Todd Hultquist, director of communication and membership for the U.S. Apple Association, said that 2010 is already proving to be a busy year. During the week of Jan. 11, the association's public affairs committee met in Vienna, VA. "This group identifies priority issues for the coming year, which the board then approves at the semi-annual board meeting in late March," Mr. Hultquist told The Produce News.

Following are highlights of top priorities identified in a paper compiled by the association in January.

A crop report issued Jan. 12 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture showed that this season's nationwide sweet potato crop is one of the larger since 1932. The increase comes despite volume declines, some of which were huge, caused by heavy rains during the harvesting season in Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and Alabama.

Titan Foods Inc., a Los Angeles-based food distribution company, has begun shipping South Korean chestnuts into the United States and has found great success largely because of their competitive price advantage.

Raj Makkad, the firm's vice president, said that Italy is the leading exporter of chestnuts to the United States, but South Korean chestnuts are typically about 40 percent less in price at the wholesale level.

WASHINGTON -- A new study by the University of California at Los Angeles has found that comprehensive immigration reform would boost the economy by $1.5 trillion over 10 years but that a continued enforcement- only/deportation approach would cost $2.5 trillion over the same period.

TAMPA, FL -- Temperatures in Florida approached 60 degrees Jan. 12 for the first time since New Year's Day as the state began to thaw from a record- shattering cold snap that decimated tomato and vegetable crops. Ten consecutive nights of sub-freezing temperatures also hurt the citrus crop -- though the damage may not show up for weeks -- and dented the strawberry crop.

APTOS, CA -- The Chilean Avocado Importers Association's marketing team recently visited Chile to experience the fruit harvesting first hand and to become Chilean avocado experts, thus resulting in more effective and innovative consumer marketing strategies.