Deliveries of New Zealand apple and pear varieties were already underway on both coasts in early May, and David Nelley, Oppenheimer's category director for pipfruit and pineapples, predicts a season of relatively short supply of fruit from the island nation overall compared to the past five years. "Supplies are down considerably across the industry, but Oppenheimer will have strong volumes this year with category favorites like Royal Gala and Braeburn and rising stars like Jazz already in the market," he said. "Catastrophic cold temperatures during flowering in the Hawke's Bay region were

The New York Apple Association in Fishers, NY, saw great success in the 2008 Defense Commissary Agency display contest, sponsored by the association and T. Marzetti Co. "This contest has allowed our apples to be promoted, displayed in a big way and opened up new markets," David McClurg, vice president of marketing for the association, said in a press release. This year's contest asked commissaries to construct apple displays that identified or mentioned New York state apples or use the NYAA's Apple Country logo. Marzetti carmel apple dip and apple crisp were also part of the displays. There

The House of Representatives voted Wednesday, May 21, to override President Bush's veto of the farm bill, but a procedural mixup apparently made that vote meaningless, according to published reports. The 316-108 vote was far more than the two-thirds needed to override the veto -- just the second of President Bush's presidency -- but action stalled when it was discovered that Congress had omitted a section of the bill when lawmakers sent the $300 billion farm bill to the White House. That means Mr. Bush vetoed a different bill from the one Congress passed, leaving congressional leaders

CALGARY, AB -- It may have taken 83 years, but the Canadian Produce Marketing Association has its first woman in the position of chairman. Beth Pattillo, who has been in the agriculture industry for over 20 years in various capacities, has worked at King's of Nova Scotia for the past 10 years and currently serves as its director of marketing. King's is the marketing arm for five grower-shippers in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley that grow approximately 20 commodities that are shipped primarily in eastern Canada from Quebec eastward. She has also been a CPMA director for the past 10 years. "When

Charles Edwin Gilb, long known as Southern California's "potato king," died Sunday, May 18, at his home in Arcadia, CA, of malignant melanoma. He was 83. Mr. Gilb was born Nov. 13, 1924, in Cincinnati, but soon moved with his parents and sister to Twin Falls, ID, where he spent most of his childhood and began his love affair with potatoes. He began college at the University of Idaho-Moscow, but his education was interrupted by World War II, when he joined the Marine Corps. He did return to the University of Idaho, earned a degree in business and met his future wife of more than 60 years, Ruth

Months of hard work and negotiations by the National Watermelon Association have proven fruitful, as both houses of Congress passed resolutions naming July National Watermelon Month. "It is my pleasure to share with you the great news that National Watermelon Month is now officially complete through the vote taken by the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this week," Bob Morrissey, the association's executive director, said in a statement. "This has been a nine-month effort working with over 56 House representatives, and is very worthwhile for our watermelon industry." Mr. Morrissey said in