WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep Sam Farr (D-CA) defended a move to attach $25 million for financially strapped spinach producers to an emergency spending bill for the four-year-old Iraqi war.

The House of Representatives passed the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Bill March 23 with $25 million that would help spinach producers nationwide who were hurt by the voluntary recall after the E. coli O157 outbreak in 2006 that sickened more than 200 people and resulted in three deaths.

Though proprietary varieties represent the largest percentage of strawberries planted statewide, representing 40 percent of the state's acreage, it is a University of California variety -- Albion -- that experienced the biggest jumped in acreage planted this year over last.

California Giant has been working with suppliers to develop new packaging options for strawberries to reduce costs and increase efficiencies throughout the distribution system.

The first result of that effort in 2007 for California Giant is a new packaging mix for the popular four-pound clamshells. The four-pounder is an essential part of the overall packaging mix offered by California Giant and is currently shipped in various configurations.

Suppose your boss comes to you one day and says, "We have a sudden urgency that requires some quick decisions. Corporate headquarters has instructed us to downsize our workforce by 10 percent. You have to cut four people from your department. I need the names on my desk within an hour."

How would you react and which decisions would you make? Would you get angry, complain or just sit back and procrastinate? Some people would probably focus their thoughts on finding reasons why it can't be done rather than getting it done.

MONTEREY, CA -- California Sen. Abel Maldonado, who's family runs a farm in Santa Maria, CA, told an audience of agricultural leaders and local and state officials that a joint effort is required to pass effective food-safety legislation.

The March 19 event was held at the Monterey County Fairgrounds. Monterey County Agricultural Education hosted the event as part of National Agriculture Week.

OAKLAND, CA -- The first public hearing convened by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration since the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak associated with fresh spinach in September offered little new information about the outbreak more than six months ago, but it furthered the food-safety discussion among many of the usual industry representatives.