It came as no surprise, but it is now official. The U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation announced Friday, Feb. 20, a zero allocation of water from the Central Valley Project for agriculture use for 2009. As reported previously in The Produce News, the Westlands Water district, which has historically provided CVP water to some 660,000 acres of farmland on the west side of the Central San Joaquin Valley, will be the most seriously affected by the zero allocation. With few wells to fall back on and few if any other options, west side farmers will have no choice but to let at

WASHINGTON -- Crisis communication is something with which Amy Philpott has had a lot of experience in recent years, but unlike many produce industry executives, it's something she enjoys. Ms. Philpott left her post as vice president of communications at the United Fresh Produce Association and has taken a new job with Watson Mulhern, a public relations consulting firm that specializes in crisis communication among other services. "I love the produce industry," said Ms. Philpott, reflecting on her five-year tenure with the association that ended Feb. 20. United has come a long way and has

Aurora Products Inc., based in Stratford, CT, has launched the Aurora Natural line of 12 "Grab & Go" healthy snacks to meet the demands of today's busy consumer lifestyles. Products in the new line are targeted toward health-conscious consumers because they are affordable and can be easily thrown into backpacks, lunch boxes or travel bags. "Offering healthy snack options is key to providing good nutrition and supporting healthier eating habits," Stephanie Blackwell, founder of Aurora Products, said in a Feb. 18 press release. "We care very deeply in helping consumers live a healthier lifestyle

Agroalimentaria 2009 will be presented in the Dominican Fiesta Hotel March 4-7 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Eddy Mart?nez, the Dominican Republic's secretary of state and the executive director of the country's Center for Export & Investment, said in a press release that the trade show, the second of its kind, is "aimed to exhibit the very best of the national agricultural production, agro industrial goods, beverages and tobacco with the purpose to link buyers and sellers." The Center for Export & Investment and the Dominican Republic Agribusiness Board are presenting Agroalimentaria

The worldwide recognition of Idaho potatoes was apparent when participants of the Special Olympics World Winter Games descended upon Boise, ID, in early February. As the IPC mascot Spuddy Buddy greeted athletes from nearly 100 countries in his official cobalt blue World Games jersey, the universal support for Idaho potatoes was clear. The athletes and their families visiting the Special Olympics Town at Boise Center immediately recognized Spuddy and embraced the opportunity to meet Idaho's famous spud. As a sponsor of the games, the commission showed its support during the weeklong event by

Mann Packing Co. is gearing up for its annual Swing Into Spring on-pack offer promotion. Starting March 1, Mann will place instant-redeemable coupons on 200,000 packages of eight-ounce stringless sugar snap peas and six-ounce snow peas. The offer is good for $1 savings on any two packages of Mann's products purchased. This is one of eight on-pack offers Mann is planning in 2009 to encourage consumers to try its products and build sales. "The data show that this level of offer resonates with shoppers," Lorri Koster, vice president of marketing for Mann Packing, said in a press release. "The