WASHINGTON -- With President Obama traveling to Mexico for a high-level summit, the produce industry is hoping the administration will bring a proposal to end Mexico's retaliatory tariffs against agricultural products put into place after a Mexican trucking program was abandoned earlier this year. "At this point, we've heard there's a proposal, but it has not been shared with the private sector," said Ken Barbic of the Western Growers Association, who started last month as the group's new director of federal government affairs in Washington, DC. Congress killed a two-year-old pilot program

The Produce News had a chance to talk with a number of berry producers about the coming fall deal, and there is agreement that prospects are looking good going into the season. The growers also indicated that business continues to be driven among consumers by messages of healthfulness associated with berry consumption. Ed Kelly, owner of Colleen Strawberries Inc., said volume this fall will be up compared to 2008. He said statewide production was down significantly last year, so an actual comparison is difficult. But he is optimistic about the coming crop. "We had a good bloom, and the berries

KENT, CT - "This is how it all began." That's the phrase on the outside of the Davis IGA Inc. store, right next to photos showing the store's grand opening in 1974. There are also ads from that day 35 years ago, listing prices and specials, such as bananas for 23 cents per pound, cabbage for 23 cents per pound, pears for 49 cents per pound, and three-pound bags of Red Delicious apples for 99 cents. The photos not only portray how the store and the people looked back then but also give a sense of the store's roots in the community. The Davis IGA store, located here in northwestern Connecticut

Avocado marketers in the United States currently find themselves in a position that marketers in almost any other commodity would surely envy. An expected surge in volume of 40 percent or more in the marketplace above previous record levels would be a frightening thing for most. But for the avocado trade, demand for the product is believed to have grown to such an extent that it will take every bit of that expected 1.4 billion pounds of fruit, and more, to satisfy consumer cravings for Hass avocados. After jumping from 700 million pounds in 2005 to 1 billion pounds in 2006, annual avocado

NEWARK, DE -- Produce supply chain members looking for traceability solutions at Produce Marketing Association's Fresh Summit International Convention & Exposition will find it all in the Produce Traceability Learning Center on the expo floor when the convention convenes Oct. 2-5 in Anaheim, CA. The Produce Traceability Learning Center offers an opportunity for convention attendees from across the produce supply chain to: * Learn more about the Produce Traceability Initiative and its seven milestones to achieve chainwide, electronic product traceability at the case level. * Participate in

Westlake Produce Co.'s Winter Haven, FL, division and Voita Citrus of Florida Inc., based in Tampa, FL, announced in a joint statement that they have consolidated their sales offices and will now operate as Westlake Produce Co. The consolidated entity will operate from Westlake's Winter Haven office. Jack Cain is sole owner and president of Voita Citrus of Florida Inc. and is not affiliated with California Citrus Selectors Inc. (d.b.a. Voita West, located in Exeter, CA, San Luis Obispo, CA, Boston and Philadelphia), according to an Aug. 1 press release issued jointly by the two companies.