The 2006 fresh-market tomato planting, growing and harvesting season in California and much of Baja California, Mexico, was marked by extremes of weather, ranging from an unseasonably cool and wet spring and early summer to an excessively hot late summer. Those vagaries affected the timing of the crop, the production curve and the quality, all factors that in turn triggered dramatic swings in market prices. By contrast, the 2007 season so far has been characterized by what some in the industry describe as ideal planting and growing weather, leading to a more normal start date and prospects of

Margaret D'Arrigo-Martin, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Salinas, CA-based family business D'Arrigo Bros. Co. of California, has been named Ag Against Hunger's Ag Woman of the Year for 2007. The award recognizes a woman who has contributed significantly to the success of the tri-county -- Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties -- agricultural industry. This year's 13th annual Ag Woman of the Year luncheon was held June 6 at Paraiso Vineyards in Soledad, CA. Ag Against Hunger is a non-profit agency providing donated fresh produce to food banks in the tri-county area

The formalizing of the Arkansas Agriculture Department in 2005 was certain to help propel the state as an important produce source, and strides so far have been huge. Increasing numbers of industry professionals are recognizing what is already produced in the state, as well as the potential in the future. Tim Ellison, director of the marketing division for the Plant Board, which was developed in 1917 as a regulatory agency before becoming part the new agency's structure in 2005, noted that Arkansas is primarily a commodity state. The agency covers the commerce of seed, feed, fertilizers

The PACA branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture has determined that electronic invoicing, with the proper verbiage, does protect a seller's rights under the Perishable Agriculture Commodities Act Trust Provision. The PACA Trust is a regulation that essentially puts sellers of produce in a priority position in the event that the buyer of their product files for bankruptcy protection and has not paid the provider for the fruits and vegetables that are part of the seller's inventory or accounts receivables. Amendments, new regulations and case law have defined the PACA Trust over the past

Saying that their livelihoods could be at risk due to the current labor situation, merchants on New York City's Hunts Point produce market are stepping up in support of immigration reform. In a May 14 letter to U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), the merchants said that a "substantial portion" of business conducted on the market is "threatened by the fact that our suppliers in the U.S. produce market may not be able to bring their crops out of the field and orchard due to a shortage of farm workers to pick and harvest." The market, which is comprised of more than 50 merchants and has annual

FRESNO, CA -- Z&S Fresh Inc., here, which last fall introduced a fresh tomato salsa kit under the "Old El Paso Fresh" label, is now launching a peach salsa kit under the same label. The new product was expected to begin shipping about mid-June, according to Justin Bedwell, the company's director of marketing. Z&S entered into an agreement with General Mills in August to ship fresh produce items under General Mills' "Old El Paso Fresh" brand, following the successful test marketing of some lemons and bell peppers under that brand several months earlier. Since then, several other items have been