PARMA, ID -- High-tech's cutting edge was made even sharper for the Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion Committee recently when the organization began utilizing two-dimensional, or 2-D, codes.

Joe Namath, former star quarterback of the New York Jets, once said, "When you have confidence, you can have a lot of fun. And when you have fun, you can do amazing things."

There's a Western-themed restaurant in my town that offers in great food, friendly service and a good atmosphere. The waiters and waitresses enjoy working there, and they occasionally entertain customers with a country- western dance that really excites the crowd. The employees have a lot of fun at this restaurant, and the customers keep coming back again and again.

Though the total volume of mango exports was down about 10 percent by the end of May, most of the losses were early in the season and mango importers are expecting good supplies for the next several months. In fact, May shipments were running ahead of last year, and the outlook is good for the foreseeable future, which includes June and July.

Gary Clevenger, co-owner of Freska Produce International in Oxnard, CA, said that the strong May helped close the volume gap, which saw deficits of more than 3 million cartons after just a couple of months of shipments.

Just in time for the 2010 blueberry season, California Giant Berry Farms is launching a state-of-the-art cooling and packing facility in Aurora, OR.

Located in the Willamette Valley, this facility has been designated by California Giant as a strategic shipping location for this highly productive region. Establishing the Pacific Northwest as the cornerstone of its domestic production program, this new facility furthers the company's commitment to a year-round quality bush berry program.

Guatemala experienced a major volcanic eruption May 27-28, which killed at least three people, poured ash upon Guatemala City and brought a declared "state of calamity." And on May 29, matters became much worse, as Guatemala and neighboring Honduras and El Salvador were struck by tropical storm Agatha, which caused flooding and mudslides that killed at least 180 people.