A new report for the first time charts what the industry has known for years: California farmers for the past 12 years have been switching from older pesticides and moving to safer, more modern compounds to pursue Integrated Pest Management strategies.

The five-page report, titled Pesticide Use Trends in California Agriculture, compared the total use of 40 organophosphate and carbamate pesticides and found their use has declined by 66 percent from 1998 to 2009. The numbers come from California regulators who began requiring all agricultural pesticide use reported in 1990.

A California Court of Appeals reversed an earlier Superior Court decision thereby abandoning a $12 million judgment that Fresh Express Inc. had received against an insurance carrier to recover losses resulting from the 2006 E. coli outbreak associated with fresh spinach.

A three-judge panel ruled Sept. 8 that the Monterey County Superior Court had erred in interpreting the recall insurance policy that Salinas, CA-based Fresh Express had in place at the time with Lloyds of London.

Joe Tamble

Sun-Maid Growers of California, a cooperative owned by nearly 1,000 family raisin grape growers

WEATHER

Daytime temperatures in Salinas, CA, remained in the low 60s through Sept. 16 then were expected to rise into the low 70s by early the following week. Overnight lows should range in the low to mid-50s. Patchy morning fog and sunny afternoons should continue through Sept. 20.

In Mendota, CA, daytime temperatures were forecast to drop briefly into the low 80s Sept. 16-18 before returning to the low 90s Sept. 19.

Overnight lows are dropping and should range in the upper 50s to 60.

TRANSPORTATION & FUEL

During a one-week period in April of this year, Californians purchased 1.6 percent fewer pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables from supermarkets but paid 2.3 percent more dollars for it.

This was just one of the jewels excavated from a newly released market report conducted by the Fresh Produce & Floral Council.