Stan Pohmer, founder and chief executive officer of Pohmer Consulting Group, received the 2005 Floral Marketer of the Year Award during the Nov. 6 breakfast general session at the Produce Marketing Association's 2005 Fresh Summit International Convention & Exposition in Atlanta. This marks the 25th annual presentation of the award recognizing an outstanding individual who has served the mass-market floral industry with dedication and distinction. Award presenter Pat Bauer of Temkin International Inc. described Mr. Pohmer's floral industry contributions in this way: "Mr. Pohmer was the first

ATLANTA -- With President Bush's signature, which is expected shortly, the start date of mandatory country-of- origin labeling for produce will be officially extended to Sept. 30, 2008. In the meantime, the Produce Marketing Association has undertaken an effort to propose a monitored voluntary program to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to satisfy the COOL concerns based on the established efforts of retailers such as Save Mart Supermarkets of Modesto, CA, to promote the origin of the produce on its shelves, it was related in a session, here, at the PMA annual convention. PMA, working with

On Oct. 31, ASOEX, Asociacion de Exportadores de Chile (also known as the Chilean Exporters Association), asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture to extend the comment period for an effort by the Coachella growers, known as the Desert Grape League, to change the regulatory periods for grapes that they grow and also for table grapes supplied from Chile and Mexico. This is USDA's Marketing Order 925 and Import Regulation 4. In 1987, the USDA set April 20 as the beginning marketing order date, after which supply is restricted by grading requirements. The Desert Grape League has asked the USDA to

In early November letters to U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire, Washington consultant Pat Boss asked the two political leaders to "urge [Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad] to immediately reinstate its dedicated refrigerated intermodal service in central Washington to avoid a potential crisis situation for perishable shipments to Seattle and Tacoma." Mr. Boss, who represents the Central Washington Alliance for Rail Freight Transportation, said that he wrote the letters in protest of BNSF's mid-October decision to drop the intermodal plan. When contacted

ATLANTA -- Standardization in evaluating mangos during inspection should help the industry move forward, according to Leanne Skelton, chief of the fresh products branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Ms. Skelton made her comments Nov. 6 to an assembled meeting of the National Mango Board during the Produce Marketing Association's international convention and exposition, here. To the approval of the audience, Ms. Skelton told the crowd that a final version of U.S. grade standards for mangos is in development at USDA. She said that final standards might be in place by Jan. 1. While

Albert's Organics announced the opening of its web-based Organic Produce College. The college is a series of 20 lessons on the care, handling, merchandising and marketing of organic produce. The program is designed as a service for independent natural foodstore owners, general managers and produce managers, but would be of benefit to any produce professional, particularly a conventional grocery store produce manager who is starting a new or expanded organics program. The program can be accessed at Albert's Organics web site, www.albertsorganics.com. After registration at the site, students