IN THE TRENCHES: Principal wishes of industry people for 2006
IN THE TRENCHES: Principal wishes of industry people for 2006
Put a watermelon seed on your forehead and make a wish before it falls off.
Make a wish on the first star you see at night.
Make a wish on a wishbone with another person.
Make a wish before blowing out the candles on a birthday cake.
Making wishes is nothing more than a superstition, but it is still entertaining and fun.
One of the more popular wishing mechanisms is the wishing well. Wishing wells have been around for many centuries. It has been said that if you walk around a well three times while whispering your wish, it will come true. Of course, your wish must be accompanied by a monetary donation or the well will have deaf ears.
As the New Year holiday approaches us again, we should look back and review what we did and did not accomplish in 2005. Simply pulling down one calendar and replacing it with another does not stop our industry in its tracks and restart it again with a totally clean slate. Some of the existing programs, projects and challenges will be carried over into 2006.
New year mania usually finds us making all those resolutions like a new diet, daily exercise walks and avoiding fast food restaurants. We get excited about them in the beginning of January, tired and bored by mid-month and scrap them altogether by the first of February.
This is also an appropriate time to make some of those personal wishes for the new year ahead. I contacted several industry people to discuss their wishes for the industry in 2006.
If you had just one wish for the industry in 2006, what would it be?
Barry Bedwell, president of the California Grape & Tree Fruit League in Fresno, CA:
"An adequate and legal labor supply. While border security is vital, we must have the political will for immigration reform that adjusts the status of those undocumented workers already here as well as H2A streamlining to allow for guest workers."
Elizabeth Pivonka, president and chief executive officer of the Produce for Better Health Foundation in Wilmington, DE:
"Create an environment where consumers can and will make good food choices more often and fruits and vegetables are center stage in producing a healthier America."
Dave Parker, director of marketing for Fruit Patch Sales Inc. LLC in Dinuba, CA:
"A more plentiful supply of refrigerated transportation. More equipment on the road."
Mac Johnson, vice president of marketing for the U.S. Potato Board in Denver:
"A better job of understanding and responding to the consumers by growers and suppliers."
Christine Anthony, vice president of Anthony Farms Inc. in Scandinavia, WI:
"I wish growers in all areas would continue to communicate and work closer together toward a common goal."
John Gates, vice president of Lancaster Foods Inc. in Jessup, MD:
"Our wish at Lancaster Produce is to meet the needs of consumers by learning and growing in the new year as we have in the past. We have a good team of people who have been together here a long time and are looking forward to growing in the future."
Byron Bellows, produce merchandiser for Coleman's Food Centre in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, and Labrador, Canada:
"My wish for 2006 would be for consumers to be educated enough to make a buying decision based on the quality and condition of fresh produce rather than to be hoodwinked only on price."
Sal Latino of Krass-Joseph Inc. in Hackensack, NJ:
"I wish more trucks would be available and freight rates would ease up. This is very serious. We always talked about quality and people. Now it's trucking."
Terry Johnson of Horticultural Marketing Resources in Mission Viejo, CA:
"That floral retailers would recognize that their future successes depend on satisfying consumers who haven't as yet been convinced that flowers should be part of their daily lives, and that consumer satisfaction will not happen until everyone in the chain of floral distribution performs their responsibilities properly and makes a profit doing so."
Chris Cervini of Lakeside Produce in Leamington, ON:
"My wish is for retailers to use more taste-testing demos during a commodity's high-volume period. Tasting is believing."
Robert Schueller, director of public relations for Melissa's in Los Angeles:
"That all produce companies are HACCP-certified ... [to] allow for better food safety throughout the whole industry."
Frank Muir, president and chief executive officer of the Idaho Potato Commission in Boise, ID:
"Continued growing demand for healthy Idaho potatoes and a fair price for growers."
Scott Danner, chief operating officer of Liberty Fruit Co. Inc. in Kansas City, KS:
"If I had one wish for 2006, it would be that diesel prices fall below $2 per gallon and stabilize for the balance of the year. Fuel costs have been the single worst cause of the food costs the past year."
Now for my wish:
I would like to see more unification in the U.S. produce industry rather than all the geographical isolation. What's wrong with Buy U.S. Produce -- period? After all, foreign growers do not market their produce Buy Northern China, Buy Central Mexico or Buy Southern Chile.
In closing out this year, make sure to accept yet more changes in 2006. Do not do things the same way over and over as you did in the past. Immediately drop old ideas and habits that manage to linger until you finally realize they are no longer useful.
As for me, I will probably still be dating my checks "2005" until the end of January like I always do. That is my traditional habit. What else is new?
