VIENNA, VA -- The U.S. Apple Association has announced the appointment of Mark Seetin to the post of director of regulatory and industry affairs, the responsibilities of which include representing apple industry issues to federal regulatory agencies and related coalitions as well as management of USApple's industry information program. Mr. Seetin will focus on a variety of regulatory and technical issues involving apple production and marketing, including research, crop protection, food safety, imports, federal government purchases, crop insurance and biotechnology. He will also serve as the

Rocco Russo Sr. died suddenly Friday, Feb. 20, after several years of declining health. He was 79 years old. Mr. Russo was the namesake and founder of Rocky Produce Inc. in Detroit. Two of his sons, Rocky Jr. and Tom, are involved in the business. In his later years, Mr. Russo devoted his time to Rocky's Historical Market, a small retail store in the Eastern Market section of Detroit. He loved people, especially children, and was famous for his greeting over the public address system in the store: "It's a beautiful day at Rocky's." He is survived by his wife, Bernida, seven children and 24

As a fifth-generation member of her family's cattle ranch in Solvang, CA, Jessie Condit practically grew up on horseback. The 26-year-old comes from a very close-knit family. In fact, her grandfather, father and brother, Austin, 23, compete together in team roping. Ms. Condit's grandfather taught her to drive a flatbed truck when she was six. She once owned a clothing company with her mother and her grandmother. She learned responsibility early and learned how to work with others. Today, Ms. Condit is a senior account executive for Evans, Hardy +Young Inc., a full-service marketing agency in

ANAPOIMA, COLOMBIA -- Countless technical features make this an outstanding basil greenhouse, but it is the women hovering over the herb crop that makes a startling and lasting impression. An herb farm here producing in partnership with Infinite Herbs, based in Miami and Everett, MA, utilizes customized technology that makes it fitting to call this a place that is truly unique in the world. Dalmiro Rodriguez, operations manager of Infinite Herbs, who works from a Bogota, Colombia, office, designed the floating harvest beds and certain other features of this farm. The high-tech operation is

WASHINGTON -- Two bills introduced in Congress this month would set new food-safety standards for fresh produce, but both allow leeway in setting those standards. At a March 2 press conference at DiMare Fresh-Tampa in Riverview, FL, U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam (R-FL) said that he planned to reintroduce his bill, the Safe Food Enforcement, Assessment, Standards & Targeting Act, or the Safe FEAST Act. The U.S. Food & Drrg Administration "regulations haven't been significantly changed since the Eisenhower administration," said Rep. Putnam, who recently announced his candidacy for the Florida

Editor's note: The following is an account of a particularly challenging, albeit rewarding, project of setting up a produce department in one of North America's more extreme locations as told by In The Trenches columnist and produce consultant Ron Pelger. In the year 1001, Erik the Red's son, Leif, and his sea-faring Vikings sailed from Iceland to Greenland and eventually found their way to Labrador and the very rocky island of Newfoundland in what is today a province in eastern Canada. In 1497, John Cabot arrived in Newfoundland and claimed it as a British colony for Henry VIII. The flag of