SALINAS, CA - Mann Packing Co., based here, and Livingston, CA-based Consolidated Farms are teaming up to form California Fresh Farms LLC, a joint venture that will take fresh-cut sweet potatoes to the nation's restaurants and supermarkets.

SALINAS, CA -- Much has happened to Rory Cornell in the year since he graduated from California Polytechnic Institute with a degree in agribusiness marketing -- most of it good.

Upon graduation last June, Mr. Cornell landed a job at Coastal Berry Co. in Watsonville, CA, as a "cooler liaison." But Dole acquired Coastal and Mr. Cornell was laid off in November.

Welcome to the unpredictable world of agriculture.

The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co., the owner of A&P supermarkets, hired JPMorgan Chase & Co. to find a buyer for its Canadian grocery-store business, a sale that could raise more than $1 billion.

This announcement, combined with its latest financial results and a planned major restructuring, led to sharply higher stock prices the week of May 9-13.

A&P plans to sell A&P Canada, divest itself of its Midwest operations, and concentrate on its core operations in the broad corridor from Connecticut to Washington, DC.

With legislation just introduced that would repeal mandatory country-of-origin labeling for meat, members of the produce industry wonder if their products can be far behind.

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) is planning to introduce a comprehensive bill in the coming weeks that would add produce and seafood to the list of commodities no longer controlled by the mandatory COOL law.

While driving to a store, I noticed that the needle on my vehicles fuel gauge was flirting with empty. After challenging it for a few more miles, I decided to pull into a gas station and force myself to buy some liquid gold in order to continue motoring forward.

Once at the pump, I noticed a receipt sticking out of the slot from the previous customer. He or she probably left it there to avoid the possibility of a sudden heart attack from observing the results.

California's strawberry growers have taken a hit this season with an inordinate amount of rain. But though Mother Nature packs a punch, growers have been able to stay on their feet.

"Its been a challenge," said Tim Youmans, national retail sales manager for Watsonville, CA-based Driscoll Strawberry Associates. Theres been a loss in production thats impacting retailers. The uncertainty of supplies has affected retailers ability to market the berries, he said.