicated a Mexican mango crop that was going to be very large in volume. The large set on the trees

Iceberg lettuce gets much of its attention nowadays as a main component in bagged salad mixes and as an Iceberg wedge salad. But Salinas-based Boggiatto Produce's Iceberg Babies are coming on, having caught the attention of at least one national restaurant chain. The variety of Iceberg lettuce is no bigger than a 12-inch softball. It is the "mini-me" of the lettuce industry. Boggiatto Produce is the only U.S. grower licensed to grow and sell the baby heads of Iceberg. The company started experimenting with the seed for the Iceberg Babies about four years ago. The Iceberg Babies aren't in

Duda Farm Fresh Foods Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Oviedo, FL-based A. Duda & Sons Inc., has named two new directors to its fresh produce sales team. Ed Scurich has been hired as director of foodservice sales, and Bill Munger is now director of fresh-cut sales. "We are pleased to welcome Ed Scurich to our sales team and congratulate Bill Munger on his new position," Rick Alcocer, vice president of sales for Duda Farm Fresh Foods, said in a statement. "These appointments will allow us the flexibility to better respond to our customers in both the foodservice and fresh-cut sales areas." Mr

In keeping with its mission to create a greater awareness and demand for organic products, the Organic Center announced the launch of an aggressive national consumer education and outreach campaign called "Mission Organic 2010" at New Hope Natural Media's 2006 Natural Products Expo West show in Anaheim, CA. The goal of Mission Organic 2010 is to help consumers understand the benefits of an organic diet, thereby increasing organic food consumption to 10 percent of the U.S. food supply by the year 2010. Currently, organic food consumption is at 2 percent. The center plans to increase consumer