A crop report issued Jan. 12 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture showed that this season's nationwide sweet potato crop is one of the larger since 1932. The increase comes despite volume declines, some of which were huge, caused by heavy rains during the harvesting season in Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and Alabama. "California and North Carolina came through with large volumes, which compensated for the losses in the southern states," Charles Walker, executive secretary of the U.S. Sweet Potato Council, headquartered in Columbia, SC, told The Produce News. "This year's crop is reported

Titan Foods Inc., a Los Angeles-based food distribution company, has begun shipping South Korean chestnuts into the United States and has found great success largely because of their competitive price advantage. Raj Makkad, the firm's vice president, said that Italy is the leading exporter of chestnuts to the United States, but South Korean chestnuts are typically about 40 percent less in price at the wholesale level. Chestnuts are a fairly expensive item, with Mr. Makkad stating that they retail for $1.50 to $4.50 per pound depending upon the point of origin and most important, the size of

WASHINGTON -- A new study by the University of California at Los Angeles has found that comprehensive immigration reform would boost the economy by $1.5 trillion over 10 years but that a continued enforcement- only/deportation approach would cost $2.5 trillion over the same period. The Jan. 7 study, "Raising the Floor for American Workers: The Economic Benefits of Comprehensive Immigration Reform," found that immigration reform would improve the economy and raise wages for current U.S. workers. It's a "strong wake-up call" for lawmakers and shows immigration reform cannot be opposed on the

TAMPA, FL -- Temperatures in Florida approached 60 degrees Jan. 12 for the first time since New Year's Day as the state began to thaw from a record- shattering cold snap that decimated tomato and vegetable crops. Ten consecutive nights of sub-freezing temperatures also hurt the citrus crop -- though the damage may not show up for weeks -- and dented the strawberry crop. Florida farmers were staggered by the relentless cold. Record low temperatures were recorded across the state Jan. 2-12, and records for duration of cold weather were bested by several days. In Tampa, where the average high in

APTOS, CA -- The Chilean Avocado Importers Association's marketing team recently visited Chile to experience the fruit harvesting first hand and to become Chilean avocado experts, thus resulting in more effective and innovative consumer marketing strategies. The team included representatives of the association's's public relations agency, Sahlman Williams in Tampa, FL; ad agency Evans Hardy & Young in Santa Barbara, CA; point-of-sale and retail agency Augustine & Associates in Sacramento, CA; and three of the association's four regional merchandising representatives. Maggie Bezart, marketing

NEWARK, DE -- Food safety veteran Johnna Hepner will join Produce Marketing Association Feb. 15 as director of food safety and technology, adding more than 20 years of experience to PMA's food safety team, headed by Chief Science & Technology Officer Bob Whitaker. In this new PMA position, Ms. Hepner will work with Dr. Whitaker and key members to implement programs, events, products and services in the areas of food safety and science, the latter including production technology, environmental sustainability and biotechnology. Her responsibilities will include monitoring, evaluating and