Dan Wyant, director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture, announced June 20 that he will step down from the post which he has held for nine years on July 29. The Michigan Commission of Agriculture in October 1996 appointed Mr. Wyant to the position. He has accepted a position as president and chief operating officer of the Edward Lowe Foundation, a private operating foundation that assists entrepreneurs. The foundation is located on 2,500 acres of rural farmland in Cassopolis, MI. Mr. Wyant, a native of Michigan's Cass County, brought a vast agricultural background to MDA with a bachelor

William P. Donnelly Sr., a longtime produce salesman in Nogales, AZ, died June 3 at his home in Rio Rico, AZ, after losing a battle with skin cancer. He was 59 years old. Born in the Bronx, NY, Mr. Donnelly got his start in the produce industry quite by chance. He moved his family from New Jersey to Tucson, AZ, in 1977 with the hopes that the change in climate would help to alleviate one of his four son's health problems. After arriving in Tucson, Mr. Donnelly opened a liquor store and worked with computers on the side, said his son William P. Donnelly Jr. Mr. Donnelly began working with

The California Table Grape Commission has, over the years, had "tremendous success with display contests," according to Jim Howard, the commission's communications director. But a display contest currently running during the month of June has proven to be one of the more successful ever, he said. "We have a record number of retailers who have expressed interest in the contest and who have received point-of-sale materials from the commission for use in the contest, Mr. Howard said. Exactly how many retailers actually participated will not be known until all entries have been received. But "we

It was a seemingly rhetorical question: Do we want our school children to have nutritious foods or high-fat, high-sugar foods? The answer came in the form of the new school nutrition rules announced June 6 by New Jersey Acting Gov. Richard Codey. Those rules, representing the work of many in the Department of Agriculture, set the stage for healthier food choices in our schools. The best way to drive home the point of good nutrition is to immerse students in the foods that are most nutritious for them. You can't teach about healthy foods and choices in the classroom and then surround students

DENVER -- Personnel representing Wild Oats stores and Colorado's Front Range gathered in north Denver June 14 for a colorful and educational preview of this year's New Zealand kiwifruit season. Emceed by Karen Brux, general manager of Zespri's North American operations, the two-hour Kiwi Encounter included presentations by New Zealand growers Brendan and Louise Fox as well as an electronic multi-media show. The Foxes are among more than 2,500 grower members of Zespri Group Ltd., which is represented in the export market by Zespri International Ltd. Also greeting the retail partners was Karin

Mary A. Ostlund has joined Brooks Tropicals Inc., based in Homestead, FL, as director of marketing. Heading Brooks' marketing efforts, Ms. Ostlund wants to highlight the industry-leading steps Brooks has taken to deliver its quality tropical fruits and vegetables. Previously in her career, she headed marketing efforts for AT&T, Hewlett Packard, Champion Solutions Group, Vision 3000 and others. "Tropical fruits and vegetables are heating up sales in produce sections across the U.S. and Canada," said Ms. Ostlund, who was born and raised in Florida in southern Miami-Dade County, where the near