Jim Offner

Reinbeck

Writer at Freelance

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Articles

TechWorks a blend of manufacturing, agriculture innovation

1 month ago | wcfcourier.com | Jim Offner

WATERLOO | A blend of new technology with an industry as old as the land itself is the idea behind Cedar Valley TechWorks, a blend of manufacturing and agriculture innovation that is taking shape on the western edge of downtown Waterloo. It may not be apparent from a casual glance at the Cedar Valley TechWorks campus, but the process of molding the region’s agricultural past and its technological future into a vibrant business center is humming along in high gear.
Scammers try to pry money from Ocwen customers

1 month ago | wcfcourier.com | Jim Offner

WATERLOO | All Cecilia Snook wanted to do was lower her house payment. Snook, of Crosby Minn., thought she could do just that when she and her husband, Kenneth, got a letter from someone saying they were with the loan servicing department of Ocwen Financial Corp., an Atlanta-based financial services holding company. The company services mortgages in its Waterloo office, among other locations across the U.S.The letter, dated Oct.
Dole targets new generations of organic banana and pineapple shoppers

Sep 10, 2024 | producebluebook.com | Mark Campbell |Jim Offner |Greg Johnson

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Sept. 9, 2024) — Tapping its quarter century of organic produce growing and marketing experience, Dole Food Company BB #:124463 is specifically targeting Gen Y, Gen Z and Baby Boomer consumers in more than a dozen U.S. markets identified by Dole for expanded organic marketing efforts due to above-average indexing in organic consumption.
Green Growth: The importance of organic promotion

Jul 12, 2024 | producebluebook.com | Jim Offner |Greg Johnson

How important is promotion to organic sales? Our contributors confirm marketing activity can be key to solid retail sales. Sage Fruit Company, LLC, BB #:163180 Yakima, WA, promotes in several ways, says Kaci Komstadius, vice president of marketing. The first involves catching shoppers’ attention. “Build eye-catching displays—grab consumers’ attention as they walk into the store or produce department,” she says.
Green Growth: Extending the organic category

Jul 11, 2024 | producebluebook.com | Jim Offner |Greg Johnson

Origin Organic Farms, a Delta, BC-based greenhouse operation, began all-organic production in 2006 and launched its OriginO brand the next year. David Oppenheimer & Associates GP (known as Oppy) BB #:116424 in Vancouver, BC partners with Origin Organic, with about 25 acres of tomatoes-on-the-vine, long English cucumbers, and bell peppers, according to Kevin Batt, Oppy’s category director of greenhouse.
Green Growth: Organic makes regional gains

Jul 10, 2024 | producebluebook.com | Jim Offner |Greg Johnson

Sales of organic fruits and vegetables once varied widely from region to region across the United States, but those differences are no longer so dramatic, according to the USDA. The agency notes that, while production and sales remain strong in the Pacific region—with about 32 percent of sales in 2021—the share of sales has continued to climb in other parts of the country.
Green Growth: Organics continue to flourish

Jul 9, 2024 | producebluebook.com | Jim Offner |Greg Johnson

More than two decades after the U.S. Department of Agriculture implemented standards for organic production and processing, the category has zoomed from niche to mainstream status. And there seems to be no slowdown in sight, the agency says. In November 2023, the USDA reported that organic producers had increased market access to the point that conventional grocery retailers had overtaken natural food stores as the most popular outlet for organic food, with 55.6 percent of sales in 2021.
Reefer Downloads: Why they don’t tell the whole story

Jan 25, 2024 | producebluebook.com | Doug Nelson |Jim Offner |Greg Johnson

Somewhere right now a produce buyer and seller are discussing the streams of temperature and mechanical data from a reefer download. They’re perhaps scratching their heads and maybe arguing a bit. And then, at some point, the truck broker and the carrier join the discussion, or fray, as the case may be. Somebody points to the set point. Somebody else points to the supply air temperatures.
Courtesy Contacts: New from Blue Book’s Trading Assistance team

Jan 18, 2024 | producebluebook.com | Doug Nelson |Jim Offner |Greg Johnson

Placing a customer for collection is one of those moments that’s hard to undo. It’s seen as an adversarial event, and even if the customer pays soon after the collection is placed, the business relationship often takes a hit. What’s more, the claimant typically incurs collection fees, adding insult to injury. So, naturally there’s a tendency for claimants to wait, and wait some more, before placing a collection. But what if there was an in-between step? Well, now there is.
AI: What lies ahead

Jan 16, 2024 | producebluebook.com | Jim Offner |Greg Johnson

Artificial intelligence is advancing across the produce industry at breakneck speed, and the industry is working to keep up with advancements. “There are likely many other ways it will benefit us that we don’t even realize today,” says Brianna Shales, marketing director at Wenatchee, WA-based grower-shipper Stemilt Growers, LLC BB #:113654. Paul Pappas, president of wholesaler Pete Pappas & Sons, Inc.