The U.S. Department of Agriculture has relaxed its fumigation procedures for Peruvian asparagus imported into the United States, according to Frank Ramos, a customs broker and president of The Perishable Specialist, based in Miami, FL.

“This is beautiful news,” said Mr. Ramos. “It lowers the cost [of fumigation] and lowers the suffering of the product.”

Mr. Ramos said that the new protocol came out late on Aug. 4 and is in effect as of today, Aug. 5.

TRANSPORTATION

Truck availability on the West Coast is adequate. Freight rates were expected to remain near the summer season’s peak heading into mid-August.

The price of crude oil fell $1.90 Aug. 3 to $91.89 per barrel, which is 37 percent below record levels of July 2008. The nationwide average price for a gallon of diesel the week of Aug. 1 was $3.94, 34 percent higher than one year ago. The average price in California for a gallon of diesel was $4.14, 32 percent higher than last year.

BROCCOLI

Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK), chairman of the House of Representatives committee on agriculture, will keynote United Fresh’s Washington Public Policy Conference’s breakfast and general session on Wednesday, Oct. 5, exploring the key issues likely to emerge as Congress begins to consider the reauthorization of the Food, Conservation & Energy Act of 2008, more commonly known as the farm bill.

WASHINGTON — The hard-fought budget ceiling bill President Obama signed Aug. 2 may have implications for agriculture programs, spending at the Food & Drug Administration and the farm bill, but it’s still too early to tell, according to produce industry sources.

The new law sets up a two-part process for cutting spending and avoiding a debt-ceiling crisis. For the first part, Congress will follow a 10-year spending cap that would generate nearly $1 trillion in deficit reduction.

JON GORMAN joined Steinbeck Country Produce in early March. In addition to handling sales and marketing for the company, Mr. Gorman manages the cauliflower program.

After 16 years with another company, Fritz Koontz figured he might have picked up enough know-how to make a go with his own operation. In January, the Santa Cruz Berry Farming Co. opened its doors in Watsonville, CA, and now heads into its first fall season growing commercial and organic berries, including some of its own proprietary cultivars.