With melon quality high, good time to promote
(The following information is from Pro*Act's Aug. 18 Market Report.)

APPLES
Small sized red apples remain in a demand-exceeds-supply situation even with the production of California Galas. Washington is quickly running out of storage apples and especially in what little remains for small sized reds. Washington Galas are not scheduled to start for at least another week.

POTATOES
Potatoes are extremely limited in Idaho. Most shippers have finished with storage product, and demand exceeds supplies. The majority of shippers are scheduled to start the new crop at the end of the month, around Aug. 25.

ROMAINE AND ROMAINE HEARTS
The supplies of both commodities are extremely tight. This is a direct result of less acreage planted in the Salinas Valley this year. This, along with weather issues, has caused a demand-exceeds market. The shortage will continue to exist throughout this week.

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MELONS
Cantaloupes: Demand tailed off considerably from last week, and the market has eased back down on the large sizes. The market on the smaller sizes remains depressed, and shippers are looking for movement.

With the slowing demand and production still high, inventories are up again to start this week. There has been some 100-plus-degree heat in California's Central Valley's melon growing regions over the last four to six days, and there is some slight softness showing up in the cantaloupes. Otherwise, expect quality to remain very good and sugar levels to remain high as slightly cooler weather settles in over the next few days.

Honeydews: The markets are on the floor, and some shippers are even going below packing costs to help move inventories. There are some deals out there at very cheap prices and with volume to move, so let's keep moving fruit, especially when quality is as good as it is right now.

For the full market report click here



To our viewers:
Bill Armstrong's Fresh Directions column, which has been on vacation for a couple of weeks, will return at the end of this week.

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NEW JERSEY UPDATE
(The New Jersey Department of Agriculture released the following information Monday, Aug. 18.

ARUGULA & CILANTRO -- A light volume of products with fair to good quality due to hail effects.

BABY SPINACH & BABY ARUGULA -- Harvesting in good quantity with good quality. Not as affected by the heat.

BASIL -- Harvesting fair to good quality product in fair volume due to hail.

BEETS -- Harvesting fair to good quality product in fair to good quantity.

CABBAGE -- Harvesting good quality product in good volume.

CANTALOUPES & MELONS -- Harvesting in light volume and fair quality due to hail effects.

COLLARDS -- Harvesting good quality in good volume.

CUCUMBERS/PICKLES -- Harvesting a light quantity of fair to good quality product due to hail.

DANDELION -- Good quality spring-planted San Pasquale variety available.

DILL -- Harvesting very good quality in good volume.

EGGPLANT -- Harvesting fair to good quality in fair to good volume.

KALE -- Very good quantity and quality of product available.

LEEKS & GREEN ONIONS -- A good volume of good quality product is available.

MINT -- Harvesting fair to good quality in fair to good quantity. Likes the heat.

NECTARINES -- A fair volume of good quality Fantasia variety fruit will be available for another week or so. Finishing up.

PARSLEY -- Fair to good quality product available in light to fair quantities.

PEACHES -- Harvesting fair to good quantities of yellow and white peaches after the hail of Aug. 10. Yellow Bounty varieties are finishing, while Cresthaven varieties come on. White Lady variety white peaches are finishing, with Klondike and Snow Giant harvesting next. A glut of Southern and California peaches is keeping prices down.

PEPPERS -- Harvesting fair to good quality in light volume due to hail on Aug. 10.

SQUASH -- Harvesting light to fair quantities of fair to good quality yellow and Zucchini due to hail on Aug. 10. Some growers are re-planting for a fall harvest.

SWEET CORN -- Harvesting good quality in good quantity until Labor Day.

SWISS CHARD -- A light to decreasing volume of good quality product available.

TOMATOES -- Harvesting fair to good quality in light to fair volume due to hail.

TURNIPS -- Harvesting good quality and fair quantity. Likes cooler temperatures.

WHITE POTATOES -- Harvesting mainly round white varieties, with some Yukon Gold and Redskin varieties as well.

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AT QPMA CONVENTION Robert Beauregard (center), Metro Inc.'s new director of central negotiation for produce for Ontario and Quebec, chatted with Larry Ryan of Steinbeck Country Produce and Bobby Consalo of William Consalo & Sons Farms at the closing banquet of the Quebec Produce Marketing Association's 61st annual convention. The event, held Aug. 14-16 at Le Manoir Richelieu in LaMalbaie, QC, drew over 500 attendees and paid tribute to women in the produce industry. Coverage of the event will appear in the Aug. 25 issue of The Produce News. (Photo by Joel Gebet) Dennis Gertmenian has retired from Ready Pac Foods. See Today's Headlines.

