Last week of production for Mexican colored bell peppers
(The following information is from Pro*Act's May 7 Market Report.)

APPLES
Critical times continue for small sized red apples (100 and Smaller). They are in a demand exceeds supply situation and will remain so throughout the remainder of the season. They will no doubt finish early this year with continued demand and severe supply shortages.

BANANA SQUASH
Very limited supplies, and most are very small in sizing. New fields have started with limited supplies out of northern Mexico with improved size, but supplies and size will be an issue through May. Look for a gap in supply coming in June to maybe the beginning of July when California will begin.

CARROTS
Twenty-five pound Rainbow Carrots will be in a supply gap through the month of May. Supply should become available again June 2.

CELERY
Supplies are still extremely short in the Oxnard growing region. Most shippers have lost 40 percent of their current supplies due to seeders in the celery. Prices will remain active for the rest of the week.

COLORED BELL PEPPERS
Mexico is in its last week of production, and what it is packing is tired, fair at best in quality and has no legs for traveling. California is 10-14 days away from beginning its crop out of Coachella.

FREIGHT
Diesel fuel has remained steady and is currently $4.149 per gallon. Crude oil is currently trading at $123.79 per barrel.

IDAHO POTATOES
Seventy-count and larger potatoes remain extremely limited, as shippers get farther into the storage product. Quality is not the problem, but misshapen and small product in storage has made for more No. 2 product with limited No. 1 product available.

For the full market report click here



FRESH DIRECTIONS -- Trucking supply looks to tighten starting in mid-May
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: Persistently cool daytime temperatures in the low to mid-60s will continue through May 12. Highs will move into the upper 60s to low 70s May 13-16. Daytime highs could reach the mid-70s starting May 16. Overnight lows will be in the mid-40s to low 50s. OXNARD, CA: Daytime highs will remain in the low 60s through May 9, then move into the upper 60s to low 70s through May 16. Overnight lows will be in the low to mid- 50s. BAKERSFIELD, CA: Daytime highs will remain in the upper 70s to low 80s through May 10, then move into the mid-80s May 11-14. Temperatures will begin to exceed 90 degrees beginning May 15.

DEMAND
West Coast row-crop shippers are seeing moderate to light demand on most key items. Any price strength is primarily supply driven. Foodservice distributors suggest that the economic slowdown and food inflation have decreased overall business.

TRANSPORTATION & FUEL
The truck supply in California will tighten significantly beginning in mid-May when the new crop of melons, grapes and stone fruits begin. May 7 crude oil prices rose by $1.93, to $123.76 per barrel. The nationwide average price for a gallon of diesel the week of May 5 was $4.15 per gallon, which is 48 percent higher than one year ago. At current prices, long-haul trucks are spending over 80 cents per mile on fuel. The average price in California for a gallon of diesel is $4.38.

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John Erb of Nunhems, which debuted a new tomato variety and colorful carrots, at the recent United show in Las Vegas, NV. See Today's Headlines. AT UNITED EXPO Rick Estess of Shuman Produce stopped at the Mixtec Group booth to visit the exhibiting company's Leonard Batti at the just-completed United Fresh Produce Association expo in Las Vegas, NV. The two men 'have known each other a very long time,' said Mr. Estess. Full coverage of the event will appear in the May 12 issue of The Produce News. (See also Industry Photos below on this Home Page.)

UNITED FRESH VEGAS 2008
The United Fresh Produce Association held its annual convention and trade show May 4-7 in Las Vegas, NV. Over 100 new companies exhibited at the show this year that didn't exhibit last year.
Click here to view Industry Photo pages.

CPMA The Canadian Produce Marketing Association will hold its annual convention and trade show May 14-16 at the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre in Calgary, Alberta. For more information, call 613/226-4187 or visit CPMA

FPFC The Fresh Produce & Floral Council's Southern California Expo & Seminars will be held July 15 in Anaheim, CA. For more information, call 714/739- 0177 or visit FPFC

PMA FOODSERVICE Produce Marketing Association's annual Foodservice Conference & Expo will take place July 25-27 in Monterey, CA. For more information, call PMA at 302/738-7100 or visit PMA

TEXAS CONVENTION The Texas Produce Convention will be held Aug. 21-23 at the Sheraton Beach Resort on South Padre Island, TX, with the theme, "Back to the Beach." For more information, call 956/581-8632 or visit TPA

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.

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Jackpot in Las Vegas -- United Fresh exceeds expectations
One might expect Tom Stenzel, president of the United Fresh Produce Association, to speak enthusiastically about his association's just-concluded convention and exposition, held here May 4-7. And he did. But so did many others. more

New tomato variety and colorful carrots debuted by Nunhems
With commercial production slated to kick off in late 2008 and first shipments leaving Mexican hothouses in January 2009, the driving forces behind the "Intense Tomato" are betting on solid reception on multiple market levels. more

Martin Streef loses battle with cancer
Mr. Streef got his start in the produce industry at the early age of 5 on his parents' market garden farm, where they grew vegetables by hand. more

Commodity-specific food-safety guidelines advocated at United workshop
Representatives of tomatoes, leafy greens and tree fruit crops advocated commodity-specific food safety guidelines at a United Fresh Produce Association seminar during the organization's annual convention May 4-7 in Las Vegas, NV. more

Industry reps to meet at CPMA annual convention
It is time to make the connection at the Canadian Produce Marketing Association's 83rd annual convention and trade show. "The convention is the largest of its kind in Canada and is the best opportunity for key members of the produce industry to interact and develop business and personal relationships, which last a lifetime," Ron Lemaire, CPMA executive vice president and director of marketing, told The Produce News. more

Steffanie Smith credits success to hard work, family and friends
Ms. Smith, chief executive officer of River Point Farms LLC in Hermiston, OR, was honored Monday night, May 5 at the United Fresh Produce Association's Women in Produce reception. more

IN THE TRENCHES: Selecting a produce manager is a crucial decision
By Ron Pelger

Are there enough good, talented produce managers available to go around the supermarket industry today? Trying to find a fully qualified and top-rated produce manager is like searching for a needle in a haystack.

I have said many times that the most important people in the produce industry are produce managers. Why am I so firm on this belief?

It is because I have always been surrounded by these retail store experts during my career in the food industry. I know exactly what kind of person it takes to achieve favorable produce results for a store.

It takes people with leadership qualities and superior skills.

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Angela Bezon turns passion for farming to United's advantage
By Terry Sokol

Angela Bezon was not actually born in a cabbage patch, but she laughingly describes herself as a "Cabbage Patch Kid."

Her mother, Sandy, was visiting her father, Joe, in the fields of the family onion and cabbage farm, Joseph Bezon & Sons in Elba, NY.

"As my mom was leaving the cabbage field, she went into labor. People brought me 'Cabbage Patch' dolls in the hospital," Ms. Bezon, the 26-year- old policy and grassroots manager at the United Fresh Produce Association in Washington, DC, said in an interview with The Produce News.

Ms. Bezon graduated from the State University of New York at Geneseo in 2004 with a degree in political science.

She has worked full time for United "four years come July," but is not surprised that people in the industry think it has been longer. "I've been around United on and off since 2001," when she attended the organization's annual public policy conference.

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