The "retreat" (my name for it) at the Pro Institute held Sept. 18-21 in Volcano, CA, was both peaceful and exhilarating.

There were no TVs, no telephones, no radios and no newspapers at the 100-year-old St. George Hotel. No one had cell phone recepti on either except for magical William from Passion Flowers, who somehow could call Colombia.

I was not jealous. I loved the serenity of this historic place -- the buildings of the town have been maintained or restored to their original 19th century gl ory and gorgeous gardens abound.

SALINAS, CA -- Dole Fresh Vegetables, a division of Dole Food Co. Inc., announced that it is cooperating with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration and the Minnesota and California departments of health regarding an investigation of an outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7, between Sept. 13, and Sept. 19, in the Minneapolis/St Paul area of Minnesota.

The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association based in Maitland and Western Growers Association in Irvine, CA, announced Sept. 28 that they have entered into a memorandum of understanding that will increase cooperation, collaboration and the sharing of some member services between their organizations.

WASHINGTON -- The produce industry hailed the new food pyramid's children-only version as a great opportunity for promoting children's health, but warned against complacency in selling a healthy diet to kids.

"With most children eating less than half the amount of fruits and vegetables recommended for a healthy diet, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's release of MyPyramid for Kids is a positive step toward promoting children's health and fighting childhood obesity," said Elizabeth Pivonka, president of the Produce for Better Health Foundation.

WASHINGTON -- A new bill that would reform the ailing H-2A agricultural worker program was introduced by House Agriculture Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) the week of Sept. 19.

"We need a reform of the H-2A program that promotes border security by allowing guest workers to come and go legally -- a reform that will streamline the costly and time-consuming process and establish a fair wage standard. This legislation accomplishes that," said Rep. Goodlatte.

The Mushroom Council in Dublin, CA, will resume national promotions on Jan. 1, 2006. "We're back in business," Jim Angelucci, chairman of the Mushroom Council, said Sept. 23.

The council received word Sept. 9 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that it may resume promotional activities at the dawn of next year. The Mushroom Council lost the right to promote on June 25, 2001 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that mandatory assessments under the USDA's program for promotional activities were unconstitutional.