NAPLES, FL — It seemed unthinkable — two solid weeks of freezing weather deep into Florida in the middle of January, right in the opening days of the tomato season.

But in 2010, it happened. Growers lost 80 percent of the crop in the field, young plants expected to bear later in the spring were destroyed, and replants came on too late and brought too little at market.

After a devastating season, Florida tomato growers are hoping that Mother Nature is friendlier in the coming 12 months.

NAPLES, FL — The world of food safety moves fast. In fact, it moves so fast that the self-written, just-imposed, state-regulated guidelines the Florida tomato industry adopted earlier this year are already being tweaked, experts told attendees on opening day of the 2010 Florida Tomato Committee conference held Sept. 7-12 at the Ritz-Carlton Naples, here.

ORANGE, CA -- Cory Puentes of Interfresh Inc.'s San Bruno, CA, office and Craig Jacob of Dole Fresh Fruit Co. in Westlake Village, CA, did their part Sunday, Sept. 12, to support the 33 trapped miners in Chile.

Joining 31 other open-water swimmers, Messrs. Puentes and Jacob braved the 58-degree water and three-knot currents in a 1.5-mile swim from Alcatraz Island to Aquatic Park in the San Francisco Bay. The swim was organized by Water World Swim, the premier, open-water swimming organization in San Francisco.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Sept. 10 revoked accreditation of the California Organic Farmers Association as an organic certifying agent after the department spent three years wrangling with the organization to correct violations.

The USDA's National Organic Program has the responsibility to ensure organic products meet uniform standards and sets certification standards that organic production and handling operations must meet to become USDA-accredited certifying agents.

WASHINGTON — A new U.S. Food & Drug Administration survey of leafy greens and tomatoes that has resulted in several Class 1 recalls was just one of the topics discussed during a town hall meeting organized by the United Fresh Produce Association during its Washington Public Policy Conference, held here Sept. 14-16.

Vantaggio Farming Corp., which is headquartered in San Diego and also has a branch office in Nogales, AZ, will have an early cucumber and squash deal in Nogales that starts about two weeks earlier than most other shippers, according to Ross Keefer, a partner in the company.

"We grow in Caborca, which is in the northern part of Sonora [Mexico]," Mr. Keefer told The Produce News Sept. 13. "It seems like we have a little earlier window than some of the guys in Hermosillo," which is the other major growing district in the state of Sonora.