May 2006 bring a blessing of good health and happiness to you and your family.
Make a wish on the first star you see at night.
Make a wish on a wishbone with another person.
Make a wish before blowing out the candles on a birthday cake.
Making wishes is nothing more than a superstition, but it is still entertaining and fun.
One of the more popular wishing mechanisms is the wishing well. Wishing wells have been around for many centuries. It has been said that if you walk around a well three times while whispering your wish, it will come true. Of course, your wish must be accompanied by a monetary donation or the well will have deaf ears.
As the New Year holiday approaches us again, we should look back and review what we did and did not accomplish in 2005. Simply pulling down one calendar and replacing it with another does not stop our industry in its tracks and restart it again with a totally clean slate. Some of the existing programs, projects and challenges will be carried over into 2006.
New year mania usually finds us making all those resolutions like a new diet, daily exercise walks and avoiding fast food restaurants. We get excited about them in the beginning of January, tired and bored by mid-month and scrap them altogether by the first of February.
This is also an appropriate time to make some of those personal wishes for the new year ahead. I contacted several industry people to discuss their wishes for the industry in 2006.
If you had just one wish for the industry in 2006, what would it be?
Barry Bedwell, president of the California Grape & Tree Fruit League in Fresno, CA:
"An adequate and legal labor supply. While border security is vital, we must have the political will for immigration reform that adjusts the status of those undocumented workers already here as well as H2A streamlining to allow for guest workers."
Elizabeth Pivonka, president and chief executive officer of the Produce for Better Health Foundation in Wilmington, DE:
"Create an environment where consumers can and will make good food choices more often and fruits and vegetables are center stage in producing a healthier America."
Dave Parker, director of marketing for Fruit Patch Sales Inc. LLC in Dinuba, CA:
"A more plentiful supply of refrigerated transportation. More equipment on the road."
Mac Johnson, vice president of marketing for the U.S. Potato Board in Denver:
"A better job of understanding and responding to the consumers by growers and suppliers."
Christine Anthony, vice president of Anthony Farms Inc. in Scandinavia, WI:
"I wish growers in all areas would continue to communicate and work closer together toward a common goal."
John Gates, vice president of Lancaster Foods Inc. in Jessup, MD:
"Our wish at Lancaster Produce is to meet the needs of consumers by learning and growing in the new year as we have in the past. We have a good team of people who have been together here a long time and are looking forward to growing in the future."
Byron Bellows, produce merchandiser for Coleman's Food Centre in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, and Labrador, Canada:
"My wish for 2006 would be for consumers to be educated enough to make a buying decision based on the quality and condition of fresh produce rather than to be hoodwinked only on price."
Sal Latino of Krass-Joseph Inc. in Hackensack, NJ:
"I wish more trucks would be available and freight rates would ease up. This is very serious. We always talked about quality and people. Now it's trucking."
Terry Johnson of Horticultural Marketing Resources in Mission Viejo, CA:
"That floral retailers would recognize that their future successes depend on satisfying consumers who haven't as yet been convinced that flowers should be part of their daily lives, and that consumer satisfaction will not happen until everyone in the chain of floral distribution performs their responsibilities properly and makes a profit doing so."
Chris Cervini of Lakeside Produce in Leamington, ON:
"My wish is for retailers to use more taste-testing demos during a commodity's high-volume period. Tasting is believing."
Robert Schueller, director of public relations for Melissa's in Los Angeles:
"That all produce companies are HACCP-certified ... [to] allow for better food safety throughout the whole industry."
Frank Muir, president and chief executive officer of the Idaho Potato Commission in Boise, ID:
"Continued growing demand for healthy Idaho potatoes and a fair price for growers."
Scott Danner, chief operating officer of Liberty Fruit Co. Inc. in Kansas City, KS:
"If I had one wish for 2006, it would be that diesel prices fall below $2 per gallon and stabilize for the balance of the year. Fuel costs have been the single worst cause of the food costs the past year."
Now for my wish:
I would like to see more unification in the U.S. produce industry rather than all the geographical isolation. What's wrong with Buy U.S. Produce -- period? After all, foreign growers do not market their produce Buy Northern China, Buy Central Mexico or Buy Southern Chile.
In closing out this year, make sure to accept yet more changes in 2006. Do not do things the same way over and over as you did in the past. Immediately drop old ideas and habits that manage to linger until you finally realize they are no longer useful.
As for me, I will probably still be dating my checks "2005" until the end of January like I always do. That is my traditional habit. What else is new?
May 2006 bring a blessing of good health and happiness to you and your family.
