Peter L. Melick, a Hunterdon County fruit and vegetable farmer, was honored Feb. 13 as New Jersey's 2007 Outstanding Young Farmer at the New Jersey agricultural convention held in Atlantic City, NJ.

Two new individuals were named to the Idaho Potato Commission this past August. They are Ray (R.J.) Andrus and Shawn Walters, who replaced departing commissioners Bob Wilkins and Wayne Allen. The commission is a state agency and is directed by a total of nine commissioners, five of whom are potato growers, two are packer-shippers and two represent processors.

In a cookoff that resembled the popular television show "Iron Chef," six well- known chefs and cookbook authors from New York and Philadelphia whipped up healthy Super Bowl snacks using OsoSweet onions in a benefit for The Doe Fund Feb. 2 in New York City.

Jesse Port (Jay) Telles III, who once headed one of the larger cantaloupe growing, packing and shipping operations in the United States and later owned and operated a large citrus packing company with his wife, Leslie, died Feb. 11 at his home in Fresno, CA. He was 61.

California Department of Food & Agriculture inspectors were right on one count and wrong on 10 counts when they rejected 11 loads of Mexican Hass avocados crossing into the state on Friday, Feb. 16.

Effective Feb. 1, the U.S. Department of Agriculture allows Mexican-grown Hass avocados to enter California under a strict protocol designed to assure that no exotic pests potentially harmful to California's avocado industry would be imported with the fruit.

On March 5, the contentious retail clerks contract signed three years ago between the United Food & Commercial Workers union and the three major Southern California grocery chains expires. As of Feb. 21, there was no word on the status of the current negotiations.