A group of high-ranking members of Russia?s agricultural community, representing both the private and public sectors, will be visiting several U.S. farming facilities during early February. The tour will be hosted by the Russian Farm Community Project, a Minnesota-based foreign development program with offices also in Moscow. The international organization is chaired by Allen J. Vangelos, who is also currently chairman of the board of Vancouver, BC-based BC Hot House Foods Inc. Mr. Vangelos, whose RFCP offices are in California, coordinated and planned the tour, which officially kicks off Feb

SYSCO Corp. announced Jan. 24 that its FreshPoint produce subsidiary has agreed to acquire Piranha Produce Inc., and has also completed the acquisition of Nashville Tomato Inc. Terms of the transactions were not disclosed. Piranha?s management team, staff and headquarters will remain intact and the company will function as an operating company of FreshPoint. ?We are highly selective about the companies we seek to acquire," said Brian M. Sturgeon, president of FreshPoint. "Piranha Produce and Nashville Tomato have excellent reputations for customer service and product offerings, as well as

SPRING HOUSE, PA " Since 2002, many of the major U.S. apple shippers have applied the "SmartFresh? brand product to slow the ripening rate, thereby maintaining crunchiness and juiciness in fruit. AgroFresh Inc., here, is now introducing SmartFresh to much wider segments of the fresh fruit and vegetable industry, with tomatoes, bananas and melons high on the firm?s priority list. Gerald Lopez is vice president of the Americas for AgroFresh, which is part of the international chemical firm, Rohm & Haas Co. Rohm & Haas has a major office building near Independence Mall in Philadelphia. Spring

Gary Robert Curry, CEO of Curry & Co. in Brooks, OR, died Sunday, Jan. 23, in Salem, OR, surrounded by his family and friends. Mr. Curry, who succumbed to multiple myeloma, was 61. A memorial service was held Thursday, Jan. 27 at St. Paul?s Episcopal Church in Salem, OR. Born March 4, 1943 in San Diego to Beverly and John Curry, he is survived by his wife, Martha; his sons, Matt and Grant; his daughter, Megan; his daughter-in-law, Kari Ryan Curry; and two grandchildren. He is also survived by his mother and two brothers, Mike and Paul Curry. Described as a man whose life was defined by "love

SALINAS, CA " After a three- or four-year gestation period, it appears that D?Arrigo Bros. Co. of California finally may be able to move forward on plans to build a 219,000-square-foot facility near Spreckels, CA, near its current base of operations, here. A Monterey County Superior Court judge has upheld a board of supervisors decision last March to permit D?Arrigo Bros. to build the facility. Advocacy group LandWatch Monterey County filed a lawsuit last spring, challenging the board?s decision by arguing that an environmental impact report was needed. In his ruling Tuesday, Jan. 25, Judge

Apparently neither side was willing to go through the type of strike that crippled Southern California retailers last year, as the three major California supermarkets reached a labor agreement with their Northern California employees late Sunday, Jan. 23. Both sides were declaring victory, but it was clear that each side made concessions in an effort to break the impasse and sign an agreement. The previous labor pact between eight United Food & Commercial Workers locals and the supermarket coalition of Safeway Stores, Albertson?s Inc. and Kroger-owned Ralphs Grocery Co. expired on Jan. 1. The