Valerie Sill is a Gemini, and that may explain a few things -- if you believe in astrological explanations. Ms. Sill recently relocated to Watsonville, CA, from Annapolis, MD, to take up her new responsibilities as business manager for Driscoll Strawberry Associates. Like the namesake zodiac twins, Ms. Sill wrestles with things head-on. She's versatile, changeable and willing to move across the country in a heartbeat. And the 30-year-old Ms. Sill is also capable of quiet reflection as she looks at where she's been and where's she's going. It wasn't so long ago that Ms. Sill was a young girl in

NEW YORK -- The one-and-a-half pound Summer Fancy Food Official Show Directory was the first indication visitors got of the size of the annual National Association for the Specialty Food Trade event, held July 8-10 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, here. Separated by countries, regions and categories, exhibitors consumed the entire 675,000 square feet of facility exhibit space. Each year the show features more produce and produce-related exhibitors. And with ancillary products like nuts, dried fruits, dressings, sauces, spreads, premium juices and other items taking up more shelf space

One sure sign of summer is the onset of the sweet corn season in the Rocky Mountain states, and the noted yellow and bi-colored corn produced by Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Farm & Ranch Enterprise in the Four Corners area of Colorado is within days of shipping, according to General Manager Paul Evans. Mr. Evans said that harvest is expected to start July 21-25, with good volume throughout the eight to nine weeks of picking. "Everything looks really good, especially with our later plantings," Mr. Evans said, adding that the 300 acres of sweet corn will be packed in 48-ear cartons in the field, iced

The California leafy greens industry has set July 23 as the date when mandatory food-safety audits of its members will begin. Acting at its board meeting Friday, June 29, in Santa Maria, CA, the California Leafy Green Products Marketing Agreement unanimously approved a start date for mandatory compliance audits of its members and finalized other key aspects of its program, said Joe Pezzini, chairman of the agreement. "The steps we are taking are part of our industry's unprecedented commitment to food safety," Mr. Pezzini said. "Beginning July 23, we will begin to certify to our customers that

DNE World Fruit Sales, headquartered in Ft. Pierce, FL, has high expectations for the Australian citrus program this season. "Retailers are excited about the early arrivals and have already committed to more ads than ever for the month of July," said Stu Monaghan, national sales manager for DNE. "The first charter vessel arrived at the port of San Diego on June 29. Additional container loads will also be arriving at the port of Long Beach throughout the summer." High volumes of premium-quality citrus from Australia this year is exceptionally good news because last year's crop was hindered by

Highline Mushrooms founder and co-owner Murray Roy O'Neil, 80, died June 30 when the plane he was piloting crashed into a soybean field near Colchester, ON. Dr. O'Neal, a retired allergist, founded Highline Mushrooms in Leamington, ON, in 1961. Through his knowledge of science and relentless passion for continual improvement, he pioneered many of the technological advances in the North American mushroom industry. At age 80, alongside company President Glenn Martin, he remained very much involved in the day-to-day operations of Highline. He was instrumental in implementing advanced cropping