TRANSPORTATION & FUEL

Truck availability on the West Coast is adequate. Freight rates should begin to ease as September progresses.

The price of crude oil increased $3.32 Sept. 7 to $89.34 per barrel, which is 39 percent below record levels of July 2008. The nationwide average price for a gallon of diesel the week of Sept. 5 was $3.87, 32 percent higher than one year ago. The average price in California for a gallon of diesel is $4.06, 29 percent higher than last year.

ICEBERG LETTUCE

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) decided against offering an amendment to force the U.S. Department of Agriculture to keep potatoes on school lunch menus at a Sept. 7 markup of USDA's spending bill, but warned she may offer it when the bill reaches the Senate floor.

The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee approved legislation Sept. 7 to bankroll USDA and the Food & Drug Administration for Fiscal 2012, starting Oct. 1.

Abbott & Cobb, which bills itself as the largest independent breeder, producer and marketer of vegetable seed, has locations in key growing areas in the United States and Mexico. But its facility in McAllen, TX, gives it a particularly good strategic spot to serve its customers.

Rosie Aguirre, assistant vice president of sales and marketing for Mexico and the south-central United States, said, “From our Texas facility, we pride ourselves in servicing customers in Texas, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, and all of the eastern and central regions of Mexico.”

Recent Salmonella and Listeria outbreaks associated with papayas and cantaloupe have further reinforced the point that the produce industry must unite on food-safety programs in order to regain consumer confidence, according to Richard Ruiz, president of Ruiz Sales in Edinburg, TX.

“There needs to be a commitment to better food-safety programs and traceability — including by the retailers,” said Mr. Ruiz, whose company specializes in shipping Persian limes, papayas and other Mexican produce items.

Five years ago, Daniel Edmeier opened Kingdom Fresh Produce in San Antonio, TX, with a staff of one — himself.

Six years later, Mr. Edmeier is director of sales for a company with nine full-time employees and two offices, one in McAllen, TX, and another in Dallas.

As the company has grown, its core business has changed. The entire product line is greenhouse or shadehouse grown, and 80 percent of that product is produced hydroponically.