LOS ANGELES -- Fire broke out Monday morning Jan. 23 at the Seventh Street Market, which was one of the two major wholesale produce markets here for many decades. A number of produce houses were damaged, and an unspecified amount of produce was lost in the blaze.

In the late 1980s, the city and many of its major produce tenants built the Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market adjacent to the old Seventh Street Market. Most of the old- line companies either moved to the new market in 1986 or have since relocated off the market.

FALLBROOK, CA -- Jessica Siemer Hunter, the daughter of Bob Siemer, a partner at Del Rey Avocado Co. Inc., here, works with her father in Del Rey's field department.

But when not working with the fruit that is ubiquitous in the area, she pursues her passion of team paddling outrigger canoes competitively.

Organics Unlimited of San Diego, CA, is seeing increasing consumer interest in the bananas the firm is selling with the new "GROW" label.

"People who are buying organic produce are normally socially and politically concerned," said Michael Rocca, produce buyer for Watsonville Coast Produce, who added that this is one of the reasons the GROW Foundation has been experiencing major success in its first year.

The 2006 Washington State Potato Conference will be trotting out another first: a chance to taste and evaluate a new potato variety developed by the Northwest (Tri-State) Variety Development Program. The unnamed variety will be offered at the potato bar lunch during the Feb. 7-9 conference.

Enrique Lobo, who was previously minister of agriculture in the Embassy of Mexico in Washington, DC, has been reassigned to the agricultural office of the Embassy of Mexico in Ottawa, ON, where he will be minister of agricultural affairs.

Clifford J. Moquist, a well-known name in the Red River Valley potato industry, died Dec. 19 at age 90 in Melbourne, FL. Mr. Moquist, of Crystal, ND, was a founding partner of O.C. Shulz & Sons Inc., a farming and potato wash plant operation in Crystal.

He was born in Minneapolis to Swedish immigrant parents, and grew up in Minnesota, New York City, East Meredith, NY, and Farmingdale, NY.