Latest News From Ohio

Ohio Produce Growers & Marketers Association members got a firsthand look at the new facility, which growers help sponsor through annual payments for a statewide research program.

The Willard, Ohio, growing area had some extremely dry growing conditions this spring and early summer, but local growers say that helps them produce the best quality vegetables for their customers.

Marissa Dake has joined the Columbus, Ohio-based fresh produce broker’s executive leadership team to steer DNO Produce's human capital and brand strategy.

The Springfield, Ohio, operation has more than 2 million plants growing at any given time, with the capacity to grow more than 2.4 million packages of herbs and leafy greens in a year.

High food costs are putting an unprecedented squeeze on consumers with limited income and the food banks that serve them.

It is not a predictable time for Ohio restaurant operators, says John Barker, president and CEO of the Ohio Restaurant Association.

The USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service has announced it has signed a cooperative agreement with Ohio under the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program.

The fields of this Midwestern state are a smorgasbord of more than 200 types of produce.

DNO Inc. has been awarded a maximum $17.02 million government contract to supply fresh fruits and vegetables, according to a news release.

Columbus, Ohio-based processor and produce distributor DNO Produce has broken ground on an expansion to its fresh-cut produce facility, according to a news release.

Other than chipping potatoes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Market News Service did not report any fruit and vegetable shipment figures from Ohio in 2020.

Families throughout the Great Lakes region have ample access to fresh, local produce at their favorite grocers like Heinen’s, Buehler’s and Wal-Mart, thanks, in large part, to Ohio Apples.

Registration is open for the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association’s 42nd annual conference.

For September’s focus as Mushroom Month, Cleveland restaurants are launching The Blend To Go competition with creative takes on blending mushrooms and meat.

Sanfillipo Produce Co. has upgraded its online ordering system, said Jamie Sanfil-lipo, partner and sales manager.

The Newcomerstown, Ohio-based Fruit Growers Marketing Association has partnered with Fremont, Ohio-based Great River Organics to launch a local organic line of vegetables.

The Columbus-based Ohio Restaurant Association has launched a couple of initiatives stemming from the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, said Homa Moheimani, director of communications.

The COVID-19 pandemic has put some expansion plans on hold at D.R. Walcher Farms in North Fairfield, Ohio, said Ken Holthouse, partner.

“We’re going to have another set of docks and also getting drawings made to have a 12,000-square-foot addition to our processing center,” said Alex DiNovo, president and COO.

Willard, Ohio-based Buurma Farms Inc. added some new equipment for this year, said Loren Buurma, partner.

Giving farmers and farmers markets the ability to fulfill SNAP purchases online is one recommendation presented by a group of Ohio farm organizations in response to the COVID-19 crisis.

More than 235 employees of Dole’s salad processing plant in Springfield, Ohio, tested positive for COVID-19.

When the state of Ohio shut down all restaurants and bars on March 15 with the words: “This is the real thing; this is not a drill,” Kirk Holthouse realized he had a big problem. 

Roman Gabriel Smith, director of procurement at Freshway Foods, Sidney, Ohio, has died.

Greenhouse company Great Lakes Growers, Burton, Ohio, recently broke ground on a 100,000-square-foot expansion that will boost production capacity to 12 million heads of leafy greens.

Hydroponic greenhouse grower BrightFarms has partnered with Crosset Co., Independence, Ky., to distribute its products to more than 100 independent retailers in the Midwest.

Greenhouse grower NatureFresh Farms is celebrating 20 years, harvesting the first crop from a new 32-acre facility in Leamington, Ontario.

Mucci Farms, Kingsville, Ontario, has acquired a controlling interest in greenhouse grower Orangeline Farms, Leamington, Ontario, and plans more expansion in the U.S. and Canada.

TQL has its eyes on expansion, adding a second building at its Cincinnati headquarters to accommodate nearly 600 anticipated hires over the next five years as it grows in the third-party logistics industry.

Walmart plans to expand BrightFarms packaged salad offerings to 50 stores in the Columbus, Ohio, area, after a successful launch in the state.

Hydroponic herb and leafy greens grower Great Lakes Growers is delivering directly to customers in Ohio, with plans to expand the program later this year.

Foodservice distributor What Chefs Want, Louisville, Ky., is expanding its network with the purchase of Mid/West Fresh Produce, Columbus, Ohio.

Following up on a complaint filed in November, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has now cited Cleveland-based Forest City Weingart Produce Co., for not paying for produce.

Ohio continues to be fertile ground for sales of locally grown produce. “Every year it increases, and everyone wants it longer."

Mastronardi Produce is opening a sixth greenhouse in the U.S., with a 20-acre facility in Wapakoneta, Ohio.

Mastronardi Produce is opening a sixth greenhouse in the U.S., with a 20-acre facility in Wapakoneta, Ohio.

Willard, Ohio-based Holthouse Farms has a new office.

Foodservice and retail supply chain services provider McLane Co. has opened a distribution center in Ohio with a focus on technology.

Leamington, Ontario-based NatureFresh Farms gave public tours at its Delta, Ohio greenhouse this week.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has filed an administrative complaint under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act against Forest City Weingart Produce Co.