Ivey Pope wears many hats as a young, up-and-coming produce professional. The 25-year-old plays multiple roles representing multiple related companies, all under the auspices of DL&B Enterprises in Clinton, NC. DL&B is a grower, packer, shipper and a lot more, according to Ms. Pope. "Doug and Linda Wilson are the owners; DL&B stands for Doug and Linda and the boys," Ms. Pope said of the family-owned business. Through DL&B's partnerships and affiliates, Ms. Pope not only works at the farm as the packinghouse and field crew manager, but also manages public relations and food-safety issues for

WASHINGTON " A new report by federal disease investigators on last year?s Salmonella outbreak at Sheetz convenience stores raised more questions than it offered answers about how tomatoes may have sickened 561 people in 18 states. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention recounted an investigation into three outbreaks involving various Salmonella strains that were linked to Roma tomatoes served in the United States and Canada last summer. The probe appeared to find few answers to the source of the infections, prompting CDC to ask for more research on tomato contamination and methods to

Year-to-date, the Florida tomato industry is behind by about 6 million boxes from previous years. Approximately 5 million of that figure is directly attributable to crop damage and losses that resulted from the four hurricanes that hit the state in August and September of last year. But the remaining 1 million-box decline is being blamed on spring shortages due to unusually bad weather in the state during the current growing season as well as some sporadic disease problems. Reggie Brown, manager of the Florida Tomato Committee in Maitland, FL, told The Produce News on Wednesday, April 13 that

Dick Keim, director of sales for Prime Produce International LLC in Lake Forest, CA, has left Prime Produce and will be opening a Southern California office for an existing produce company whose name is yet to be announced. Mr. Keim, 71, who retired from Oceanside Produce in Oceanside, CA, in 2003 after seven years as that company?s president, joined Prime Produce shortly after that company was founded by Avi Crane in early 2004. Earlier in his produce career, Mr. Keim had worked for Dole, and before that, he had his own company, Trans West Fruit Co., which he sold to Dole. He began his career

The latest version of the Sonora Spring Grape industry's exclusive GrapeTRAX category trend study was discussed at a meeting of about 70 growers and shippers in Hermosillo, Mexico, the first week in April. Hosted by the Sonora Grape Growers Association (AALPUM) in partnership with its Nogales, AZ-based distributor members of the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas, this was the second year the industry has reunited prior to the season. The objective was to review important market, crop and promotional program highlights for what is expected to be a good year for spring grapes. Some

WASHINGTON " More than 50 groups rallied on Capitol Hill, along with Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns, to urge approval of the Free Trade Agreement with Central America and the Dominican Republic, known as CAFTA-DR, as Congress began hearings on the controversial trade pact. ?CAFTA-DR is a home run for American agriculture. We are giving up very little to gain very much," said a letter sent by 56 agricultural groups to every U.S. senator and representative. The groups "are simply requesting that Congress provide to American farmers what it has already provided to farmers in the CAFTA-DR