McAllen, TX-based Val Verde Vegetable Co., which was gearing up for the start of its 2012-13 greens season in mid-to-late October, announced the hiring of CLYDE WATSON JR. as its greens harvest supervisor.

Whether it was the always-popular California location, the truncated format or normal growth is hard to say, but the 2012 edition of the Produce Marketing Association’s annual meeting, Fresh Summit, attracted what was announced as a record crowd of more than 20,000 attendees.

WASHINGTON -- Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) said the House will vote on a stalled farm bill during the lame duck session, the first indication the issue is on the House Republicans’ crowded agenda for congressional action after the election.

Rep. Cantor appeared at a Boise, ID, campaign event for Rep. Raul Labrador (R-ID), where he explained that the House delayed action on the farm policy legislation because it didn’t have the votes on the floor, according to the Oct. 24 Idaho Statesman.

ANAHEIM, CA -- According to Suzy Badaracco, president of Culinary Tides, health trends among today’s consumers indicate that the economy is in recovery.

“We’re coming into recovering. We’re doing it kicking, dragging and screaming, but we’re heading in that direction,” she told PMA Fresh Summit 2012 attendees during her presentation at the “Top Health Trends to Shape Produce Profitability” workshop on Oct. 26, here.

She added that consumers seem “more realistic” today and will pay more money if they truly value a product.

As Hurricane Sandy was bearing down on the Northeast, the produce trade was making preparations to cope with the storm of historic proportions that was expected to cause massive flooding and power outages throughout the densely populated area.

At 9:10 a.m., Mon. Oct. 29, Tad Thompson, business development manager for the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market, told The Produce News that just 10 minutes earlier, market officials made the decision to close the market early.

Amy Nguyen, sales executive for Dragonberry Produce Inc., said that the specialty boutique-style company, located in Clackamas, OR, is known for out-of-the-box thinking.

“We are daring to be different,” she told The Produce News. “That is the fun for me. We are a very unique company. We are not a cookie-cutter company.”