WASHINGTON -- Don't expect federal enforcement of undocumented workers in the agriculture industry to come to a screeching halt with the new Obama administration, but other changes are likely, according to industry experts who identified key priorities for this year's Congress. Issues ranging from to immigration reform, nutrition policy changes to new food-safety legislation will be top issues for the produce industry as a new Congress and a new administration take center stage later this month. Immigration reform remains a critical issue for the agriculture industry, Craig Regelbrugge, vice

Kathy Maynard Wilson, who has 24 years of experience in produce sales and marketing and who has spent the last four years at Ito Packing in Reedley, CA, has joined the sales team at Scattaglia Growers & Shippers LLC, doing business as SGS, a grape and stone fruit marketing organization based in Traver, CA. Ms. Wilson is "a real complement to the SGS team," said Dave Parker, director of marketing. "Her experience is going to be good for us, and she will fit in really well with this experienced sales team at SGS." "Today is my first day" at SGS, Ms. Wilson told The Produce News Jan. 5. "I just

SunnyRidge Farm Inc. has successfully received the first shipment of raspberries from its company-owned farms in Jalisco, Mexico, which was sold to one of its top retailer customers. Initial feedback on the berries was excellent. "We are pleased with the appearance, flavor and shelf life that we are seeing from our raspberries," Keith Mixon, president of SunnyRidge Farm Inc., said in a press release. "With the kickoff of our raspberry program from Mexico, we are moving forward with aiming to provide retailers with a great-tasting, year-round supply of the most popular berries." SunnyRidge is

The Ottawa-based Dispute Resolution Corp. issued an alert to its members the last week of December stating that its staff has "received an increased number of reports of fraudulent activity involving cross-border transactions." DRC President and Chief Executive Officer Stephen Whitney said that these fraudulent firms appear to be well organized and can put up a very good front that can fool some people. He said these companies are operating "outside of the confines of DRC membership," but in other ways they appear to be legitimate. "We are concerned that some shippers either don't know [that a

Brooks Tropicals LLC in Homestead, FL, announced Jan. 5 that Billy Pritchett has been named vice president of operations. In his new capacity, Mr. Pritchett will manage the company's Belize operations and its Homestead packing and distribution facilities. "Our headquarters in Homestead handles the packing and North American distribution of more than 28 different tropical fruits and vegetables, including SlimCado avocados, starfruit, limes and Uniq fruit," said Mr. Pritchett. "Brooks Tropicals has made tremendous progress in the past year. The company has successfully recovered from Hurricane

The Produce Marketing Association has restructured its senior management team to more closely align it with the association's new strategic plan and the expectations of its members. The restructuring began with the PMA board of directors' decision in October to add the title and responsibility of chief executive officer to PMA President Bryan Silbermann's existing charge. "In the work we did last year planning for PMA's future, we identified the benefits of strengthening key staff roles by assigning responsibilities and titles that clarify the leadership role and accountability of the senior