ORANGE, CA -- Cory Puentes of Interfresh Inc.'s San Bruno, CA, office and Craig Jacob of Dole Fresh Fruit Co. in Westlake Village, CA, did their part Sunday, Sept. 12, to support the 33 trapped miners in Chile. Joining 31 other open-water swimmers, Messrs. Puentes and Jacob braved the 58-degree water and three-knot currents in a 1.5-mile swim from Alcatraz Island to Aquatic Park in the San Francisco Bay. The swim was organized by Water World Swim, the premier, open-water swimming organization in San Francisco. Each of the 33 swimmers sponsored a trapped miner and swam in his honor. All entry

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Sept. 10 revoked accreditation of the California Organic Farmers Association as an organic certifying agent after the department spent three years wrangling with the organization to correct violations. The USDA's National Organic Program has the responsibility to ensure organic products meet uniform standards and sets certification standards that organic production and handling operations must meet to become USDA-accredited certifying agents. In July 2008, the NOP proposed revoking COFA’s accreditation for three years after a 2007 audit

WASHINGTON — A new U.S. Food & Drug Administration survey of leafy greens and tomatoes that has resulted in several Class 1 recalls was just one of the topics discussed during a town hall meeting organized by the United Fresh Produce Association during its Washington Public Policy Conference, held here Sept. 14-16. Busloads of attendees traveled to the FDA's College Park, MD, headquarters Sept. 15 for a two-hour town hall meeting to hear the latest on FDA regulations, research and outbreak investigations. The event has become a popular session for produce business leaders attending the

Vantaggio Farming Corp., which is headquartered in San Diego and also has a branch office in Nogales, AZ, will have an early cucumber and squash deal in Nogales that starts about two weeks earlier than most other shippers, according to Ross Keefer, a partner in the company. "We grow in Caborca, which is in the northern part of Sonora [Mexico]," Mr. Keefer told The Produce News Sept. 13. "It seems like we have a little earlier window than some of the guys in Hermosillo," which is the other major growing district in the state of Sonora. By growing in Caborca, "we figured we could get an earlier

"The biggest highlight" of the 2009-10 marketing season for the Idaho potato industry is the fact that the industry successfully moved “a very large crop,” said Seth Pemsler, vice president of retail for the Idaho Potato Commission in Eagle, ID. That achievement was attributable in a significant degree to some “hugely successful” retail promotions by the commission and the industry. “At the beginning of the year, we were faced with this massive crop, not just in Idaho but everywhere,” Mr. Pemsler said. The challenge throughout the year was to get the crop “moved through the system” so that the

Jon DeVaney, executive director of the Yakima Valley Growers-Shippers Association, said that apple volume for the state of Washington for the 2010- 11 crop will be up slightly this season. During 2009-10, a total of 102.8 million 40-pound-equivalent boxes were shipped. The first estimate for the 2010-11 crop was released Aug. 11, with volume for the season expected to be 108.8 million 40-pound boxes. According to Mr. DeVaney, estimate variations fall within a 1-5 percent margin. The initial estimate was released following a survey of the state's apple packers. Although Mr. DeVaney expects the