The 2012 presidential election did not go the way most Florida farmers would have preferred. The future of the Farm Bill is cloudy and workable immigration reform seems years away. Foreign competition is increasing and the Sunshine State faces challenges ranging from diseases like the citrus-destroying HLB to the ongoing tangle of water-quality restrictions imposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. But Adam Putnam, commissioner of agriculture and consumer services, is optimistic about the future of Florida produce.

WASHINGTON — Food shipments may be refused at U.S. ports if registered foreign food facilities do not renew their registrations with the Food & Drug Administration by Dec. 31, Amy Barringer, a director in FDA's Office of Compliance, warned during a Nov. 19 webcast.

The United Fresh Produce Association sponsored the more than an hour-long webcast on the looming facility registration requirements with David Gombas, vice president of food safety and technology at United Fresh, to keep the industry abreast of the change.

Gourmet Trading, a North American distributor of fresh asparagus, blueberries and blackberries, announced the beginning of its Chile blueberry season.

With kale rising tremendously in popularity, Salinas, CA-based Taylor Farms has added a line of kale mixes to help make the superfood a bit more consumer friendly.

The firm’s director of marketing, Christina Calcagno, said that some shoppers might be unfamiliar with the product but by blending it with more well know items, the firm is expecting that more consumers will be willing to try it.

Business is booming in south Texas, a fact that has not gone unnoticed by some of the produce industry’s leading players. Kansas City, MO-based Keith Connell Inc. is no exception.

The company recently launched Keith Connell Texas in Pharr to take advantage of the ever-increasing trade coming across the border.

Connell Texas just launched a few weeks ago, with Rio Grande Valley industry veteran Roy Salinas holding the reins.

“Out of the blue they contacted me and wanted to open up a branch here in Texas and asked if I was ready for a change,” Mr. Salinas said.

Giant Produce Inc., headquartered in Parma, ID, is capitalizing on the distinctive taste of the region's signature Spanish Sweet onions and the pizazz of caramelization with the introduction of its new value-added product, Onion Valley Caramelized Onions.

"It's relatively new," Don Brown, product development manager, told The Produce News. "We started production on Sept. 15."