WASHINGTON -- Some members of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Fruit & Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee gave a cold shoulder to USDA's buy local emphasis in school farming initiatives during a March 30 meeting, here.

Many companies are meeting the Produce Traceability Initiative's first milestones, but the industry is also taking a wait-and-see approach in tackling the final steps, according to a new survey released March 25.

The produce industry has been eagerly awaiting results from an on-line survey of 263 fresh fruit and vegetable companies conducted to benchmark the adoption of the Produce Traceability Initiative. Results of the survey were shared with the PTI steering committee at a Dallas meeting last month but were not released to the public until March 25.

Some trade associations representing the grower-shipper community have raised concerns about the Produce Traceability Initiative, specifically its cost, the commitment of the whole chain to its enactment and the timetable.

Roger Griess, vice president of global business development at Sun World International LLC in Bakersfield, CA, resigned from the company effective March 26 after 13 years with the organization. He will be starting a new business based in Bakersfield involving fresh produce, but details of the new venture have not yet been released.

It was a scenario predicted two months ago in the wake of two weeks of freezing weather that had Florida strawberry farmers saturating fields to save a crop: Without cooperation from Mother Nature, the entire crop would come on at once, creating a market glut that would butt heads with the onset of the California season.

Railex LLC is looking to expand service into the southeastern and central United States.

Paul Esposito, Railex's Northeast division and corporate logistics vice president, made the announcement March 26 during an Internet-based presentation by the firm, which is a division of Riverhead, NY-based ADS Management.

"We have plans to expand Railex into the Southeast and into the Central portion of the United States, and ultimately into Texas and to export," Mr. Esposito said.