Kroger recently sent out a letter to produce shippers outlining its new 90-day standardized payment policy, which takes effect Aug. 1, 2018. According to a number of produce industry organizations, the new policy conflicts with protection rights under the PACA Trust, and agreeing to any extension beyond 30 days automatically forces produce suppliers to waive their PACA […]
Category: Produce News
Nicaraguan Red Dragon Fruit Almost Ready For Summer Sales
Red dragon fruit, grown in Nicaragua, is two weeks away from its high-volume launch in July, and will be available through Frieda’s Specialty Produce through November. “Our grower continues to focus on the best, most flavorful varieties of red dragon fruit, and we are expecting excellent volume this season,” said Allen DeMo, director of procurement […]
Secretary Of Agriculture Sonny Perdue To Keynote United Fresh 2018
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue will open United Fresh‘s 2018 convention on Tuesday, June 26, in Chicago as keynote speaker. Perdue will address the key issues facing the produce industry, from immigration reform and the need for a legal workforce to NAFTA and the need to retain a fair international trade framework for agriculture. […]
AgriLife Wants To Boost Texas Tomato Production Through Grafting
A team of Texas A&M AgriLife researchers and horticulturists are investigating how successful integration of vegetable grafting into tomato production practices could present new opportunities for the Texas tomato industry. More than 2,100 acres in Texas were used for tomato production in 2012, in 2015, that crop value reached $4.9 million, according to the USDA’s […]
Indiana Grown Makes Life‑Changing Connections For Producers
by Terrie Ellerbee/editor-Midwest Austin and Kristen Witt have been growing blackberries on their District 6 Farm in Jasonville, Indiana, since 2015. It isn’t easy to grow blackberries in the state, but for the Witts, it was a lot easier than selling them. “This is all new to us,” said Austin Witt. “I didn’t even know […]
Leevers Supermarkets’ New Loyalty Program Rewards Healthy Eating
Leevers Supermarkets Inc., a Save-A-Lot grocery licensee, has partnered with Green Piranhas Inc., a digital customer engagement platform development firm, to launch Snap2Save, a new kind of grocery shopping loyalty app. The program goes beyond saving customers money. It also aims to help them eat healthier by incenting the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables. […]
Industry Veteran Lutz To Join PMA In June As West Region VP
Produce industry veteran Steve Lutz will join the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) as regional VP–U.S. and Canada West in June. In this newly created senior-level position, Lutz will be responsible for expanding PMA’s West Coast presence. He will engage with members in the region to help them make the most of PMA to grow their […]
Neil Stern: Create Your Own Story To Remain Relevant
Editor’s note: Last month, The Shelby Report published part one of our coverage of a presentation given by Neil Stern, a senior partner at retail consultancy firm McMillanDoolittle LLP, at the Annual Meat Conference entitled “Maintaining Relevancy: Retail Trends Impacting Today’s World and Beyond.” In part one, Stern laid out demographic and consumer behavior trends, […]
