While ski resorts and some farmers in Colorado rejoiced at late March snow and the moisture it brought, a number of fruit growers on the state's Western Slope were hit hard by back-to-back storms. A March 27 freeze was particularly damaging to the Palisade, CO, region just east of Grand Junction, and another freeze hit just days later. Donovan Talbott, partner in C&R Farms in Palisade, said that his apricot crop was completely wiped out, along with his cherries and nectarines. "And I had quite a bit of pear damage," he said. Those losses are not without consequence, but the area's biggest crop

Even though Dazed & Confused is among his favorite movies, Tyler Paasch is anything but. Mr. Paasch, the 28-year-old HACCP coordinator for Coastal Inc. in Portand, OR, lives by a guiding principle. "I keep things simple," he told The Produce News. Mr. Paasch is a native Oregonian who is proud of his roots in the Beaver State. He was born in Forest Grove, and his family eventually moved to Beaverton, where he graduated from Merlo Station High School. He entered the work force straight out of school. Today, he and his girlfriend, Megan, call the Rock Creek area home. "I hadn't ever left Oregon

Officials from the Pacific Northwest remain in a wait-and-see mode to determine what effect a 20 percent tariff imposed March 11 by the government of Mexico will have upon American exports. Among the commodities affected are pears, cherries, apricots and frozen potatoes. Jeff Correa, international marketing manager for the Pear Bureau Northwest in Milwaukie, OR, said that the announcement "set off a wave of panic and concern." A pilot program that allowed Mexican truckers to move product along American roadways was curtailed, paving the way for the resulting Mexican tariff. The program was

BOSTON -- This year's New England Produce Council Produce & Floral expo took place on April Fools Day, and most attendees and exhibitors would probably agree that the real fools were those who did not attend. Now in its ninth year, the expo, which took place here at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center and played up April Fools Day with the theme of "Gotcha!" drew about 1,000 attendees and had 210 booths, according to Laura Sullivan, executive director of the council. "We've received some very positive comments" about the show, Ms. Sullivan told The Produce News at the expo. "It's an

Biennial elections for the Mexican Hass Avocado Importers Association's board of directors took place March 25 at its bimonthly meeting in Irvine, CA. Incoming Chairman Mike Browne is joined by Vice Chairman David Ruiz Vega, Secretary Giovanni Cavaletto, Treasurer Alfredo Rodriguez and Directors J. Jesus Lopez Herrera, Ed Figueroa, Aureliano Pena Esparza and Doug Meyer. Alternate board members are Ross Wileman, Mario Rivas Barrag?n, Avi Crane, Antonio Villase?or Zurita, Alejandro Alvarez del Toro, Jimmy Lotufo, Sergio Guerreo Urbina and Phil Henry. Mr. Browne of Camarillo, CA, one of the

David Dever, chief operating officer and president of Delano, CA-based Pandol Bros. Inc., and Tony DiMare, vice president of DiMare Homestead Inc. and DiMare Ruskin Inc., both in Florida, will testify Thursday, April 2, before the House of Representatives' Committee on Agriculture in Washington, DC, in what is being described as an educational and informational public hearing. According to a spokesperson for the committee who provided some background information and who asked not to be named, the committee is seeking to better understand how federal food safety systems work and the challenges