WATSONVILLE, CA -- Everyone at California Giant Berry Farms rolled up their sleeves as they hosted a community barbecue July 12 to support two local charities. This year marks the sixth annual Skirt Steak Fundraiser BBQ, held at California Giant offices here, and the company found support to be just as strong as ever within the community. Over 600 lunches were prepared by the staff served to members of the community this year benefiting two local charities. Jacob's Heart Foundation and Children's Hospice were both on hand at the event to help distribute information about their organizations

New Mexico onion producers are well into their 2010 harvest. "The majority of the onions produced in New Mexico come out of Doña Ana, Luna and Sierra counties in southern New Mexico," said Noreen Jaramillo, public information officer for the New Mexico Department of Agriculture. "Of the acres harvested this year, all -- except for 300 acres -- were harvested in southern New Mexico." The state's onions are non-storage, and the shipping season begins in May and extends into August. During peak harvest periods in June and July, New Mexico supplies as much as half of all dry onions consumed in the

Coastal Growers LLC is preparing for its first watermelon harvest of the 2010 season, and Will Hales could not be more proud. Mr. Hales and his partner, Travis Hastings, teamed up and founded Coastal Growers in 2008. Both men run family-owned operations near each other on the Delmarva Peninsula -- Mr. Hales runs Hales Farms Inc. in Salisbury, MD, while Mr. Hastings runs Lakeside Farms Inc. about 20 miles away in Laurel, DE. Now in their third season, the duo grows both seedless and seeded watermelons on about 550 acres in the two states, which Mr. Hales deemed "a great growing region," from

Jackson Farming Co., based in Autryville, NC, teamed up with the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina to help fight hunger in the region. The company donated over 35,000 pounds of cantaloupes, all raised in Sampson County, to the food bank at the end of June. They will be distributed in 24 of the state's 100 counties. Brent Jackson, president of Jackson Farming Co., said that he was pleased that he could do "his part to fight hunger" in the state. "We are committed to giving back to the community, and we are thankful to be able to do so," he said in a July 12 press release. The

The 2010 National Blueberry Conference & Expo is scheduled for Oct. 12-15 at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel convention center in Grand Rapids, MI. This year's conference and expo is being held in conjunction with the North American Blueberry Council and the United States Highbush Blueberry Council meetings scheduled at the same location that week, according to the June 2010 USHBC newsletter. Lorrie Ford Merker, director of grower and industry relations for MBG Marketing/The Blueberry People, which is headquartered in Grand Junction, MI, told The Produce News that MBG is holding its 74th annual

Pegi Adam, director of communications for the New Jersey Peach Promotion Council in Clayton, NJ, said in late June that 2010 marks the fifth year the organization has promoted its "Peach Parties" events. Celebrated during August, which is New Jersey Peach Month, the parties are gaining in popularity each year with retailers, farmers markets and foodservice operators. Although the council is a non-profit, non- governmental agency, it works closely with the New Jersey Department of Agriculture to promote the Jersey Fresh locally grown initiative. "We try to be flexible with our promotional