Maine Gov. John E. Baldacci announced that Robert W. Spear would be stepping down as commissioner of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Food & Rural Resources. "During Bob's tenure as commissioner, he has shepherded the department's development of some bold and important programs, whether Senior Farm Share, Farms for the Future, or the dairy stabilization," Gov. Baldacci said in a statement. "Maine's farmers have certainly benefited from his leadership and I have enjoyed working with him." "I'm really proud of what we accomplished with a dedicated staff: Farm Share, irrigation, Farms for the

"First and foremost in importance, I am happy to report that none of our people were injured by Hurricane Wilma," said Billy Heller, chief operating officer of Pacific Tomato Growers Ltd. in Palmetto, FL. "Regarding crop conditions, however, some of our growing regions in the state fared better than others. We will be harvesting as planned in the Palmetto and Ruskin areas [of Florida], but it is too early to tell the exact extent of damage done in this region. We expect to learn that some bloom was blown off the plants, but we feel sure that these areas fared without too much damage." On

"When Hurricane Wilma moved across the state, it was followed by a cold front," said Ray Gilmer, director of public affairs for the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association in Maitland. "That front turned into what is today [Tuesday, Oct. 25] an absolutely beautiful day. It's 65 degrees and crystal clear." It is the kind of day that draws thousands of visitors and winter residents to the state in increasing numbers each year. But that is also part of the problem. "The more people move into coastal areas of the state, the more we build," said Reggie Brown, manager of the Florida Tomato Committee

In Fresno, CA, community activists cajoled the city council into spending $11 million in redevelopment funds on a Food Maxx supermarket. In Newark, NJ, it took six years of lobbying and two years of legal battles to turn 62 blighted parcels into a Pathmark supermarket. In rural Chinle, AZ, a community development corporation on the Navajo Nation built a Basha's Market to serve the local Native Americans, and in so doing created more than 170 jobs for local residents. In New York City's Harlem, it took two community organizations 10 years to bring a Pathmark to the community. Each of these

Looking after a large portion of a major apple orchard takes more than brawn, but four generations of Forrence family members have taken any "brains or brawn" analogies you may have heard in the past to new levels. Seth Forrence is the 29-year-old son of Mason Forrence, who is president and one of four family member-operators of Forrence Orchards in Peru, NY. Seth is also the third generation to graduate from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. His great-grandfather, Virgil Forrence, was a graduate of the Ithaca Conservatory of Music, and was a concert violinist before he and Seth's grandfather

NEW YORK -- Trend diets have become as common to the American public as mashed potatoes, but none, unfortunately, are nearly as tasty. The onslaught of diets that dictate carbohydrate restriction has caused several fresh produce categories to suffer, both economically and in how consumers perceive them. In this light, none comes to mind faster than potatoes. Things may have begun looking up for the potato industry as the Atkins diet began to fall out of favor as all trend diets ultimately do. But the next weight-loss fad has affected the industry with equal - if not more - negativity as its