VALLEY CENTER, CA -- Food editors from various consumer publications around the country, from Southern Living to Sunset, had an opportunity April 26 to tour avocado groves in Southern California, meet with growers, visit a small on-farm packing operation and a large commercial packinghouse, have their questions answered by industry experts, and sample some creative dishes using avocados as an ingredient.

WASHINGTON -- The board of directors of the United Fresh Produce Association has voted to implement a new organizational structure for its volunteer leadership, to be implemented following this year's annual convention, May 4-7 in Las Vegas, NV.

The new structure will consist of four horizontal boards representing different market segments of the produce supply chain, which in turn will roll up into a consolidated overall board of Directors representing the association's membership.

WASHINGTON -- Nick Tompkins of Apio Inc. and chairman of United Fresh Produce Association's board development committee has announced the slate of new officers and directors nominated to serve on United's board of directors, effective at its May 3 meeting.

Ascending to chairman of the board is Tom Lovelace, executive vice president of McEntire Produce, a fresh-cut processor, tomato re-packer and vegetable wholesaler in in Columbia, SC.

Angela Bezon was not actually born in a cabbage patch, but she laughingly describes herself as a "Cabbage Patch Kid."

Her mother, Sandy, was visiting her father, Joe, in the fields of the family onion and cabbage farm, Joseph Bezon & Sons in Elba, NY. "As my mom was leaving the cabbage field, she went into labor. People brought me 'Cabbage Patch' dolls in the hospital," Ms. Bezon, the 26-year-old policy and grassroots manager at the United Fresh Produce Association in Washington, DC, said in an interview with The Produce News.

The Michigan Apple Advertising & Promotion Program in April voted to continue operating. Michigan apple producers overwhelmingly voted for the program to continue for at least an additional five years, beginning Sept. 1, 2008, and ending Aug. 31, 2013.

Don Koivisto, director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture in Lansing, MI, announced the vote April 18.

YottaMark and Label Technique Southeast will be showcasing the unit-level traceability of Leger & Son watermelons at the United Fresh convention May 4-6 in Las Vegas.

Leger & Son Inc., based in Cordele, GA, began delivering unit-level traceability of its watermelons using the "HarvestMark" solution developed by YottaMark Inc. Label Technique Southeast, an authorized YottaMark reseller, will provide the solution including labels pre-coded for traceability.