WASHINGTON — Congress may be out of town for the Fourth of July recess, but staffers on the House Agriculture Committee are busy drafting a version of the 2012 farm bill that may look dramatically different from the bill (S. 3240) the Senate passed last month.

On July 11, The House Agriculture Committee is scheduled to begin marking up the five-year bill, a draft of which may be circulated as early as this week.

A summer-long national marketing campaign that challenges summer fitness fans and recreational enthusiasts to consider the banana as one of nature's best energy sources has its roots in a new study equating America's best-selling fruit with the most popular sports drinks.

AgraQuest, a Davis, CA-based global supplier of innovative biological pest-management solutions based on natural microorganisms, has been acquired by Bayer CropScience in a deal valued at close to $500 million.

Steven Ceccarelli and his wife, Bethany, owners of Farm Fresh Produce in Faison, NC, a marketer and distributor of a wide range of fruits and vegetables, are both under age 30, but neither of them lack experience in the produce industry.

About 10 years ago, when Mr. Ceccarelli was 18 years old, he started working with his father, Mario Ceccarelli, at his business, Golden Garden International in Montreal. His dad worked for C.H. Robinson for 21 years before starting his own firm.

The Washington State Potato Commission, based in Moses Lake, WA, announced that RYAN HOLTERHOFF is now director of marketing and industry affairs, effective June 14.

In his new position at the commission, Mr. Holterhoff will be responsible for working with various state potato organizations, potato growers, agricultural commodity groups, private companies, media contacts and other state agencies, according to a press release.

Ken Green, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Westmoreland Sales in Leamington, ON, said the company is currently promoting beefsteak tomatoes, tomatoes-on-the-vine in red, yellow and orange, sweet peppers, also in red, yellow and orange, English cucumbers, mini cucumbers, mini peppers, Roma grape tomatoes, grape tomatoes, cocktail tomatoes and Roma-on-the-vine tomatoes.