The strawberry market rose several dollars per tray leading into the Valentine's Day holiday weekend and remained above $20 per flat the following week (Feb. 15-19) as demand exceeded supply. However, several days of dry weather in California and improving growing conditions in Florida should result in better supplies by the time the calendar turns to March. Fritz Koontz, owner of Beach Street Farms LLC in Watsonville, CA, told The Produce News Feb. 17 that the strong marketing conditions should remain for at least another week or so, "but I think there is a good chance we will see a flush in

PLANT CITY, FL -- Long-time strawberry grower-shipper Charles Lawton died Jan. 25 after a long battle with cancer. He was 57. Born on a farm in Rushville, IN, Mr. Lawton originally entered the construction business before his love of agriculture lured him back to the produce industry. Mr. Lawton founded Dixie Growers in Plant City in 1981 with his brother and another partner, eventually taking sole control of the company. "Charles was always rooted in agriculture," said Debbie Lawton, his former cousin-in-law and still Dixie Growers' office manager. "Charles was very much a people person. He

After a scandal involving a Georgia peanut processing plant resulted in one of the larger U.S. recalls, the Georgia Legislature passed a sweeping new law to tighten testing and reporting requirements for food processors. But the produce industry says that while the state's new draft rule released last month may work for food processors, it raises thorny issues for fresh produce, an industry that accounts for more than 85,000 full-time- equivalent jobs and more than $17 billion in total economic output for Georgia. In January 2009, a congressional committee accused Peanut Corp. of America of

CHEP, a leading provider of pallet and container pooling services, has upgraded its on-line customer interface system to enable customers to better manage their accounts with less time and fewer resources. Portfolio+Plus, CHEP's on-line portal, now gives customers the ability to submit service requests, perform on-line corrections and reconciliations, and generate reports, all without the need to interact with a CHEP representative. "We worked closely with our produce customers to determine their needs," Tim Smith, vice president of new business development for CHEP, told The Produce News Feb

Mastronardi Produce Ltd., based in Kingsville, ON, was named one of Canada's 50 best managed companies for 2009. "We are absolutely thrilled with the announcement that we have been named one of Canada's 50 best managed companies," Paul Mastronardi, president of Mastronardi Produce, said in a Feb. 16 press release. "This prestigious award speaks volumes to the history of our company and the direction we are heading in for the future. While being a family-owned company that is employee managed does have its challenges, we are all very passionate and strive to improve our company on a daily basis

ORLANDO, FL -- The National Mango Board will host a virtual outreach meeting at 4 p.m. March 3 to share details of ongoing marketing and research programs designed to increase mango consumption in the United States. Participation in this web-based virtual meeting is free, and registration for the event is quick and easy. Attendees will hear about mango research programs, such as the board's mango quality initiative and recent results from the board's mango nutrition research program. They will learn more about marketing programs that promote mangos through foodservice and retail channels. And