The Michigan Apple Advertising & Promotion Program in April voted to continue operating. Michigan apple producers overwhelmingly voted for the program to continue for at least an additional five years, beginning Sept. 1, 2008, and ending Aug. 31, 2013.

Don Koivisto, director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture in Lansing, MI, announced the vote April 18.

YottaMark and Label Technique Southeast will be showcasing the unit-level traceability of Leger & Son watermelons at the United Fresh convention May 4-6 in Las Vegas.

Leger & Son Inc., based in Cordele, GA, began delivering unit-level traceability of its watermelons using the "HarvestMark" solution developed by YottaMark Inc. Label Technique Southeast, an authorized YottaMark reseller, will provide the solution including labels pre-coded for traceability.

WASHINGTON -- Farm bill negotiators said they are close to striking a deal on the $300 billion bill and satisfying White House requirements, but the details of a final bill have yet to be released.

Lawmakers have battled with the Bush administration on subsidy limits for wealthy farmers, and President Bush criticized Congress at an April 29 press conference for considering a "massive, bloated farm bill" that would "fail to eliminate subsidy payments to multi-millionaire farmers."

Celebrity Chef Bobby Flay kicked off the Organic Trade Association's All Things Organic conference and trade show April 26-29 at McCormick Place in Chicago. Addressing current trends in foodservice, he spoke about how operators can best respond to customer needs and what lies ahead in foodservice.

Following his presentation, Chef Flay held a culinary demonstration and book signing. His presentation was deemed timely by the organic industry because the category continues to lag behind retail in organic product demand.

Watermelon demand in April was surprisingly strong, as Florida production was up over a year ago and Mexican production was also meeting demand. Growers expect domestic volume to be down this summer.

"The watermelon deal now could be better than last year," said Michael DeBerry, the sales comptroller for Borders Melon Co. Inc., which is based in Edinburg, TX. Borders' melons are grown in Mexico and Texas. "The fruit has been tremendous and the market has been 22-24 cents. Everything is good. The market, I anticipate, should hold at least through Memorial Day."

Fresh King, based in Homestead, FL, announced its new "Drippy Elbow Mango" program aimed at providing consumers with a superior-eating mango and retailers with sales not yet experienced in this category.