Organizers of the America Trades Produce Conference announced that Christopher Wilson, associate at the Woodrow Wilson Institute's Mexico Institute, will be the keynote speaker at the fourth annual conference.

"We are delighted with how the agenda and speaker lineup is developing," Lance Jungmeyer, president of the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas, which runs the conference along with the Texas International Produce Association, said in a press release.

Wilson will address attendees during the opening session, "The Changing Dynamic of US-Mexico Trade." He has followed the Mexican economy for years, and is regularly called upon to provide testimony and background to Congress.

As has been the trademark of the event, educational sessions will encourage direct dialogue between the industry and U.S. and Mexican government officials.

During a panel discussion, "Best Practices for Removal from Detention Without Physical Examination," attendees will hear from experts and peers about their real-life experiences in gaining import approval for fresh produce after being placed on FDA import alert. The session, moderated by Walter Ram of The Giumarra Cos., features confirmed panelists including Domenic Veneziano, director of import operations at the Food & Drug Administration, and Rod Sbragia of Tricar Sales.

As tomato-growing technologies push volumes ever higher, Roberta Cook of the University of California-Davis will discuss the challenges in marketing the North American tomato crop, including marketing shifts resulting from the Tomato Suspension Agreement in the Tomato Trends general session.

Following the overview there will be dialogue with industry experts Eric Viramontes of Vision & Services, Martin Ley of Fresh Evolution and Jim DiMenna of JemD Farms.

"The tomato market continues to evolve, and as of March the suspension agreement will have been in place for about a year," said Ley. "This is a great time to reflect on the tomato industry."

This year's conference will bring together individuals and organizations from throughout the produce supply chain and across international borders to discuss the industry's hottest topics. Attendees will include many U.S. and Mexican representatives, including grower-shippers, retailers, processors, allied industry representatives and city, state and federal government officials.

In addition to the historically dynamic topic and speaker line-up attendees have come to expect, participants have the option to register for a sneak-peak tour of the Mariposa Port of Entry, which is undergoing a $200 million expansion that will see its official unveiling later in 2014.

"This is a chance to go behind the scenes and witness the agriculture inspection docks and other facets of what is going to be the nation's most advanced land port of entry for fresh produce shipments," Jungmeyer added in the press release, noting that space for the tour is limited.

Throughout the event, several industry awards will be announced, including The Produce News' Rising Star Award, The Packer's Importer of the Year and the Produce Business Exporter of the Year award.

The event is scheduled for March 12-13, 2014, at the Tubac Golf Resort & Spa in Tubac, AZ.