The Florida Senate passed a first-of-its-kind food-safety bill March 23 that gives teeth to self-imposed regulations put in place by the state's tomato industry in the wake of a Salmonella scare two years ago.

A virtually identical bill is already through committee and on the floor of the state House of Representatives.

The margin was a tiny bit smaller than it was five years ago, but the California Cut Flower Commission has won a referendum that will allow it to continue in operation through December 2015.

Jay van Rein, a spokesman for the California Department of Food & Agriculture, which tallied the votes, told The Produce News March 25 that 30 growers approved continuation and 26 opposed it. Only about 60 of the state's 250 flower growers, those with annual sales of more than $500,000, were qualified to vote.

Corado's potato industry is mourning the loss of James T. Tonso, who died March 5 at the San Luis Valley Regional Medical Center in Alamosa, CO. He was 85.

Mr. Tonso was born Sept. 12, 1924, the eighth of nine children born to Joseph and Johanna Tonso of Florence, CO. Mr. Tonso and his wife, Leila, were married for 60 years and raised their family in Center, CO.

SALINAS, CA -- To celebrate Earth Day, during the month of April Tanimura & Antle will encourage consumers to "be a part of the solution" by purchasing its hydroponically grown "Living Lettuce."

Featuring a newly designed “Earth Day” label, environmentally friendly “Living Lettuce” is grown through regenerative farming and uses sustainable growing practices. Grown in custom-designed hydroponic greenhouses that use earth's energy and natural processes, “Living Lettuce” reduces the dependency on limited resources.

Ernesto Velez, a giant figure in the Colombian floral industry, died Sunday, March 21, of pancreatic cancer. He was 71 years old.

The owner of Suasque, a flower farm near Bogotá, which he founded with his wife, Lucie de Velez, in 1980, Mr. Velez had been president of the board of directors for Asocolflores, the Colombian grower association, for the past seven years. Memorial services were held March 23 in Bogotá.

Taylor Farms has increased its financial commitment to the Produce for Better Health Foundation with a $250,000 pledge over the next five years. Taylor Farms joins other long-time major annual contributors such as Paramount Farms, Stemilt Growers and Syngenta, which have been at or above the $50,000 level for several years.