WASHINGTON — Congressional staffers provided a glimpse Oct. 1 into the daily challenges of working on Capitol Hill as the United Fresh Produce Association readied members for more than 100 visits to congressional offices at the Washington Public Policy Conference.

Robert Guenther, United Fresh senior vice president of public policy, moderated the 35 and Under Fresh Impact Panel, where six speakers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Congress, a lobbying firm and the produce industry answered questions about their jobs.

FOREST PARK, GA — A little more than 50 years ago, Hiram Folds saw a niche with a need, found a way to fill it and in so doing created one of the Southeast’s largest retail, wholesale and foodservice produce providers. But General Produce Inc. is still in the business of filling niches.

In the early 1960s, Mr. Folds joined a near-bankrupt supply company that sold nothing but potatoes, citrus and onions. He realized there was a need in Atlanta for a company specializing in bananas and General Produce was born.

FOREST PARK, GA — David Rose, president of broker Merrin-Cravens Co., which has been supplying the wholesale and food service industry with top-quality produce from around the world since 1923 from its spot on the Atlanta State Farmers Market, understands that his business is entirely built on relationships.

While most of the rest of the world has moved beyond personal contact and does business by e-mail or even text message, brokers like Merrin-Cravens are in constant daily contact with customers around the country by phone, person-to-person.

FOREST PARK, GA — After almost a half-century in the business, Howard Mundt of Harvest Brokerage Inc. on the Atlanta Farmers Market is thinking about hanging it up. Then again, he has been thinking about that for years now.

The New Jersey Agricultural Society is an active non-profit in New Jersey agriculture with a mission to educate the non-farm public about the importance of agriculture to the state's economy and quality of life. At its most recent board of trustees meeting, new officers and trustees were elected and installed.

Bill Litvin, senior vice president of sales for Giorgio Fresh Co., headquartered in Temple, PA, announced some sad news about a long time staff member of the Giorgio family.