ARVIN, CA -- Kern Ridge Growers LLC in Arvin, CA, has been in the carrot growing, packing and marketing business since 1973 and processes "well over 100 million pounds of carrots a year," consisting of both conventionally grown and organic product, according to General Manager Bob Giragosian, one of the company's owners.

PHILADELPHIA - While the Chilean fruit industry has been seriously disrupted by the 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Feb. 27, some fruit exporters were loading fruit onto ships as soon as the afternoon of Feb. 28.

In a March 1 e-mail to The Produce News, Mark Greenberg, chief executive officer of Fisher Capespan, said, "Communication out of Chile is hit-and- miss. Telephone and Internet lines are coming back to normal. Cell phone service as well."

When the Washington Potato Commission announced its partnership with world class short-track speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno in 2009, there was no doubt it was a winning combination.

The fact was confirmed in mid-February at the Vancouver Winter Olympic games when Mr. Ohno became the most decorated American winter olympian in history, shattering the record previously set by Olympic legend, Bonnie Blair.

The 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Chile at 3:34 a.m. on Feb. 27 has seriously affected Chile's fruit exports.

In an e-mail exchange with The Produce News Feb. 28, Robert Palaima, president of Delaware River Stevedores, based in Philadelphia, said that he had not had messages returned from Chile. However, he did speak with Andrés Montecinos, who heads the reefer division for CSAV, the Chilean that carries Chilean fruit to Philadelphia’s Tioga Marine Fruit Terminal, which is managed by Delaware River Stevedores.

PHILADELPHIA - A labor strike, which began at 12:01 a.m. on March 1, has slowed business at the Philadelphia Regional Produce Market as members of Teamsters Local 929 were picketing at the market's gates.

The Produce News spoke with the strikers and met in the market’s board room March 1 with Sonny DiCrecchio, executive director of the market, as well as Dan Kane, the market’s assistant manager, and John Widman of Susanin Widman & Brennan, PC, which is based in Wayne, PA, and who is the market’s legal counsel.

California fresh-market carrot production in 2009 was 19.25 million hundredweight, a decline of slightly more than 5 percent from 2008 production figures, said Jerry Munson, manager of the California Fresh Carrot Advisory Board in Dinuba, CA.

The drop in production last year marked the most pronounced year-over- year change in some time. California fresh-market carrot production had held relatively steady for the past several years.