With large crops and late starts on all varieties for the spring grape deals in Mexico and California's Coachella Valley, there was an expectation this year that both producing areas would still be going strong when the grape harvest in the San Joaquin Valley in Central California was ready to begin.

Even though the Central California crop was also running late due to cool spring weather, growers were concerned that a significant amount of fruit from Mexico and Coachella would still remain to be marketed when the Central California harvest began.

The obesity rate among children in North America continues to spur media, organization and government attention. Data reports, newspaper and magazine articles and survey results -- now backed by first lady Michele Obama's goal of educating the public on the need for kids to get and stay in shape -- are riddled with the consequences of an overweight and unhealthy youth population.

Though Florida agriculture industry leaders claim such a move could have far-reaching unintended consequences, popular support is growing in Florida for immigration legislation similar to Arizona's new SB 1070 law.

Product traceability just got easier.

VirtualOne, a subsidiary of Plant City, FL-based Wishnatzki Inc., recently filed a provisional patent for its new FireTag technology, a laser product marker that could improve traceability and cut costs at the grower-shipper level.

FireTag does away with the need for paper and ink by marking cases of produce with a barcode or other information via laser. Unlike other laser systems, it is not stationary and can be used at the receiving dock, the cooler, the shipping exit or potentially even the packingline.

WASHINGTON -- A new feature on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food web site will include real-world success stories about marketing locally grown fresh produce, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced July 14.

The Obama administration launched the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative Sept. 15, 2009, to help connect consumers with the farmers who supply their food and to increase the production, marketing and consumption of locally grown produce.

With more than three decades of experience in produce sales and distribution, George Dziak, head of GD Fresh Distribution Inc. in Clackamas, OR, knows how to move fresh product efficiently between source and receiver.

In recent years, however, Mr. Dziak has seen an increase in the number of shippers with single truckloads or carloads of produce to be handled, and he told The Produce News that moving those smaller quantities can be problematic.