BOZZUTO'S 2008 FALL CONFERENCE
Bozzuto's Inc. held its 2008 fall conference and trade show, called Merchandising Marketplace, Aug. 12-13 at MGM Grand at Foxwoods in Ledyard, CT.
Click here to view Industry Photo pages.

TOMATO CONFERENCE The 2008 Joint Tomato Conference will be held Sept. 2-5 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Naples, FL. For more information, call 407/660-1949 or visit the Florida Tomato Exchange

WPPC United's annual Washington Public Policy Conference will take place Sept. 10-12 at the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC. For more information, cxall 202/303-3400 or visit United

FFVA The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association's 65th annual convention will take place Sept. 21-23 at the Ritz-Carlton in Naples, FL. For more information, call 321/214-5200 or visit FFVA

PACA DECISIONS The PACA branch of the the USDA-AMS prohibits unfair and fraudulent practices, and provides a means of enforcing contracts.Click here for the agency's latest decisions.

CREDIT INFORMATION FROM THE NO. 1 SOURCE Since 1901, the Produce Reporter Co. has been the leader in providing timely, accurate and reliable credit and marketing information to the fresh produce and exempt transportation industries. For additional information, click here.

SEARCH THE PN.COM ARCHIVES FOR FREE Looking for a story on a specific topic? The Archives section contains all the stories that have appeared on this site, dating back to Jan.1, 2000, and may be searched by keyword, then read on-line or downloaded to your own computer at no charge, as a value-added service to readers of The Produce News. Search now.

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Unpredictable Tropical Storm Fay on a path of its own
Tropical Storm Fay slammed into Florida twice since Monday night -- once into the Florida Keys, then skirting north and hitting the southwest coast. more

Fresh Express to host fresh produce safety research conference
Salinas, CA-based Fresh Express Inc. will hold a one-day conference Thursday, Sept. 11, in nearby Monterey, CA. The purpose of the conference is to share findings of nine E. coli 0157:H7 research projects that focus on contamination of leafy greens. more

Dollar's decline hinders some Brazilian exports
For the past decade, Brazil has made a concerted effort to increase its exports, with the United States set as one of its prime targets. more

Wind the biggest enemy to Florida tomatoes as Florida watches Fay
"Growers in Palmetto, Ruskin and some in the Immokalee areas are underway" with the initial tomato planting process, said Reggie Brown, executive vice president of the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange in Maitland, FL. "They could be in for some major losses if Fay delivers strong winds." more

Tanimura Distributing Inc. files Chapter 7 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court
Tanimura Distributing Inc. in Irwindale, CA, has filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Central District of California, citing assets in the neighborhood of $4.8 million and liabilities of around $10.6 million, according to Chuck Curl, director of ratings for rating analysts at The Produce Reporter Co., publisher of The Blue Book. more

Dennis Gertmenian retires from Ready Pac
Mr. Gertmenian, chief executive officer of Ready Pac Foods in Irwindale, CA, has retired from the company he founded in 1969. more

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: Honduras offers opportunities for foreign investors
By John Groh

Recently, I toured Honduras at the invitation of the country's Foundation for Investment & Export Development, better known by its acronym, FIDE.

The tour included visits to a wide array of agricultural interests, including a banana-processing facility, two Oriental vegetable packinghouses, a melon-growing operation, an impressive private international university that focuses on agriculture, two aquaculture farms, a cocoa processing facility and a crocodile farm.

Yes, a crocodile farm.

A busy five days indeed, but a wholly enriching time that enlightened me about all this Central American nation, which is about the size of Tennessee and sits 1,000 miles southwest of Miami, has to offer.

With seaports on both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean and a varied terrain that results in a host of microclimates, Honduras is looking to raise its profile in the spectrum of global agriculture.

As such, it is seeking to attract foreign investments, especially from the United States, which it considers a key trading partner and an important element in its quest for development.

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Valerie Grenier balances family with her produce career
By Joel Gebet

There are no tomatoes in Valerie Grenier's home garden.

That is not because the 29-year-old does not like them; quite the contrary, she has an unlimited supply of them at her disposal at her job.

Ms. Grenier is the sales and marketing director at Les Serres du St.-Laurent, recognized throughout Quebec by its "Savoura" label and renowned for its premium greenhouse-grown tomatoes.

She was promoted in May to her current position at Savoura after spending seven years as its principal accounts manager, a position she took after finishing her degree in food sciences at Laval University in January 2001.

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