Nearly two months after New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine proposed eliminating the state department of agriculture to help reduce the state's huge budget deficit, the fate of the department now appears a bit brighter.

While nothing is official until the state budget is completed by July 1, the Assembly speaker, Joseph J. Roberts Jr., said that legislative leaders and Mr. Corzine had reached a general consensus to ease some of the proposed cuts in the $33 billion budget, The New York Times reported April 17.

The Pear Bureau Northwest, headquartered in Milwaukie, OR, has been selected as this year's recipient of the Fresh Health Award. For 10 years, the Canadian Produce Marketing Association and The Produce News have recognized the achievements of one company to promote consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables in Canada.

"The award acknowledges the organization's support of the 5 to 10 A Day program and focuses on some of the programs the organization has developed to support the 5 to 10 A Day message," said Ron Lemaire, CPMA executive vice president and director of marketing.

Official estimates for the 2008 California peach, plum and nectarine crops werel set to be adopted April 29 at joint meetings of the Peach Commodity Committee, the Nectarine Administrative Committee and the California Plum Marketing Board. But industry sources suggest that overall crop volume for the three commodities combined will be similar to last year's 56 million boxes.

Timing is also expected to be similar to last year, although temperature trends before harvest could adjust that by a few days either way.

Matt McLean, founder and chief executive officer of Uncle Matt's Organic, spent four hours April 19 at a Wal-Mart store in central Florida sampling product and discussing organic fruits and juices with the chain's customers.

The event in Ocoee, FL, was just one of many such demonstrations that take place at Wal-Mart locations throughout the country on a regular basis.

MONTEREY, CA -- Las Vegas and the United Fresh Produce Association convention will be the site for the inaugural Produce Excellence in Foodservice Award, sponsored by Pro*Act LLC, based here.

Pro*Act President and Chief Executive Officer Steve Grinstead, who serves on the board of directors of United Fresh Produce Association, came up with the idea of the foodservice award.

The award, sponsored by Pro*Act, honors chefs and their companies for their use of produce in the culinary arts.

The Riverside Co., a global private equity firm headquartered in New York City that specializes in leveraged buyouts, has added HerbThyme Farms Inc. in Compton, CA, to its portfolio as an add-on to GreenLine Foods in Bowling Green, OH, which Riverside acquired in September 2006.