DEMAND: Texas and Northwest onion shippers are seeing good demand on red onions and fairly good demand on yellow onions. Russet shippers are experiencing moderate to slightly less carton demand, while lettuce and leaf shippers are seeing good demand on temporarily light volume.

ICEBERG LETTUCE

WASHINGTON -- Most tariffs on fresh fruits and vegetables will be eliminated immediately and others phased out under the U.S.- Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement that takes effect May 15.

President Obama announced April 15 that the agreement would go into effect next month during his trip to Cartagena, Colombia, for the Summit of the Americas meeting. Congress approved the agreement Oct. 12 and high-level officials wrapped up negotiations on labor issues, clearing the way for the agreement to take effect earlier than planned.

The rain and hail, which caused significant issues in California’s Central Valley fruit-producing regions, was less problematic in the coastal vegetable areas, but it did have an impact -- and a welcome one at that.

Vegetable prices led by lettuce, but affecting almost every item, have been in the dumps for much of the winter and spring. In fact, f.o.b. prices well below breakeven have been commonplace.

Production of fresh fruits and vegetables makes Oregon a national contender in a number of areas. On Aug. 22, 2011, the Oregon Department of Agriculture revised its assessment of the state of agriculture in its publication, Oregon Agriculture: Facts and Figures. According to the report, preliminary figures show 2010 Oregon agricultural production to be valued at $4.4 billion, up 7 percent from 2009.

MORGANVILLE, NJ -- Peppadew Fresh USA won a Value Added Working Capital Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that will enable it to expand production and distribution of its Peppadew Goldew fruit.

Lately, when Sakata Seed America holds its regular vegetable seed trial events for the trade near its home office in Morgan Hill, CA, there is a new classification of observer.

These events have always attracted growers, shippers and seed distributors, but recently a fair number of retailers have also found time to discover what's happening at the genetic level.