WASHINGTON -- After failing to reach a deal on the farm bill last year, Congress will begin writing a bill that specialty crop producers hope can survive the budget-cutting mood on Capitol Hill.

"I expect the House and Senate to work very hard to produce a farm bill before it expires on September 30," said Robert Guenther, senior vice president of public policy for the United Fresh Produce Association.

But the challenge will be navigating the complex bill through both chambers of Congress made up of lawmakers who have differing views of agriculture, he explained.

Chinese New Year celebrations will begin Jan. 23, ushering in the Year of the Dragon. The holiday is the longest and most important on the Chinese calendar, and is a time of giving, cleansing and communion. The dragon, part of the Chinese horoscope, is a symbol of luck. Festivities continue until the conclusion of Chinese New Year Feb. 9.

Nielsen Holdings N.V., a leading global provider of information and analytics around what consumers watch and buy, has acquired the Perishables Group Inc., an expert in fresh food consulting and category development.

Nielsen acquired all company assets including data, advanced analytic IP, tools and ongoing client work. All employees of the Chicago based company will join Nielsen’s North America Consumer Analytics team.

Tom Deardorff II, president of Deardorff Family Farms in Oxnard, CA, told The Produce News the company is continuing to increase the production of all of its core organic items.

“We are now starting to harvest strawberries in Oxnard, and supplies will be good through May,” said Mr. Deardorff. “We also have various pack style additions, including for our celery hearts, romaine hearts and our eight-ounce strawberries.”

“We continue to see increased demand in our organics line, and we are maintaining steady growth overall,” Gurdeep Billan, director of sales for Double D Farms in Fresno, CA, told The Produce News. “This is great time in produce history to be in the organics business.”

Double D Farms’ programs have not changed in recent times, but Mr. Billan noted that the company continues to increase its acreage in its availability window.