Westfalia Fruit, the market leader in growing, ripening, handling, and distributing quality avocados, announces the start of its 2023 GEM® avocado season, expecting a strong supply of fruit from mid-April through mid-July. Westfalia Fruit US is excited to present the GEM® avocado to the United States market. GEM is a gourmet avocado that Westfalia holds exclusive marketing rights in Africa, …

To teach PCAs about citrus mealybug (an emerging concern for citrus growers) this field day will focus on lectures on pest identification and biology, scouting/monitoring, and management, lecture on ant control.  With this knowledge, PCAs can monitor the fields for mealybug infestation and develop informed management strategies.  Attendees will receive instruction from Sandipa Gautam and David Haviland from the UC …

A new generation of leaders has graduated from the Hass Avocado Board (HAB) Board Leadership Development (BOLD) program with specialized training and real-world experience that ensures a stronger future for the industry. The robust, year-long program exposes emerging leaders from across the supply chain to experts and resources essential to forming a well-rounded understanding of the business and being considered …

The U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) recently received approval from the Chinese government for its registration as a Foreign Nongovernmental Organization (FNGO). When USHBC initially launched its China program, we immediately began seeking this registration to comply with the “Law on Administration of Activities of Overseas Nongovernmental Organizations in the Mainland of China,” which was implemented by the Chinese government …

Hass Avocado Board — The U.S. avocado industry faced several challenges in 2022, which kept markets, and marketers facing challenges with their customers and with consumers, that had not been seen in recent years. Despite increasing shipments from every source of supply, except one, the industry actually went backwards on supply directed to the U.S. market, and the ensuing shortage …

The U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) has collaborated with Oregon State University, Michigan State University, Ag Metrics Group and Synergistic Pesticide Laboratory, LLC to establish residue decline curves for pesticides that have no established Maximum Residue Limits (MRL) and MRLs that are lower than U.S. tolerances. The objective was to investigate the residual level of multiple pesticides at different consequential timings after application on blueberry, thus …

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced the appointment of 28 members and alternate members to serve on the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC). Members and alternates will serve a three-year term ending Dec. 31, 2025. Four of the appointments are the exporter members and alternates whose terms will expire Dec. 31, 2024, to remain in the council’s nomination rotation. …