As the long, hot summer winds to a close, the fall season beckons -- with different products, different sales initiatives and a different kind of customer: moms and dads, determined to get the new school year started off right.

Fruit size and tonnage out of Mexico likely will be down slightly through most of September as the industry moves into the flora loca crop, which bridges the gap between the old crop and the aventajada crop.

Brian Cook is the new president of greenhouse grower Pete’s Living Greens, Carpinteria, Calif.