FRESNO, CA -- "We are in a growth pattern," said Tim Baloian, president of Baloian Farms, here. "We need more space. We increase volume steadily," and during certain months of the year, "the facility we are in is way too small. So we needed more physical space." To meet those immediate needs and to accommodate anticipated future growth, the company began construction about a year ago on a 50,000- square-foot cold storage facility that is now nearing completion. Already, some of the new cold rooms were in use when The Produce News visited the facility in late September. The new cooler is

Two Homestead, FL-based tropical produce specialists have combined forces to provide greater resources and enhanced service to their growing customer base as Fresh King Inc. has acquired C-Brand Tropicals Inc. "Our customers now have a wider selection and greater resources to choose from, more convenience and more volume availability," Peter Schnebly, co- owner of Fresh King, said in a press release. "The synergies created through the combination of the two companies have already yielded exciting results." Fresh King is a grower, packer, shipper and importer of tropical produce and Chinese and

WASHINGTON -- The largest lenders of New York family farms warned the week of Oct. 9-13 that the recent raids by immigration authorities and the lack of a stable workforce could result in a loss of more than 200,000 acres of crop production and millions of dollars in that state. Hundreds of family farms will go out of business because of the financial losses from the labor problems created by raids and the threat of raids, said the Farm Credit Associations of New York, referring to unannounced worker checks underway by the Immigration & Customs Enforcement Agency. Based on past experience

SALINAS, CA -- The Nunes Co. President Tom Nunes Jr. announced Tuesday Oct. 10 that the company received results from an independent lab showing that multiple samples of both green leaf lettuce and water were negative for E. coli 0157:H7. The news follows the company's voluntary recall issued Oct. 8 for certain heads of green leaf lettuce after the company discovered that water used to irrigate the lettuce may have been contaminated with E. coli. During a conference call Oct. 9 for members of the media, David Acheson of the Food & Drug Administration credited The Nunes Co. for issuing its

Summeripe Worldwide Inc. in Dinuba, CA, and Nickelodeon have completed a new multi-year licensing agreement to bring Nickelodeon's most popular characters, SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer, to grocers nationwide on kid-friendly packages of farm-fresh peaches, plums and nectarines. Nickelodeon, a leading entertainment brand for kids, has an established and growing menu of healthy food partnerships and offerings that include fresh baby carrots, clementines, apples, pears, cherries, spinach and organic edamame. The new Nickelodeon/Summeripe Worldwide agreement expands on the success of

"Yes, master, it's true." Barbara Eden and Dawn Wells will grant the wish of fans everywhere when they meet attendees and pose for pictures at the Idaho Potato Commission booth (No. 4705) at this year's PMA Fresh Summit in San Diego. The opportunity to work with Barbara Eden, known to many as Jeannie from the classic "I Dream of Jeannie" sitcom, came to the commission similarly to how Jeannie appeared in Major Nelson's life: like an unspoken wish granted. It was actually the commission's long-time friend, Dawn Wells, who made the connection, suggesting the joint appearance with her good friend