Ben Litowich & Son moves
Ben Litowich & Son Inc. moved Jan. 27 from the west side of Boca Raton to Lighthouse Point, Fla., about 5 miles to the south, said Tom Nicholson, salesman. The new address is 1847 NE 25th St., Lighthouse Point, Fla., 33064.
DiMare Co. hires COO
Homestead, Fla.-based The DiMare Co. has hired Hurley Neer as its chief operations officer, said Tony DiMare, vice president.
Neer, who had been sales and operations manager for Eastern vegetables with Raleigh, N.C.-based L&M Cos., joined DiMare Feb. 18, DiMare said.
Neer succeeds Eric Janke, who recently retired, DiMare said.
“He’s based in Dallas now, but it’s still undetermined where we’re going to have him (permanently),” DiMare said.
Florida Blueberry names president
Brittany Lee is the new president of the Gainesville-based Florida Blueberry Growers Association, which represents more than 7,000 acres and 1,000 growers across the state.
Lee, with Gainesville-based Blue Farms Inc., started her two-year term after her election in November, she said.
Ryan Atwood, a partner in Mount Dora, Fla.-based H&A Farms, is the organization’s new vice president. Bobby Barben, a grower, is treasurer.
A priority of the organization is sharpening its crop forecasting prowess, Lee said. Another is helping growers become more efficient with labor, harvesting and other issues, Lee said.
Florida Classic adds Chilean citrus
Florida Classic Growers, the marketing arm of the Dundee Citrus Growers Association, based in Dundee, Fla., will offer imported citrus from Chile starting in May and running through December, said Al Finch, president.
The company will have Chilean lemons, mandarins and navels in the program, Finch said.
“We’re excited about this new program as it will now give us year-round supply of citrus,” he said.
Jones Potato pairs with V.L. Walker
Parrish, Fla.-based Jones Potato Farm is working with Florida City, Fla.-based V.L. Walker Co. Inc. to pack green beans for both companies in a packing facility Jones opened in 2016 in Palmetto, Fla., said Alan Jones, president of Jones Potato.
“We have a nice crop of beans we’re starting and will start packing in mid-March,” said Jones, who grows 1,800 acres of green beans, 900 acres of table-stock potatoes and 1,500, of chip potatoes.
More details are at jonespotatofarm.com.
Oakes Farms offers year-round product
Immokalee, Fla.-based Oakes Farms Inc. is launching a year-round program in all of its vegetable commodities, thanks to a new plant it is opening in Flat Rock, Ala., said Steve Veneziano, director of operations.
The company also grows peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, squash, grape tomatoes and round tomatoes in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina.
Now, the company will add specialty and bell peppers, as well as squash and tomatoes, from Alabama, Veneziano said.
“It will better serve our program customers,” he said. “Before, we were 52 weeks a year but not in all commodities.”
S.M. Jones adds packing line
Belle Glade, Fla.-based grower-shipper S.M. Jones & Co. Inc. has opened a new packing line, said Ted Wanless, chief operating officer.
“This will improve efficiencies from the field in packing wood crates, RPCs or white boxes,” he said.
Scotlynn expands Canada asparagus
Belle Glade, Fla.-based grower-shipper Scotlynn Sweet Pac Growers LLC is growing its asparagus production in Canada, said Bryan Biederman, partner.
The company is entering its third season of growing asparagus on the North Shore of Lake Erie, in Vittoria, Ontario, Biderman said.
“Every year, we open more and more acreage,” he said.
The company will cut its first asparagus in April and run through May, he said.
Weis-Buy Farms expands sales staff
Weis-Buy Farms Inc., a Fort Myers, Fla.-based brokerage, has added to its sales staff, said Chuck Weisinger, president and CEO.
Jack Goldstein joined the staff, from a shipper in central Florida, around the first of the year, Weisinger said.
Wish Farms opens organic operation
Plant City, Fla.-based berry grower-shipper Wish Farms has opened Misty Organics, a new organic blueberry farm in Alturas, Fla.
Named for Wish Farms’ mascot, Misty the Garden Pixie, the project is joint venture of three Wish Farms veterans: Gary Wishnatzki, J.C. Clinard and Teddy Koukoulis.
Misty Organics’ entire crop is grown in containers, which allows for spatial flexibility and more than twice as many plants per acre than a standard blueberry farm, said Gary Wishnatzki, Wish Farms’ CEO.
The farm uses high-tech soil moisture sensors and drip irrigation to reduce water use, Wishnatzki said.
