As far as specialty produce items are concerned, Vidalia onions are about as special as it gets. But pull them from the ground a couple of months early and the item climbs the specialty scale even more. Retailers and consumers alike attest to this by buying up every Baby Vidalia that becomes available to them. Delbert Bland, president of Bland Farms in Vidalia, GA, a grower of the prized onion named after its growing region, said that many growers do not like to pull the golf-ball sized immature onions from the ground. "It changes the ultimate crop quality to pull a lot of onions early," said

The relaxation of U.S. Department of Agriculture cold treatment requirements will bring more Argentine pears to the U.S. West Coast this season. For the first time in several years, the Vancouver, BC- based Oppenheimer Group will receive its Argentine pears not only into East Coast ports, but also into the ports of Los Angeles and Seattle. Oppenheimer, a veteran in the Argentine pipfruit marketing game, anticipates a moderate increase in its total volume this year. The fruit will be available in the second week of February, and the majority will be sold in the "Oppenheimer" brand. "In the past

WASHINGTON -- Fruit and vegetable growers demanded more attention in the next farm bill and an urgent fix to the broken guest worker program at two congressional hearings earlier this month. "I feel that specialty crops were basically left out in the cold in the previous bill," David Godwin, a North Carolina sweet potato and fruit producer, said at a Feb. 6 hearing in North Carolina. "Specialty crops account for approximately one-half of the total farmgate value in this country; however, only a very small portion of the federal resources was allocated to our needs." "As we travel throughout

Super Bowl Sunday was not only a winning day for the Pittsburgh Steelers. That morning, OSO Sweet onions starred in a nationally televised appearance on the popular Fox Network program "Fox & Friends." OSO Sweet teamed with renowned Junior's Cheesecake of New York to make an on-air appearance in support of the Ronald McDonald Houses charity across America. Each house provides a supportive place to stay for parents while their children are receiving medical treatment. The creative chefs at Junior's whipped up a special OSO Sweet onion and apple cheesecake to sell at the restaurant's New York

Del Monte Fresh Produce Inc. will plant its last pineapple plant in Hawaii on Feb. 19, beginning its exit from the pineapple production in the state, which will come about 18 months later when that plant is ready for harvest. Del Monte has been growing pineapples in Hawaii since 1916. In a statement released Wednesday, Feb. 1, the company said that it was no longer economically feasible to grow pineapples in Hawaii because of the high cost of labor and other inputs. "As a result of increased planting of pineapple at lower costs in other parts of the world, the company believes that it will not

The Oppenheimer Group announced a number of executive changes that will position the Vancouver, BC-based company for the future. "We've realigned several aspects of our management structure in order to support the company's strategic objectives and to position us well into the future," John Anderson, chairman, president and chief executive officer, said in a statement. "Several members of our management team now have the opportunity to apply their talents to new challenges, and round out their ability to contribute now and in the coming years. We feel these changes will strengthen the