Long before the fields around Walla Walla, WA, showed even a hint of green in 2007, planning for the 23rd annual Sweet Onion Festival had reached a fever pitch in the administrative office of Kathy Fry, director of marketing for the Walla Walla Sweet Onion Marketing Committee.

Ms. Fry, who has overseen the festival since 2003, said that plans for this year's two-day event, slated for July 21-22 at the county fairgrounds, have been ongoing since January, when she began contacting sponsors, vendors, entertainment and volunteers.

Twenty-seven New York agricultural leaders from all segments of the industry recently embarked on a seven-day international agricultural study trip to Chile. The trip was organized by Class XI of LEAD New York, a professional leadership development program administered through Cornell University.

WASHINGTON -- The immigration debate may take center stage again in the coming weeks, as Sens. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and John McCain (R-AZ) are expected to soon introduce a comprehensive immigration reform bill. Advocates for reform are calling on the Bush administration to convince allies to support a comprehensive bill this year.

For the second time this decade, Grant J. Hunt has received the Food Alliance Certification Seal in recognition of agricultural standards practiced by Orchard View Farms Inc. in The Dalles, OR.

According to Eric Patrick of Grant J. Hunt's Yakima, WA, office, Orchard View Farms was initially certified in June 2000 for cherries and pears and, with the recent certification awarded in late 2006, is certified through December 2009 for both products.

Grant J. Hunt Co. is the exclusive sales and marketing agent for Orchard View Farms.

Poor yields and small head sizes have hampered a desert lettuce deal that should continue into the week of March 26.

Mike Marcroft, commodity manager for Castroville, CA-based Ocean Mist Farms' lettuce program, said that a cold snap in January delayed the company's harvest dates, adding that there have been small heads industrywide. "Fortunately, we've had a good amount of ours pack out 24s," Mr. Marcroft said of the firm's lettuce heads.

Citrus Industries in Three Rivers, CA, has designated Seald Sweet West International Inc. in Visalia, CA, as the exclusive sales agent for its fresh- packed fruit, primarily citrus, from Mexico.

According to David Muse, vice president of operations and marketing at Seald Sweet West, the program will consist primarily of Valencia oranges, both organic and conventional.