Michael Browne, formerly president and CEO of Fresh Directions International in Ventura, CA, has been named vice president of fresh operations at Calavo Growers Inc. in Santa Paula, CA. He replaces Al Thorne, who is retiring. Mr. Browne was a founding partner of Fresh Directions, which was formed in 1997, and he remained the company's top executive until his departure earlier this year. Previously he had been president and CEO of Index Fresh, an avocado packing, importing and marketing company in Bloomington, CA. Mr. Browne's hiring by Calavo brings his career "nearly full circle," he told The

When Triple M Farms was founded in 1999, it made a name for itself for being one of the few companies in Arkansas to bypass the tomato auction in favor of direct marketing of its product. The move has apparently paid off, as the company has been on a growth trend since that time. This year is no different, as Wendell Moffatt and James Meeks, principals in the company, recently completed a third round of expansion of its facility with the addition of packinglines for Roma tomatoes and increased cooler space. In addition to the improvements at the facility, Triple M, based in Hamburg, AR, also

WASHINGTON -- A new, bipartisan immigration reform bill just introduced to overhaul the guestworker program will elevate the level of debate in Congress, but it is still unclear whether the foreign labor-dependent farmers will get any relief. With much fanfare, Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA), joined by other lawmakers, introduced a comprehensive bill on May 12. "I don't believe there is another issue that is more important to our nation than immigration reform," said Sen. McCain. "For far too long, our nation's broken immigration laws have gone unreformed leaving Americans

TORONTO -- Numbers alone seldom tell the whole story of any event, but the numbers regarding the Canadian Produce Marketing Association's 80th annual convention and trade show paint a rosy picture indeed. Attendance at the convention, held here May 11-14, reached a record 3,450 from 17 different countries, according to the association. Last year about 3,300 people attended the show Feb. 4-7 in Calgary, AB. Formerly held in the dead of winter, the Toronto convention marked the first time CPMA held its annual gathering in the spring. This year's trade show saw 326 exhibitors, up dramatically

Ecuador, the world's largest producer and exporter of bananas, is planning to institute a new commission that will legally regulate banana exports in an effort to stabilize the global banana market. A report detailing this effort appeared in Reefer Trends, an independent news and information service for the global reefer shipping business. Tim Debus of the U.S.-based International Banana Association said that Reefer Trends is a reliable source of information and does have a good handle on the South American banana trade. Mr. Debus had heard of the proposal independently, but had not talked

Rosemont Farms Corp., based in Boca Raton, FL, has hired Hurley Neer to take on the role of vice president of sales and marketing. Most recently Mr. Neer was the director of eastern vegetable sales at L&M Cos. in Raleigh, NC, where he held various management positions over the past eight years. Mr. Neer began his produce career 15 years ago with Del Monte Fresh Produce in Coral Gables, FL, where he moved through the ranks of the organization to become the director of planning and operations for North America. With a degree in finance from Florida International University, he has strong ties to