Two recent voluntary recall episodes involve the same customer of two separate produce companies, according to Rex Lawrence, director of sales and marketing for Davis, CA-based Timco Worldwide Inc.

Mr. Lawrence also said that findings of possible Salmonella contamination of Timco watermelons and cantaloupes from Brawley, CA-based Five Crowns Marketing were determined at the same testing lab used by the customer linked to the two produce companies.

BOUCHERVILLE, QC -- The Quebec Produce Growers Association held its 64th annual banquet Nov. 20 here at the Hotel Mortange, located just across the St. Lawrence River from Montreal.

The event, which celebrates the end of the local Quebec deal, drew approximately 525 members of the produce trade.

The association honored Sherrington, QC-based Les Fermes V. Forino Inc., a family-owned-and-operated grower-packer-shipper, with its Le Moisson d'Or, or Golden Harvest, award for the firm's contributions to growing produce in the province.

The U.S. Apple Association in Vienna, VA, applauded the Obama administration for its plan to purchase $18.6 million worth of apples in the near future. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack made the announcement Nov. 11 at the National Association of Farm Broadcasters' annual convention in Kansas City, MO.

Numerous new projects are currently underway to help small and mid-sized farmers get their fruits and vegetables directly into the hands of foodservice operators, farmers markets and retailers.

The projects also include initiatives that help to educate consumers on the source of their food via avenues that enable them to learn about the farmers -- and in some cases, even interact with them. Most projects are using technology to streamline the process, and growers everywhere are taking advantage of the opportunities.

There are two issues that come into play in consideration of the possibility of the United States importing South African citrus in 2010, according to Bruce McEvoy, a consultant for Seald Sweet International, based in Vero Beach, FL.

In a Nov. 15 e-mail to The Produce News, Mr. McEvoy said, that there are two separate issues when it comes to addressing the potential for sourcing South African grapefruit for the U.S. market.

EATONTOWN, NJ -- Village Farms, a premier grower and marketer of hydroponic greenhouse-grown products, based here, has announced a land preservation and water conservation project at its Texas facilities that positions the company to be a good steward of the land as well as a good neighbor to area ranches and puts into action its slogan, "What's good for the earth is good for business."