"Here in the valley, we are immersed in agriculture," said 27-year-old Sarah Alvernaz, sales and general manager of California Sweet Potato Growers in Livingston, CA. "This area is rich in dairy farms, almonds groves and sweet potato fields, which my husband, Matt, and I grew up in the middle of." During high school, Ms. Alvernaz became active in the California Farm Bureau Federation's Young Farmers & Ranchers organization. She remained active in it and in other agriculture clubs throughout college. She graduated from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, CA, with a

Shippers of peppers, broccoli, celery, cauliflower and even Iceberg lettuce who had good supplies of product have had a pretty good past month. "Supplies have been tight," Douglas Schaefer, president of E.J.'s Produce Sales Inc. in Phoenix, told The Produce News. "Green peppers in Nogales have been selling for $40 a carton and $45 for jumbos. I've never seen prices that high." Mr. Schaefer said March 17 that the cauliflower market had been strong for the past several weeks and that celery has been in a demand-exceeds- supply situation for several months. "I've never seen so little celery

Colorful Harvest, one of the faster-growing produce operations on California's central coast, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony and VIP reception March 19 to celebrate the grand opening of its new headquarters at 584 South Main St. in Salinas, CA. Colorful Harvest chose one of the more distinguished buildings in downtown Salinas for its new headquarters to make a statement about its support for the community. Doug Ranno, chief operating officer and managing partner of Colorful Harvest, said in a March 19 press release, "We could have stayed outside the city limits like other produce companies

The opportunity for consumers to find good promotional deals on strawberries for Easter and beyond was shaping up nicely as of early March. Consumers ought to be able to buy "a nice-eating strawberry at retail for Easter for $2 to $2.50 for a one-pound basket," Andy Gustavson, produce manager for Ben Lomond Market in Ben Lomond, CA, and produce supervisor for sister store Scotts Valley Market, told The Produce News March 8. "In the past, the price was a little higher," and two one-pound packs for $4 "will be a hot price" this Easter. Mr. Gustavson said that his stores would be get their

TAMPA, FL -- While abnormal weather in Florida this winter -- including two weeks of sub-freezing temperatures -- cost the state's potato growers some plants and early-season sales opportunities, it also created a market window that bodes well for the spring crop. With Florida's fresh crop delayed, consumers will take a bigger bite out of storage potato supplies, in theory propping up the market when Florida potatoes finally come on between April 1 and the middle of the month. Ray Lamar of Eagle Island Farms in Okeechobee, FL, told The Produce News in mid-March, "We've got 600 acres ready to

NAPLES, FL -- Dwight Ferguson, chief executive officer and president of Naturipe Farms, announced March 19 a new executive management team structure for the company. Effective April 1, Robert Verloop, currently senior vice president of sales and marketing, will be executive vice president of marketing; Brian Bocock, currently vice president of sales, will be vice president of product management; and Jim Roberts, currently senior director of retail sales, will serve as vice president of sales. "These changes will more appropriately align our structure with our strategies by placing our most