WASHINGTON -- After Congress acted on few legislative priorities last year, produce industry advocates are hoping for a 2014 farm bill agreement this month and cautiously optimistic lawmakers may begin addressing the broken immigration issue in the first half of 2014.

Stakeholders may get a first glimpse at the farm bill conference report as early as the second week of January, when the House and Senate conference committee is expected to hold meetings on the five-year bill.

Del Rey Avocado Co. Inc. in Fallbrook, CA, has diversified its offerings this winter from its core offerings of avocados by taking on a blueberry deal out of Peru. Shipments started in October and were expected to continue through January, according to President Bob Lucy.

Stemilt Growers is kicking off its 50th year with the introduction of a retro anniversary carton for apples.

A white box adorned with the Stemilt logo and ladybug was originally designed by Stemilt's late founder Tom Mathison and used for many years to distinguish the brand at retail and other worldwide markets.

Wada Farms Marketing Group LLC, located in Idaho Falls, ID, works to provide its customers with steady movement of potatoes. “We are always running pretty consistently during the entire year,” Kevin Stanger, senior vice president sales and marketing, told The Produce News. “It will have its normal seasonality where we run a bit harder for holiday business and slow down a bit during the mid and late summertime. But overall we’re running every week.”

Southern Specialties, a Pompano Beach, FL-based distributor of a full line of specialty produce items, announced it has started shipping Fair Trade-certified French beans under its "Today's Gourmet" label.

Retailers who came on board with the Piñata apple variety are seeing the fruits of their labors rewarded. “Piñata has been in unbelievable demand, and the hard work retailers have done in past seasons is returning extra sales to them,” said Roger Pepperl, director of marketing for Stemilt Growers LLC in Wenatchee, WA. “We are having our big push on Piñata starting Jan. 1, but have sold thousands of cases already.”

The Piñata’s success story mirrors a positive image for the company’s fleshy apple manifest, comprised of both conventional and organic product.