WASHINGTON -- House and Senate negotiators agreed Oct. 26 to delay the controversial mandatory country-of-origin program another two years for all commodities except seafood.

If it gains final approval, the bill would not require grocers to display origin labeling for fresh fruits and vegetables until September 2008.

"We are pleased with the delay because the existing law is so untenable," said Kathy Means of the Produce Marketing Association. But this doesn't fix anything, she said. "This is not a panacea or a silver bullet."

Hardly a week goes by without hearing about concerns from local domestic producers about the negative impact of consolidation and the lack of support from their customers, notably retailers, for the domestic industry - not just here in Canada but worldwide.

What is also interesting is how folks determine what is local and domestic. Local to one producer often takes on a different definition depending on where he or she lives and what he or she sees as "their" market.

New Zealand cuisine took center stage recently at the Culinary Institute of America, when about 150 future chefs at the prestigious Hyde Park, NY, campus attended a New Zealand food and beverage master class featuring Zespri green and gold kiwifruit.

The two-evening class, "New Thinking, New Zealand," brought together the flavors for which the South Pacific country is renowned. Experts on kiwifruit, venison, shellfish, apples and wine shared key culinary information, while New Zealand chefs Grant Jackson and Graham Brown prepared signature dishes.

Maine Gov. John E. Baldacci announced that Robert W. Spear would be stepping down as commissioner of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Food & Rural Resources.

"During Bob's tenure as commissioner, he has shepherded the department's development of some bold and important programs, whether Senior Farm Share, Farms for the Future, or the dairy stabilization," Gov. Baldacci said in a statement. "Maine's farmers have certainly benefited from his leadership and I have enjoyed working with him."

"First and foremost in importance, I am happy to report that none of our people were injured by Hurricane Wilma," said Billy Heller, chief operating officer of Pacific Tomato Growers Ltd. in Palmetto, FL. "Regarding crop conditions, however, some of our growing regions in the state fared better than others. We will be harvesting as planned in the Palmetto and Ruskin areas [of Florida], but it is too early to tell the exact extent of damage done in this region.

"When Hurricane Wilma moved across the state, it was followed by a cold front," said Ray Gilmer, director of public affairs for the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association in Maitland. "That front turned into what is today [Tuesday, Oct. 25] an absolutely beautiful day. It's 65 degrees and crystal clear."

It is the kind of day that draws thousands of visitors and winter residents to the state in increasing numbers each year. But that is also part of the problem.