Produce prices are high, business is competitive and independent retailers are prospering in the Kansas City area, according to local industry leaders. Scott Danner, chief operating officer of Liberty Fruit Co. Inc. in Kansas City, KS, said, "The last few years have been a great time for independents. The great mega-chains are so focused on margin that they are not that focused on doing sells. I believe the future of the independents is bright. In Kansas City, [consumers] take care of your neighbor-type store and they really support independents here. Walmart has not strangled this market for

Ed Baloian, chairman of Baloian Farms in Fresno, CA, will be honored Feb. 27 with Ag One's 2010 Community Salute Award in recognition of his more than 60 years of devoted service to the California produce industry and his commitment to his community. The Baloian family has been in the produce business since 1923, when Mr. Baloian's father, Charles, started a full-service produce business. Brothers Ed and James Baloian joined their father as partners in the business in 1945 upon returning to Fresno after serving in World War II. In 1965, the brothers and their father formed Pam Pak Distributors

According to numerous news sources, including The Sacramento Bee, F. Scott Salyer, the former owner of SK Foods and Salyer American Fresh Foods in Salinas, CA, was arrested Feb. 4 at John F. Kennedy International Airport after getting off a flight from London. Mr. Salyer went before a judge in Brooklyn Friday, Feb. 5. and was denied bail, according to the newspaper. The Sacramento Bee reported that the owner of the giant food conglomerate that included two tomato processing plants, the fresh vegetable operation in Salinas and many acres of farmland, was secretly charged in the federal court in

Fruit Patch LLC in Reedley, CA, which recently hired former California Tree Fruit Agreement President Sheri Mierau to head its sales and marketing team, announced the appointment of Sabrina Mak as trade marketing manager. Ms. Mak, who will report to Ms. Mierau and who was previously director of trade marketing and director of national programs for Ballantine Produce in Reedley, CA, has 19 years of industry experience. According to Fruit Patch, during her five years at Ballantine, Ms. Mak "developed retail programs that focused on demand and consumer needs. Working with retail partners to build

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, the timing was perfect for Well- Pict and Lifetime television network to showcase the attributes of Well-Pict premium strawberries. The new episode of The Balancing Act is scheduled to air Feb. 8, Feb. 26 and March 12. In keeping with The Balancing Act's format to inform busy women of current topics that are of interest to them or may be useful in their everyday lives, viewers can expect to see helpful tips on washing and storing strawberries to increase their longevity, as well as learn how Well-Pict strawberries safely get from the field to the

The $5,000 question facing independent owner-operators of refrigerated trucks is whether or not the expenditure of that amount of money is worth it to continue to haul loads from California. On Jan. 1, new California regulations went into effect that require all refrigerated trailers to be equipped with a filter unit that reduces the emissions of particulate matter from their refrigeration units. Peter Ellison, western regional sales manager for Rypos Inc., a company based in Massachusetts that sells the filter units, said that the average cost per trailer is about $5,000 installed. He said