CRAWFORDVILLE, FL - More storm updates have come to light as Hurricane Helene reached Florida as a powerful Category 4 hurricane yesterday, sending a massive storm surge across the region and restricting power for millions of people across several states.

According to reports from AP News, the storm made landfall late Thursday in Florida’s sparsely populated Big Bend area, where the Panhandle and peninsula meet. As of this morning, it was reported that over 4 million homes and businesses were without power across Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the damage from Helene in the area appears to be greater than the combined damage of Idalia and Debby last August, according to the news source.

Prior to making landfall in the United States, Helene hit parts of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, flooding streets and toppling trees in Cancun before passing offshore. The storm also impacted western Cuba, where it knocked out power to more than 200,000 homes and businesses as it brushed past the island.

Helene is the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1.

With impacts of the storm currently being seen across multiple East Coast states, ANUK will continue to monitor its effect on growers and the overall produce supply chain.

MONTEREY, CA - Artificial intelligence, robotics, and other innovative, eco-friendly farming practices will soon be taking the spotlight during the 2024 Organic Grower Summit (OGS), taking place in Monterey, California, on December 4–5. With the event setting out to explore the latest advancements in sustainable agriculture, several groundbreaking technologies will be on display, giving organic growers and producers the chance to explore solutions that will help shape the future of ag.

According to a press release, this year’s show will highlight cutting-edge agricultural equipment from leading companies committed to enhancing operational efficiency on organic farms. Attendees will also be invited to engage with key players in biologicals, plant health and protection, soil nutrition, water conservation, agronomic insights, and more from manufacturers committed to developing sustainable crop inputs. Some solution innovators attending include Volm Companies, Carbon Robotics, Valent BioSciences, and more. To view more brands currently set to attend, click here.

Recognizing the importance of having reliable partners in organic agriculture who can provide support and insights for future production solutions, the 2024 OGS trade show will feature key organizations dedicated to these goals, including Western Growers, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, State Organic Program, Eurofins, and PreZero US.

Registration for the event, presented by Western Growers and Farm Progress, is currently open. Don’t forget to sign up for two days of industry innovation complemented by the scenic coastal views of Monterey, California!

Be sure to leave a tab open to ANUK as we share more updates in the lead-up to this anticipated trade show.

CHARLOTTE, NC - For the brief time that I entertained running as a hobby, bananas were a staple in my household. Dole Food Company understands the importance of the nutrient-rich banana for athletes and recently launched an interactive webpage to offer recipes and resources for runners at all levels.

“October is traditionally the busiest month of the year for marathons in the [United States], so we wanted to offer the latest recipes and resources that could empower all runners, athletes, and fitness enthusiasts to achieve their goals,” said Melanie Marcus, MA, RD, and Nutrition, Wellness, and Communications Manager. “In addition to bananas, which are well-known for their post-workout recovery benefits, we showcase the energy-boosting properties of DOLE® pineapple, broccoli, spinach, sweet potatoes, and all varieties of berries, as well as dates, almond butter, and peanut butter.”

The webpage, which is titled the Dole Performance Recipes and Resources Page, offers seven smoothies, snacks, sides, and energy bites rich in fresh fruits and vegetables to fuel pre-race training and aid in post-workout recovery.

These fresh, athlete-focused recipes include the following:

• Lemon Berry Smoothie
• Mocha-Banana Smoothie
• Pineapple Running Juice
• Loaded Baked Sweet Potatoes
• Plantain Guac Toast
• Banana Energy Bites
• Banana-Brownie Batter Energy Bites

Marcus noted that various research suggests bananas are as effective at delivering post-race and workout recovery as sports drinks—but at a fraction of the sugar, calories, and cost.

That’s one way to get kids eating more produce!

We’ll continue to keep you up to date on the latest in fresh, so stay tuned to ANUK.

CASTROVILLE, CA - Continuing its mission as a health-forward company both in spirit and mission, Ocean Mist® Farms took part in the American Cancer Society’s annual Relay For Life event, which occurred earlier in September in Salinas, California. In no less than 50 days after joining the cause, Ocean Mist Farms worked its way up to fifth place out of 77 in charitable rankings.

“So many of us have been touched by the devastating diagnosis of cancer, whether directly or indirectly, making this event deeply personal to so many,” said President and Chief Executive Officer, Chris Drew. “I’m incredibly inspired by the dedication and commitment our employees have shown in supporting such a worthy cause.”

As a press release outlined, nearly 20 employees from Ocean Mist walked the event, preceded by a week-long, company-wide fundraising campaign. The team also quickly mobilized a series of engaging fundraising events to support this important cause, a press release explained.

These included contests, raffles, scavenger hunts, bake sales, pizza lunches, freshly made tacos, and a homemade salsa sale.

Another way that the team showed its support was by decorating its corporate office. Upon entering the parking lot, visitors were greeted by vibrant purple ribbons adorning large planters. The front columns were wrapped in striking purple spirals, creating a powerful visual effect. Inside the office’s main foyer, the decorations continued with a sea of purple. Hanging paper lanterns and purple tablecloths set the stage for a display of beautifully curated gift baskets for the raffle.

