WASHINGTON -- The agriculture industry will have to wait until the Senate returns to work April 24 to find out if lawmakers can pass comprehensive immigration reform and bring a viable and legal workforce. But a wide variety of groups who rely on agricultural workers are not waiting for the vote. They are telling their members to call, write and visit members of Congress in their district offices during the two-week recess to send a clear message that reform must help agriculture -- an industry heavily dependent on an immigrant labor pool. "Put a face on it, make it personal and tell it again

Volume is expected to be down sharply this year, compared to last year, on early-season Perlettes and to some extent on early Flame seedless and Sugraone grapes out of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. Some attribute the expected decline to a lack of chill hours. But while early yields will be well below their potential and considerably below earlier expectations, that does not begin to tell the story for the Sonora grape deal as a whole. Last year's 22.2-million box crop, of which about 17.6 million were exported to the United States, was a huge crop, the largest on record. The U.S. portion

While 87 percent of Canadians are aware that eating vegetables and fruit can help prevent certain diseases, only 25 percent are eating the recommended five to 10 servings of vegetables and fruit each day, according to a recent survey conducted as part of the 5 to 10 a day healthy eating campaign. "These results support our understanding that adopting healthy eating behavior is a very complex issue," said Carol Dombrow, registered dietitian with the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada. "We're concerned about these results because research has shown that eating a variety of vegetables and fruit

Scott Horsfall has left his post as chief executive officer of the California Grown promotion campaign and joined the staff of Mering & Associates, a Sacramento-based advertising and communications firm. Kathleen Nave, president of the California Table Grape Commission, who also serves on the executive committee of the California Grown campaign as well as its board of directors, said that a search is underway for a new president and CEO to replace Mr. Horsfall. Mr. Horsfall joined Mering & Associates on March 20, where he is working as an account supervisor and leading the agency's new

Over the past year, The Produce News has run numerous stories about traditional retailers diversifying and entering into different niche markets or reinventing themselves in one way or another. -- Dick's Supermarkets in Wisconsin and Illinois launched an extensive promotion campaign redesigning and touting its produce departments. -- Sixty-eight Food Lion stores in the Charlotte, NC, area are being remodeled and redesigned to tailor their offerings to fit customers' specific needs. -- Kash n' Karry debuted a new retail concept, Sweetbay, in Florida, attempting to appeal to more upscale

Don Coker, chief of state markets for the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Affairs, oversees the state's 13 farmers markets. He said that the Pompano State Farmers Market had about $70,000 in damage caused by Hurricane Wilma last October. "The majority of the damage was to the old administration building, and most was to the roof," he said. "We have patched it up temporarily, and as soon as FEMA comes through with funding, the permanent repairs will be underway." The Pompano market sits on a 22-acre site, and like other Florida markets, it is dedicated solely to fresh produce. Most