Twenty-seven New York agricultural leaders from all segments of the industry recently embarked on a seven-day international agricultural study trip to Chile. The trip was organized by Class XI of LEAD New York, a professional leadership development program administered through Cornell University. Chile was picked as the destination of choice for the Class XI international study trip because of its diverse agricultural industry and growing economy. Chile has many modern technology and production practices, along with a trade surplus based largely on strong agricultural exports that presented

WASHINGTON -- The immigration debate may take center stage again in the coming weeks, as Sens. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and John McCain (R-AZ) are expected to soon introduce a comprehensive immigration reform bill. Advocates for reform are calling on the Bush administration to convince allies to support a comprehensive bill this year. "Without the administration's earnest engagement on this issue, our efforts are likely to suffer the same fate they did last year," said Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), who chaired a hearing on the issue last month. He said that finding the necessary 2,000 workers to

For the second time this decade, Grant J. Hunt has received the Food Alliance Certification Seal in recognition of agricultural standards practiced by Orchard View Farms Inc. in The Dalles, OR. According to Eric Patrick of Grant J. Hunt's Yakima, WA, office, Orchard View Farms was initially certified in June 2000 for cherries and pears and, with the recent certification awarded in late 2006, is certified through December 2009 for both products. Grant J. Hunt Co. is the exclusive sales and marketing agent for Orchard View Farms. The Food Alliance, a non-profit organization promoting sustainable

Poor yields and small head sizes have hampered a desert lettuce deal that should continue into the week of March 26. Mike Marcroft, commodity manager for Castroville, CA-based Ocean Mist Farms' lettuce program, said that a cold snap in January delayed the company's harvest dates, adding that there have been small heads industrywide. "Fortunately, we've had a good amount of ours pack out 24s," Mr. Marcroft said of the firm's lettuce heads. The company concluded its harvest in Yuma, AZ, at the end of the week of March 5-9 and moved its lettuce harvest to Texas Hill, AZ, some 60 miles east of

Citrus Industries in Three Rivers, CA, has designated Seald Sweet West International Inc. in Visalia, CA, as the exclusive sales agent for its fresh- packed fruit, primarily citrus, from Mexico. According to David Muse, vice president of operations and marketing at Seald Sweet West, the program will consist primarily of Valencia oranges, both organic and conventional. The deal will mark Seald Sweet West's first entry into the organic citrus arena as a sales agent. "We had been, over the last year or so, purchasing organic product from various handlers around California and Arizona. But this is

As part of the Mushroom Council's renewed effort to increase demand for fresh mushrooms, it recently adopted a new logo and tagline -- "Mushrooms. Nature's Hidden Treasure." -- which will be used in consumer and foodservice communications. The logo and tagline are available for use on packages of fresh mushrooms at retail, providing a unifying theme for U.S. mushroom growers or shippers whose mushrooms are sold under a variety of brand labels. The logo was introduced last month at the biennial North American Mushroom Conference in San Diego. "In order to have a chance of breaking through to