(Updated July 17, 1 p.m.)

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture said it would keep alive the Microbiological Data Program for this year, a small victory for Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and consumer groups who are pushing Congress to keep it operating next year, even though USDA never requested funding for it.

Despite the reprieve, the funding picture for next year remains far from certain.

The Mexican Association of Protected Horticulture will hold its fifth Business & Technical Convention Aug. 22-25 at the Presidente Intercontinental Hotel in Guadalajara, Mexico, with the purpose of analyzing and discussing the challenges faced today by the protected agriculture sector in North America. This event is expected to bring more than 500 local and global industry leaders together.

Baloian Farms, a fourth-generation, vertically integrated family farm based in Fresno, CA, with year-round operations specializing in peppers and mixed vegetables grown in California and Mexico, will introduce a new value-priced consumer pepper pack called "Oddbells." The launch is scheduled for late July.

Duda Farm Fresh Foods Inc., headquartered in Oviedo, FL, said that Chef Todd Fisher would be representing Duda Farm Fresh Foods at the Chef Demo Challenge: Healthy & Flavorful Kids’ Menus, at the Produce Marketing Association’s Foodservice Conference & Exposition in Monterey, CA, according to Nichole Towell, marketing development manager for the Oviedo, FL-headquartered company.

At a time when some other produce companies in Los Angeles have been closing their doors, a new company which called City Ag LLC has opened on the Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market and is nearing completion of its first year in business.

The California Pear Advisory Board released estimates for the 2012 pear crop, with 3.91 million 36-pound tight fill box equivalents expected for the fresh market. This translates to an estimated 70,404 tons of pears to be marketed.