HARTFORD, CT — What a difference a year makes. Twelve months ago, the eastern United States was experiencing a cool and rainy spring that had most crops running a bit later than usual. By contrast, the region this year has been dealing with a dry and warmer-than-usual spring and early summer which has brought crops on a good week or two later than usual.

As Connecticut Commissioner of Agriculture F. Philip Prelli put it simply, "Every year's a little different."

MONTEREY, CA -- The Produce Marketing Association's Foodservice Conference & Exposition, held here July 30-Aug. 1, set a record for attendance with registrations "approaching 1,700," according to PMA President Bryan Silbermann. One hundred and fifty-three exhibitors participated in the expo, which is also a record.

Jack V. Pandol, chairman emeritus of Pandol Bros. in Delano, CA, died in his sleep Wednesday, Aug. 4, "after an extended battle with Alzheimer's disease." He died at home, "surrounded by many family members," according to a written statement furnished by the family. He was 87.

HARTFORD, CT — Two major building projects — one that looks to begin as early as this fall, the other with a less definite time frame — are on track at the Connecticut Regional Produce Market, according to the state official who is overseeing both developments.

Gordon Robertson, vice president of sales and marketing for Sun World Inc. in Bakersfield, CA, said that he used to have to wait until the end of the month or even the end of the quarter to get a thorough picture of sales department figures. Today, he pulls up a screen on his computer and has instant access to the sales numbers as well as how profitable each sale was measured against the exact cost of producing that product.

A fungus is threatening the U.S. basil crop for both home growers and commercial operations.

"In the U.S., downy mildew on basil first reared its ugly head on a commercial farm in Florida in 2007," Margaret McGrath, associate professor in the department of plant pathology and plant-microbe biology at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, told The Produce News. “It appears that other commercial growers also had it, but because it's new to the U.S., they didn’t know what it was when they first detected it.”