Paul Villa, owner and president of Great West Produce Inc. in City of Commerce, CA, along with a group of eight other prominent members of the Los Angeles-area business community, had an opportunity to spend a day aboard a U.S. Navy nuclear submarine, the USS Albuquerque, at sea off the coast of San Diego.

Mushroom Good Agricultural Practices were highlighted by the president of the American Mushroom Institute at a May 13 meeting of government agencies in Harrisburg, PA.

AMI President Laura Phelps was one of a half-dozen speakers representing Pennsylvania agricultural interests at the meeting, which was titled FDA Produce Rule Listening Session.

VANCOUVER, BC -- Perhaps mirroring a rebounding economy that was touted throughout the gathering, the Canadian Produce Marketing Association's 85th annual convention and trade show set an attendance record when more than 3,300 produce professionals participated in the event, held here May 12-14.

A federal judge ruled May 18 that government agencies must take into account the human costs -- not just the effect on wildlife -- when restricting water allocations to farmers and other water users. The judge also stated that decisions to cut farm water deliveries in Central California, with the expressed intent of protecting endangered fish species, were based on flawed science.

The California Tree Fruit Agreement conducted some new research last year identifying "retailers who did the best job with the whole stone fruit category" in an effort to determine factors accounting for their success.

Green Giant Fresh, based in Salinas, CA, is building a bridge between a virtual farming phenomenon and a real shopping experience with the launch of its promotion with Internet gaming sensation FarmVille.

While the rich heritage of the iconic "Green Giant" brand is no stranger to American consumers, FarmVille has taken the country by storm and in less than a year has become the No. 1 gaming application on Facebook, with nearly 80 million people playing the game worldwide.