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Florida Classic Growers, Dundee, Fla., has hired Derek Rodgers in sales.

The year 2020 will go in the record books as one of the toughest in memory, thanks to the COVID-19 virus, but it could turn out to be a profitable year for fresh produce in Colorado, grower-shippers say.

Florida’s fall crops may be safe from a devastating hurricane this year, although it’s been a pretty wet planting season with a pandemic that never seems to end and growing competition from imports.

A patented system that improves cooling through pallets can benefit berry handlers, said Alain Garcia, sales engineer with FF Cooling Solutions.

Marketers say they are gearing up for promotable volumes of fruit from Chile for the upcoming winter months.

Florida citrus production is projected to be slightly lower this season than last, but high demand is expected throughout the season.

Cannabidiol oil applied to strawberries can extend the berry’s shelf life, according to research published in ScienceDirect from University of South Florida scientists.

“When we have cooler years, the berry quality is a lot sweeter and firmer...this year’s quality of fruit is going to be next-level. Hopefully, the market will prevail, and everyone is happy, COVID notwithstanding.”

The transition between Southern Hemisphere and Northern Hemisphere grape harvest could leave a gap in green grape supplies, shippers say.

California’s Coachella Valley grape output may slip in 2021, as bearing grape acreage has declined and the industry has consolidated.