WEST CHESTER, PA -- Science, education, free enterprise, creativity and opportunity mesh here at Cheyney University. Michael Derro, a 30-year veteran of the produce industry, created Herban Farms LLC, a privately owned company built on university property. The project, which went into operation in June, is a greenhouse for simultaneously growing fresh basil and raising thousands of tilapia fish. Mr. Derro told The Produce News that "Herban" is a play on words, explaining that his farm can be used to grow "herbs" in an "urban" environment. Herban Farms grows living basil for sale in regional

Kim Reddin, director of public and industry relations for the National Onion Association of Greeley, CO, said that 2007 is going to be a year filled with exciting activities and promotions. Research activities on a new retail guide are coming to a conclusion, and Ms. Reddin said that the publication should be available soon. Photography is expected to be completed in the spring. "The focus [of the publication] is to give produce buyers and managers purchasing, production, merchandising, packaging and nutrition information," she said. "The cool thing is it will be a beneficial piece for members

Don Talley, owner of Talley Farms and Talley Vineyards in Arroyo Grande, CA, died Dec. 2 at Stanford Medical Center from complications of a heart transplant that he had received Oct. 17. He was 66. Mr. Talley was born April 4, 1940 in Santa Barbara, CA, to Oliver and Hazel Talley. In 1952 the family moved to Arroyo Grande where Oliver Talley had founded Talley Farms four years earlier. Mr. Talley attended school in Arroyo Grande and graduated with a bachelor's degree in agricultural business management from the University of California-Berkeley in 1962. He married Rosemary Green in December

WASHINGTON -- The spinach industry has high hopes for a bill introduced by Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA) that would authorize new money for food-safety research and help bail out producers that suffered steep losses in this fall's spinach outbreak. "Significant research has been done on protecting our meat supply from E. coli outbreaks, but very little has been done on protecting our vegetables," Rep. Farr said when he introduced H.R. 6379, the Spinach Research & Recovery Act of 2006. Rep. Farr's bill would spend $26 million for food-safety research specifically dedicated to fresh produce and an

James Richard Graves Jr., former president and chief executive officer of Graves Bros. Co. in Wabasso, FL, died of a cancer-related illness Nov. 28 at age 68. Mr. Graves served as a member of the Florida Citrus Commission in the 1980s and as a board member for Florida Citrus Mutual from 1978 to 1981. He also served on the board of directors of the United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association from 1982 to 1984, as its chairman in 1987 and as the organization's treasurer from 1992 to 1996. Graves Bros. was founded in 1895 as a Southern sawmill and lumber company. When timber cutting was completed

RIO RICO, AZ -- Members of the Nogales produce industry convened at the 38th annual Nogales Produce Convention & Golf Tournament, here, Nov. 29- Dec. 2 to explore ideas about promoting the quality and availability of their products. Highlighting the gathering were educational sessions held Nov. 29 and a two- day golf tournament Dec. 1-2. In the first of three educational sessions held Nov. 29 at the Esplendor Resort, Jim Degen of J.M. Degen & Co., which conducts research about foodservice trends, outlined the shifting relationship between buyers and sellers, stating that "buyers are in the