Farmer of the Year Key to Bringing Fresh Avocados to Grocery Shelves

Gil Henry remembers a time when avocados were an "infinitesimal" industry, decades before Californians gobbled up the fruit, dabbled in guacamole dips and purchased the fruits fresh from the grocery store.

Today, San Diego County accounts for 40 percent of the nation's avocado production, according to the San Diego County Farm Bureau. Others come from southern Riverside County, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo, while some are imported from Argentina, Chile and, more recently, New Zealand.