Just over a year after being appointed executive director of the Florida Strawberry Growers Association in Dover, FL, Shawn Crocker was placed on paid leave Feb. 18. Association President Allen Williford said, "We are not soliciting a new director at this time," but he refused further comment. Mr. Crocker replaced Charles F. (Chip) Hinton, who resigned in November 2006. The association's board has met with its attorney to determine how to resolve unspecified issues between Mr. Crocker and the association. "The association will be issuing a press release regarding the situation [with Shawn

The Sholl Group II, the marketer of selected "Green Giant Fresh" produce products, and Sugar Foods, manufacturer of "Fresh Gourmet" brand crispy onions, announced the launch of a new promotion that gives a fresh twist to the traditional fresh green bean casserole. The program is a 75-cent instant redeemable coupon that will be affixed to each bag of "Green Giant Fresh" green beans that will offer instant savings of 75 cents when "Green Giant Fresh" green beans and "Fresh Gourmet" crispy onions are purchased. A fresh green bean casserole recipe remains on the bag of green beans when the coupon

PRUNEDALE, CA -- The Salad Farm, here, is enjoying its salad days. The company launched in August and already has exceeded its two-year target expectations, said Lex Camany, president of the firm. Mr. Camany was the founder and sales manager of Salinas, CA-based Classic Salads before launching The Salad Farm. His wife, Joyce, also had worked at Classic Salads before joining her husband in the new venture as head of food safety and procurement. The Salad Farm ships spring mix, baby spinach, cello spinach and baby arugula throughout the United States and Canada. The company lined up growers and

The California Avocado Commission introduced its new California grower campaign at its annual grower meetings in Oxnard and Temecula the last week of January. The campaign touts the benefits of California avocados through the stories of real growers to encourage consumers to insist on California avocados. Since its inception 30 years ago, the commission's marketing efforts have created awareness and helped increase consumption of avocados. According to the annual avocado tracking study conducted by Cooper Roberts Research Inc. in San Francisco, consumer purchases in markets where the

WASHINGTON -- Budget haggling over the 2007 farm bill continues as Congress has until March 15 to reach agreement on a historic bill shaped for the first time by fruit and vegetable growers. Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer said that his top priority in the remaining months in office is to deliver a farm bill that President Bush can proudly sign. "That means a bill that preserves a strong safety net for producers, and achieves real reforms in farm policy, and it does it without imposing new taxes on the American citizens," he said at the 2008 Agricultural Outlook Forum. Much needs to be done

The Association of Avocado Growers, Packers & Exporters of Michoacan, based in Uruapan, Mexico, and commonly referred to by its Spanish acronym APEAM, announced in a written statement Feb. 28 that it had "filed a lawsuit in Federal Court against the California Avocado Commission requesting money damages to compensate for the severe damage to the marketing of Mexican avocados in California caused by the CAC during 2007." The lawsuit "cites five counts, including trade libel, disparagement, interference with contractual relations and negligence," according to the written statement. "Less than