After four years with Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers in Wenatchee, WA, and nearly 30 years in the produce industry, export salesman Mike Lust has announced his retirement.

Mr. Lust, who joined Oneonta in June 2005, said he plans to spend his time gardening, playing golf and fishing.

Mr. Lust and his wife of 32 years, Betty, have five grown children and two grandchildren, and his retirement will also provide more family time as well as opportunity to revisit many places he saw previously during business trips.

Unprocessed fruits and vegetables automatically qualify for a new front-of- package labeling program that is designed to make it easier for consumers to make healthy choices while shopping.

HARTFORD, CT -- Despite the recent proliferation of gray, wet weather, the state's specialists in early sweet corn production have once again beat other growers throughout the Northeast in bringing sweet corn to Connecticut consumers, according to the Connecticut Department of Agriculture.

FRESNO, CA -- The California Table Grape Commission, here, is hoping to form an association in the minds of baseball fans between baseball and California grapes. From Little League to Major League, from players to fans, grapes are the ideal snack at a game, according to Jim Howard, the commission's communications director.

SUN VALLEY, ID -- Several dozen members of the Idaho-Eastern Oregon Fruit & Vegetable Association, along with family members, attended the group's 47th annual convention June 4-6, here.

In addition to the election of the 2009-10 officers and board of directors, the three-day event included a general business meeting, transportation sessions and a keynote address by Tom Nassif, president and chief executive officer of Western Growers Association.

A new economic stimulus policy implemented by the government of China is expected to have positive repercussions for U.S. garlic producers over the next year.

Jim Provost, president of I Love Produce LLC in Kelton, PA, characterized the situation by saying, "We are on the cusp of something historic. The prices [for Chinese peeled garlic] are at an historic high."