WASHINGTON — Oregon strawberries sold at roadside stands and tied to a cluster of E. coli O157:H7 cases are raising questions about a decision by Congress to exempt small producers from federal food-safety regulations.

Oregon health investigators traced fresh strawberries to Jaquith Strawberry Farm in Newberg, OR, in the first E. coli outbreak tied to strawberries. At least 10 people became ill last month and one person has died, the Oregon Health Authority said Aug. 10.

WEATHER

Daytime temperatures in Salinas were expected to range from the upper 60s to low 70s through Aug. 16 with overnight lows in the mid 50s. Patchy morning and evening fog should persist into late August.

In Mendota, CA, daytime temperatures were expected to be in the mid- to upper 90s through Aug. 16 with overnight lows in the low 60s.

DEMAND

Salinas row crop shippers are seeing continued modest demand. Strawberry shippers are experiencing strong demand for the premium lots and labels.

For a long time, mushrooms have been celebrated as a source of powerful nutrients, particularly those of public health interest such as vitamin D and potassium, The Mushroom Council in San Jose, CA, reported. And they can also help people meet the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which has been issued by the Department of Health and Human Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The goal of the guidelines is to reduce sodium and increase vegetable consumption.

Hugh (Chip) H. Branch Jr., co-owner of Hugh H. Branch Inc., headquartered in Pahokee, FL, died unexpectedly Aug. 6 in his sleep of a heart attack in Basinger, FL. Mr. Branch was 60 years old.

Don Armock, president and partner of Riveridge Produce Marketing Inc. in Sparta, MI, is ready to move a quality apple crop into the pipeline this season. “We’ve got a great crop coming,” he told The Produce News Aug. 17. “It’s not the biggest [crop], but one of the largest.”

Riveridge represents third-, fourth- and fifth-generation growers throughout Michigan and markets roughly one-third of the state’s fresh apple crop annually.

G&D Wallace Inc./Wallace Farms has a history that sinks its roots deep into the Washington’s fertile Skagit Valley. “The Wallace family has been growing potatoes in the Skagit Valley since 1903 after emigrating from Ireland,” Secretary Jack Wallace told The Produce News Aug. 18. The current company was founded in the 1950s by brothers George and Dick Wallace, who farmed the same land farmed by their father, Robert Wallace, and their uncles George and Tom Wallace.