WASHINGTON -- A Senate subcommittee found fewer funds for specialty block grants and the fruit and vegetable snack program compared to the House's spending bill, but the produce industry pledged to push the funding levels back up during conference.

Western Growers Association praised Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D- CA), Larry Craig (R-ID) and other members of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee for securing $10 million in funding for Specialty Crop Block Grants in the Fiscal Year 2007 Agriculture Appropriations bill.

Peter Rabbit Farms in Coachella, CA, was recently named vendor of the year at Marsh Supermarket's annual Fresh Perspectives event.

Fresh Perspectives is an annual opportunity for the Marsh Supermarket produce managers to come together for a day of education and inspiration. It is also the annual award event for the chain's produce managers. This is the second time Peter Rabbit Farms has been honored with the award, with the first being in 2003.

Although much of my produce career was spent in New York, I was born and raised in Cleveland. I can remember the time my father took me to my first Major League Baseball game when I was 8. Not only was it the most exciting and thrilling time of my life, it was also the most impressive.

As of the start of June, several employees of Salinas, CA-based Growers Express LLC are no longer with the company.

Gone are Randolph Breschini, president; Barry Eisenberg, vice president of technical services, and Marty Metcalf, director of logistics. Woody Johnson, vice president of sales and marketing for Growers Express, declined to specify the nature of the departures other than to confirm that the three are no longer employed with the company.

On April 25 of this year, Indiana Lt. Governor Becky Skillman and Indiana Agriculture Director Andy Miller released the Indiana State Department of Agriculture's first annual report -- it was the one- year anniversary of the department's official creation.