Blueberries
Sym-Agro names Pacific Northwest sales manager
Sym-Agro has hired Mark Gibbs as Pacific Northwest sales manager for western Oregon and Washington, focusing on winegrapes, berries, tree fruit and hazelnuts. Gibbs will also focus on other West Coast markets and will assist... more »
Frutura to acquire U.S., Chilean berry companies
Frutura, a global sales and marketing platform for fruit, plans to acquire berry companies Giddings Fruit and Sun Belle. “The agreements we announce today are among the most significant acquisitions Frutura has made to date,”... more »
Soren Bjorn to take on CEO role at Driscoll’s
Driscoll’s has selected a familiar face as its new CEO. Soren Bjorn, currently president of Driscoll’s of the Americas, will start his new role in January. J. Miles Reiter, CEO and chair of Driscoll’s, plans... more »
Naturipe introduces “Sweet Selections” premium berries line
Naturipe Farms is selling upscale blueberries and blackberries through a new premium line. Sweet Selections is the latest addition to the berry grower-shipper’s premium product portfolio. The Sweet Selections line will feature Naturipe’s proprietary berry... more »
Nourse Farms expands with lab, greenhouses
Nourse Farms, a North American berry plant propagator, is partnering with an investment management firm to expand and modernize its propagation footprint. Nourse Farms has partnered with Solum Partners, which is focused on the food... more »
California’s Murray Family Farms endures challenges
Murray Family Farms, owned by Steve and Vickie Murray, has discovered that growing cherries, berries and other tree fruit in the southern San Joaquin Valley’s desert region is highly challenging. South of Bakersfield, the farm’s... more »
Matthew Lyons joins Naturipe’s value-added fresh division
Naturipe Farms, Salinas, California, has hired Matthew Lyons as director of business development of value-added fresh. In his role, Lyons manages Naturipe Farms’ Value-Added Fresh division as it expands in the foodservice, quick-serve and retail... more »
Kelp-based fertilizer Afrikelp aids in managing heat stress
The record-breaking heat this summer has focused attention on measures to stay cool and safe, especially for those who work outside in agriculture and other industries. Heat can also adversely affect the crops those workers... more »
New York blueberries fare ‘surprisingly well,’ despite freeze, drought
The New York State Berry Growers Association is urging consumers to visit their local farm markets and U-pick patches before weather curtails fruit production. A wet summer in the Northeast has produced excellent berry crops... more »
Senator tours Michigan blueberry farm to highlight SWD bill
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., recently promoted the passage of the Spotted Wing Abatement Trust (SWAT) Act during a visit to Crossroads Blueberry Farm in West Olive, Michigan. The legislation targets spotted wing drosophila (SWD),... more »
