WASHINGTON -- The produce industry hailed the new food pyramid's children-only version as a great opportunity for promoting children's health, but warned against complacency in selling a healthy diet to kids. "With most children eating less than half the amount of fruits and vegetables recommended for a healthy diet, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's release of MyPyramid for Kids is a positive step toward promoting children's health and fighting childhood obesity," said Elizabeth Pivonka, president of the Produce for Better Health Foundation. "But for this program to succeed, it must now be

WASHINGTON -- A new bill that would reform the ailing H-2A agricultural worker program was introduced by House Agriculture Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) the week of Sept. 19. "We need a reform of the H-2A program that promotes border security by allowing guest workers to come and go legally -- a reform that will streamline the costly and time-consuming process and establish a fair wage standard. This legislation accomplishes that," said Rep. Goodlatte. Experts agree that the current guestworker program needs fixing. Workers are subjected to a frustrating process that only encourages

The Mushroom Council in Dublin, CA, will resume national promotions on Jan. 1, 2006. "We're back in business," Jim Angelucci, chairman of the Mushroom Council, said Sept. 23. The council received word Sept. 9 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that it may resume promotional activities at the dawn of next year. The Mushroom Council lost the right to promote on June 25, 2001 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that mandatory assessments under the USDA's program for promotional activities were unconstitutional. At that time, a firm that has since gone out of business sued the USDA, claiming it

PORTLAND, OR  Oregon's potato growers are in step with the national trend to reduce total acreage, and as such this seasons planted acreage total stands at 35,000 compared to 37,000 in 2004. In September as harvest was commencing in some parts and finishing in other areas of the state, temperatures were cooler than normal, with most of the eastern and central regions seeing lows in the 20s and 30s. Precipitation was varied, at some stations as low as none, and Oregon Agricultural Statistics Service noted Sept. 12, "For the most part, conditions remain dry." Early potato harvest was nearly

The mango deal in Brazil began several weeks later than last year, with some shippers saying that the harvest started the third week of August and others saying that it started nearer the end of the month. Volume was very light, and several shippers said that heavy volumes likely wouldn't be reached until the end of September or early October. Shippers generally noted that early quality out of Brazil was very good, but cool weather in Brazil had kept the Brix count down. In mid-August with the mango deal in northern Mexico starting to wind down, the market for mangos was in the $2-3 range. By

Ryan Panos, an industrial engineering major at California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo, is seeking companies to volunteer for research he will conduct on the use and effect of bar code and RFID systems in the produce supply chain. Though not in the film, Mr. Panos was on hand Sept. 17 at Salinas-based NewStar Fresh Foods for shooting of the Produce Marketing Association's film on RFID. Dr. Tali Freed, an industrial engineering professor and director of Cal Polys Center for Global Automated Identification Technologies, will direct Mr. Panos research project. Dr. Freed and