A tribute table stood in honor of cancer survivors, flanked by large bilingual signs in English and Spanish reminding everyone of the program’s mission: to celebrate survivors, honor caregivers, remember loved ones, and fight back against cancer.

At the Relay For Life Walk in downtown Salinas on Saturday, September 21, the company mascot “Arti” also made a special appearance. Everyone is always excited to see this cruciferous veg hit the town!

We appreciate the efforts from companies such as Ocean Mist Farms, and can’t wait to see how they continue to show their support to worthy causes.

FRESNO, CA - With FSMA 204 quickly approaching, businesses across our industry are looking for ways to streamline communication with trading partners while aiming to enhance efficiency and deliver unparalleled service to their customers. This is where industry innovator Famous Software comes in, wielding its advantageous Famous Integration Services (FIS) tool, a robust EDI solution that operates by directly linking trading partners through the powerful FIS server.

“When discussing our Famous Integration Services with current or prospective clients, their initial disbelief soon turns to awe. The reality is, we have dedicated nearly five decades to the development of a powerful technological framework, comprising products and services designed to streamline and automate labor-intensive tasks,” explains Heather Hammack, President. “Famous Integration Services is an exceptional tool that allows users to seamlessly trade directly with customers and suppliers. And when we say seamless, we mean it. No order re-entry, no re-keying information, everything flows directly into Famous ERP and then back to the customer.”

Famous Software spent years developing this complicated EDI tool, underpinned by advanced Oracle technology. Through this solution, transactions are seamlessly routed to the relevant supplier or customer once processed. Orders are automatically imported into Famous ERP, where they undergo confirmation by the recipient; the originator then receives this confirmation and can implement any necessary changes or adjustments. If modifications are required, the near real-time connection between systems, powered by the FIS server, facilitates swift and efficient adjustments, the release added.

As Kirk Parrish, Managing Partner, explains, “Each piece of the puzzle is critical and unique. Costco’s requirements are different from Kroger’s, which are different from U.S. Foodservice or Amazon Fresh. We spent countless hours creating the infrastructure for this product to make sure that it functions well and allows for the flexibility needed in this industry.”

In 2023 alone, Famous Software processed 6 million transactions between customers and the over 70 trading partners within the FIS universe. The solutions provider expects these numbers to be even higher in 2024.

“An EDI tool like FIS can be a game changer. Communication is faster, clerical errors are reduced, invoices are processed more efficiently, order and product tracking are improved, manual paperwork is eliminated, and labor hours are reduced,” Hammack continues.

The solution also provides a strategic advantage in traceability.

“FIS efficiency is particularly exceptional with Famous-to-Famous transactions,” Hammack elaborates. “The fresh produce supply chain requires additional traceability, and that data needs to be transferred electronically, in real time, with full traceability. We have the right tools in place to facilitate that data transfer with minimal effort required by the users.”

Read more about the solution and its benefits here, and stay tuned for more fresh industry news.

CALIFORNIA - Our latest Behind the Greens video dives into the wonderful world of California strawberries and a strategic partnership set to drive advancement for the sector. Check out the most recent video exclusive with California Strawberry Commission's Rick Tomlinson and Nagata Bros Farms' Neil Nagata above.

Rick Tomlinson, President, California Strawberry Commission

Partnering with a place like Cal Poly is really important to the development of the new folks that are coming out of college and looking for jobs and to recruit them into agriculture, and so giving them real experiences and research projects, real farm trials, and letting them find what's their pathway into the agriculture world is just a very valuable step. Valuable to them, valuable to us as they share their novel ideas and what they see for the future.

Beyond the obvious research that happens here. It's the people and ideas. It's getting all that creative energy of the people, the students, the faculty really engaged on the issues that we face in California strawberry farming.

Neil Nagata, President, Nagata Bros Farms

The research projects here at Cal Poly have been very useful as far as determining what varieties that we would select for disease resistance, and just trying to find the innovations that could help us in the field. So certain pesticides that we can use that are most efficient and effective, trying to reduce the amount we use, and so we want to make sure that we're using the right material at the right time. And the Innovation Center has really been helpful in helping us determine what those chemistries are and the timing for those specific things.

I'm most excited about seeing just all the energy surrounding strawberry production, and how we can advance to be more sustainable in the future. So using things like the Bug-Vac utilizing UV light potentially to kill a certain pest, and so we're reducing the amount of inputs that we're putting in and still having control over pests that infect our strawberries. And so with the innovation that's created here at Cal Poly, we're able to move forward in a sustainable manner. Strawberry farming really is a California product.

We produce about 90 percent of all strawberries throughout the United States. The whole strawberry growing system was developed in California. California varieties and the technology have been created here, and so if we're going to create this across the United States, we really are going to do it right here in California.

These types of partnerships with research institutions are critical to our future. It helps us find new innovations and pathways to sustainability.

More exclusive features like this are on the way, so stay tuned!