WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam (R-FL) praised rule changes that will permit Florida citrus to be shipped to all 50 states once more. The U.S. Department of Agriculture published the rule change Oct. 22; it takes effect immediately. "This is a victory for science-based regulations, a victory for Florida fresh fruit growers and shippers, and a victory for consumers all over America who look forward to receiving fresh citrus from Florida in the winter," Rep. Putnam said in a press release. "This comes not a moment too soon, as this marks the beginning of the Florida fruit shipment season."

"We are right in the middle of our joint promotion called 'The Big Hit,'" Jose Luis Obregon, managing director of the Hass Avocado Board, said in an interview with The Produce News Oct. 13. Timed to coincide with Major League Baseball playoffs, the promotion began in late September and was scheduled to continue through late October, a time when significant volumes of Hass avocados from both Mexico and Chile would be in the U.S. market. The promotion involves "a media buy of $2.1 million," with HAB, the Mexican Hass Avocado Importers Association and the Chilean Avocado Importers Association

BOSTON -- Lewis Gussman, founder of Mutual Produce Corp., here, died Sept. 30 at Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Newton, MA, following a brief illness. He was 100. Mr. Gussman launched the wholesale company, formerly named Mutual Produce Inc., at the New England Produce Center in 1955. He sold the company in 2000 and continued to work for Mutual Produce Corp. until he was 98. "He paid his bills on time, he ran a good business," Richard Travers Jr., co- owner of Mutual Produce Corp., said of Mr. Gussman. He added that some shippers have been doing business with Mutual Produce for 30 years. Mr

Most Texas citrus packinghouses were in production by the middle of October, and volume of oranges and grapefruit from the Lone Star State was starting to increase. "We started oranges yesterday and started grapefruit one day last week," Mike Martin, president of Rio Queen Citrus Inc. in Mission, TX, said Oct. 20. "We are about a week later than last year just like everyone else. I think just about all the sheds are operating now or will be opening up in the next couple of days." He said that volume typically climbs slowly but steadily through November until the Thanksgiving holiday, and then

IRVINE, CA -- With baseball in post-season and both professional and college football in full swing, the Hass Avocado Board is implementing a game-day entertaining marketing campaign that encourages consumers to further incorporate Hass avocados into their game-day meals. The effort aims to increase avocado sales during the fall time frame, when there is a strong supply of Hass avocados from multiple countries in the marketplace. "HAB's targeted promotional efforts surrounding game-day entertaining during the fall time frame over the past few years have encouraged demand for Hass avocados

FOREST PARK, GA -- Often called "the world's largest roadside fruit and vegetable stand," the Atlanta State Farmers Market is actually a sprawling 150-acre hub of commerce and transportation so busy that it has its own supermarket, restaurant, visitors center, gift shop and police force. Operated by the Georgia Department of Agriculture's Markets Division, the market was founded in 1939 on a 16-acre tract in Atlanta's West End under a directive from the state general assembly. In 1959, the market moved to its present location in a middle-class industrial district sandwiched just minutes