No. 2 potatoes extremely limited
(The following information is from Pro*Act's current Market Report.)

POTATOES
No. 2 Potatoes are extremely limited. Idaho shippers are using No. 1 product in place of No. 2 product, so f.o.b.s are very high. This is typical for new-crop Norkotahs that are packing out 90-95 percent No. 1s.

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GRAPES
Flame red seedless grapes are almost finished with harvest, and there are only light supplies left in storage between the last part of this week and into the beginning of next. Crimson, Ruby, Sweet Scarlett and other un-named red seedless varieties are starting in a light way, but there is very good demand, which will keep the markets higher into next week. There are also Thompson and Princess green seedless available in ample supply, and the markets remain at lower levels there. Black seedless and Red Globe seeded grapes are also available in very good supply, and there is still promotional pricing available.

STONE FRUIT
Fall nectarine production is decent along with black plums, and fall varieties are yielding very good numbers. Furthermore, the warm days and cool nights are bringing sugar levels and eating quality to excellent levels. Peaches are starting to wind down as are red plums. There is very good demand on all tree fruit, especially for the foodservice/school sector of the market.

For the full market report click here



FRESH DIRECTIONS
By Bill Armstrong

(Bill Armstrong is a self-employed produce broker who operates Armstrong Marketing in Salinas, CA. His column appears here every Wednesday afternoon/Thursday morning.

He may be reached at ArmstrongMarketing@comc ast.net

WEATHER
Salinas, CA: Daytime highs reached 90 degrees Sept. 2 throughout the Salinas Valley. Temperatures will remain above normal during the first half of September with highs in the upper 70s to upper 80s through Sept. 12. Overnight lows will be in the low to mid-50s.

Mendota, CA: Daytime highs will range from the mid-90s to mid-100s through Sept. 12 with overnight lows in the upper 50s to low 60s.

Ontario, OR: Clear skies and daytime highs in the low to upper 80s will persist through Sept. 12. Overnight lows will be in the low 40s to 50 degrees.

DEMAND
California row-crop shippers state that light demand has persisted for several months on many key items.

TRANSPORTATION & FUEL
Summer demand for trucks is subsiding, and the availability of equipment on the West Coast is improving. Freight rates have recently eased and should continue to become more competitive as mid-September approaches.

Sept. 3 crude oil prices fell by 32 cents, to $109.39 per barrel. The nationwide average price for a gallon of diesel the week of Sept. 1 was $4.12 per gallon, which is 43 percent higher than one year ago. The average price in California for a gallon of diesel is $4.28. Averaging five miles per gallon, long haul trucks are spending 85 cents per mile on fuel.

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AT TOMATO CONFERENCE Billy Heller of Pacific Tomato/Triple E talked about the tomato industry with Kenn Kowalske of International Paper during a welcoming reception held Sept. 3 at the 33rd Joint Tomato Conference in Naples, FL. See Lead Story. Howard Fineman, senior Washington correspondent and columnist for Newsweek, will speak at the FFVA convention later this month. See Today's Headlines.

FPFC luncheon
The Fresh Produce & Floral Council's Aug. 13 luncheon again showed the generous spirit of the produce and floral industries.
Click here to view Industry Photo pages.

WPPC United's annual Washington Public Policy Conference will take place Sept. 10-12 at the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC. For more information, cxall 202/303-3400 or visit United

FFVA The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association's 65th annual convention will take place Sept. 21-23 at the Ritz-Carlton in Naples, FL. For more information, call 321/214-5200 or visit FFVA

FRESH SUMMIT The Produce Marketing Association's annual convention and trade show will be held Oct. 24-27 in Orlando, FL. For more information, call PMA at 302/738-7100 or visit PMA

PACA DECISIONS The PACA branch of the the USDA-AMS prohibits unfair and fraudulent practices, and provides a means of enforcing contracts.Click here for the agency's latest decisions.

CREDIT INFORMATION FROM THE NO. 1 SOURCE Since 1901, the Produce Reporter Co. has been the leader in providing timely, accurate and reliable credit and marketing information to the fresh produce and exempt transportation industries. For additional information, click here.

SEARCH THE PN.COM ARCHIVES FOR FREE Looking for a story on a specific topic? The Archives section contains all the stories that have appeared on this site, dating back to Jan.1, 2000, and may be searched by keyword, then read on-line or downloaded to your own computer at no charge, as a value-added service to readers of The Produce News. Search now.

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Florida tomato industry upbeat
One might think that Reggie Brown would be upset about the Florida tomato industry these days, but in fact, he is actually quite upbeat about it. more

Pristine about to make return engagement
Last year marked the first year that the late-season green seedless Pristine table grape was on the market in significant volume. This year's return engagement shapes up to be even more impressive. more

Thomas Darlington, an innovator in the cranberry industry, was 84
It was an ironic twist of fate that brought Thomas Darlington into the cranberry and blueberry industries. more

Medfly gone from California borders, but new Oriental fruit fly quarantine announced
Recent weeks have brought good news and bad news with regard to agriculture pests in California as an Oriental fruit fly infestation was announced less than two weeks after the Mediterranean fruit fly was declared eradicated from the state. more

FFVA's 65th annual convention to tackle tough, timely issues
Food safety, sustainability and immigration reform will take center stage at the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association's 65th annual convention Sept. 21-23 at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Naples, FL. more

Correction
In its July 7, 2008 issue, The Produce News published an article, "Karla Stockli joins Cal Fig Advisory Board." Due to an unfortunate error by our Western Editor, Brian Gaylord, substantial portions of this article were inadvertently copied from an article which ran in the June 30, 2008 issue of The Packer, "Fig advisory board names general manager", written by Don Schrack of The Packer.

Mr. Gaylord's error also resulted in the same story being posted on the web site of The Produce News on July 3, 2008. This story posted on The Produce News web site also contained substantial portions of the story posted on The Packer's web site June 25, 2008, "Fig advisory board names general manager."

The Produce News wishes to clear the record. Substantial portions of the articles published in our July 3 web site and our July 7 issue were not Mr. Gaylord's work, but were the work of The Packer's writer, Mr. Schrack.

The Produce News is deeply embarrassed by this situation and wishes to extend its sincere apologies to our worthy competitors at The Packer. more

IN THE TRENCHES: Tomatoes were presumed guilty before proven innocent
By Ron Pelger

Before airplanes had sophisticated technical instruments and flight control systems, pilots flew planes literally by feel. Pilots felt their way through the sky by the plane's response to their actions at the controls.

The largest point of contact between the pilot and the plane was in the feel through the seat of the pants. Thus, the phrase "flying by the seat of your pants" was originated.

And it was certainly fitting with the recent tomato fallout.

Since April, tomatoes have taken it on the chin with a fierce blow that knocked the category down without giving it a fighting chance.

When the U.S. Food & Drug Administration recommended that consumers not eat raw red Roma, raw red plum and raw red round tomatoes, it literally blew away sales of the entire category. Even though a list of safe growing area sources was released, consumers were wary and still resisted tomatoes.

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Valerie Grenier balances family with her produce career
By Joel Gebet

There are no tomatoes in Valerie Grenier's home garden.

That is not because the 29-year-old does not like them; quite the contrary, she has an unlimited supply of them at her disposal at her job.

Ms. Grenier is the sales and marketing director at Les Serres du St.-Laurent, recognized throughout Quebec by its "Savoura" label and renowned for its premium greenhouse-grown tomatoes.

She was promoted in May to her current position at Savoura after spending seven years as its principal accounts manager, a position she took after finishing her degree in food sciences at Laval University in January 2001.

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