Branding has become the social phenomenon of the day, and the produce industry is certainly no stranger to this ever-broadening trend. But what does branding mean for the produce industry? Can you brand broccoli, lettuce or eggplant?

Looking at other brands like Campbell's Soup ("MMMMMM Good!"), Nike ("Just do it!") and Volvo ("Powered by Perceptions"), it's the promise and the keyword ownership that are the essence of the brand - the promise to be Campbell Soup "wholesome," Nike "inspired" and Volvo "safe."

Can you remember the first industry trade show you ever attended? What was your impression of it?

At my first event, I was both surprised and impressed at the tremendous size of the produce industry based on the crowd of people, number of exposition booths, educational workshops and exciting social functions. It was a very memorable trade show for me.

The new Center for Produce Safety at the University of California-Davis has named Devon Zagory as interim executive director.

The center was established earlier this year to work with the agricultural and food industries, government regulatory agencies, trade associations, research institutions and consumer groups to enhance the safety of fresh fruits and vegetables through research, education and information exchange.

WASHINGTON -- Growers expressed frustration about the worsening labor crisis at an Oct. 4 hearing as a congressional committee looked at the labor needs of American agriculture.

"While some issues change, depending on the region, in every part of the country where I've traveled, the topic of labor always comes up, and it is usually followed by the word "crisis,'" said House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-MN). "This is a major problem for producers, and sooner or later, we must find a way to address it."

Keith Wilson, vice president of sales and marketing for Sunny Cove Citrus LLC in Orange Cove, CA, has announced the hiring of Selina Brown as foodservice sales manager. Ms. Brown was previously with HMC Marketing in Kingsburg, CA.

"We welcome Selina to our team and look forward to having her represent us with the customers that she has dealt with for many years," Mr. Wilson said. "We are just very happy have her on board and think she is going to bring a nice diversification to the different types of customers we hope to contact as we go forward."

Riding on their positioning with retailers as quality potato producers, Colorado growers have expanded their focus with a new program dubbed Potato Excellence Training, or PET.

This educational initiative integrates every aspect of the San Luis Valley's potato-growing operations, from grower to shipper to the chain headquarters and local stores.