Delmonte Purchases Farmland and Packing Houses In Bankruptcy Auction

It appears that the main purchaser of farmland and packing housings in the bankruptcy auction of the assets of East Coast Packers is Delmonte. The national company has purchased farmland plus a packing house in Mappsville. Benny Hall and Sons a local farming operation purchased the old Byrd Foods grading shed near Parksley.

The entry of a large and financially stable company like Delmonte is good economic news for the Eastern Shore. Plans are to resume growing vegetables and restore some of the economic activity lost when East Coast Packers ceased production in 2011. Since that time the acreage formerly used to produce tomatoes has been used to grow small grains.

Charles McSwain, the Economic Development Director for Northampton, stated that he had a conversation with Delmonte's Vice President of Operations in Florida last week and that pending court approval of the sale, Delmonte is anxious to come to the Eastern Shore and begin operations. 

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