Visualize yourself walking down a long narrow corridor and arriving at three doors. Each door has a sign on it.

The sign on the first door says, “Enter here to raise inflation prices to gain excessive gross profit. No outlet.”  The sign on the second door says, “Enter here to raise inflation prices to cover increased costs. Access in and out.”  The sign on the third door says, “Enter here to resist raising inflation prices. Warning: No floor inside.”

As the industry continues to adapt to the changing world and new ways of conducting business, the American Floral Endowment (AFE) took the opportunity to also take a deeper look at how they can better support industry members and businesses through their floriculture programs and funding. Through an eight-month Strategic Planning effort, new priorities, goals, and initiatives were identified to provide for continued growth in the industry.
 

Yesterday the USDA announced that Canada will soon resume exporting Prince Edward Island table stock potatoes into the United States after determining that PEI potatoes pose “little risk of introducing potato wart disease into the U.S.” Potato wart is a soil-borne disease that reduces yield and marketability and for which there is no cure.

GEM-Pack Berries of Irvine, CA, is a grower-focused, family-proud organization that holds quality, sustainability and consistency of deliverability as key priorities to its sought after California strawberries.  

The Fresh Produce Association of the Americas held its annual Spring Policy Summit on March 16. Speakers of various backgrounds covered some of the important and relevant topics impacting the fresh produce industry. This year, the event was focused on supply chain logistics, updates for food safety, social responsibility, and a detailed discussion about the United States International Trade Commission squash and cucumber report.

Reflecting on a busy but fulfilling week at SEPC’s Southern Exposure, I wondered why this show felt different. Everyone seemed exited and energized, but at the same time relaxed and thankful. Gone were the days of making sure everything was perfect and overscheduling every minute of the week. Instead, there was an atmosphere of reconnecting with old friends — we were just happy to be with each other.