WASHINGTON -- Produce companies, particularly growers, will have to brace for major cost increases in 2014 as a result of the just-passed health care reform measure unless Congress tackles the seasonal worker issue.

The new law (H.R. 3590), which passed the House of Representatives March 21 by a 219-214 vote, was signed into law March 23 by President Obama. With the ink barely dry on the 2,400-page law, Democrats working on another piece of legislation (H.R. 4872) composed of tax and revenue "fixes" that were being debated on the Senate floor at press time.

Since the early 18th century, the manner in which goods were arranged was found to be very important to attract people and entice them into making purchases. This visual merchandising principle is not new, as it is still practiced even today throughout the retail industry all over the world - especially in supermarkets.

CARMEL VALLEY, CA -- At its annual membership meeting held here March 22, the Fresno, CA-based California Grape & Tree Fruit League presented Dennis Parnagian, president of Fowler Packing Co. Inc. in Fresno, with its 2010 Mentor Award in recognition of his dedicated service and committment to the California fresh grape and deciduous tree fruit industry.

There will be no exception to U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service rules on Chilean fruit grade standards.

David Holzworth, general counsel for ASOEX, the Chilean Exporters' Association in Santiago, announced March 24 in a brief memo to the trade that "USDA has decided not to suspend Table Grape Import Regulation No. 4. However, other alternatives are still under consideration."

Chilean importing interests had requested the suspension on humanitarian grounds to help Chilean growers recover losses from the Feb. 27 earthquake.

Utah Onions announced that it has entered into a sales collaboration with Granger, WA-based grower R.A. Rasmussen & Sons under which Utah Onions will now handle all onion sales for the grower's 800 acres of yellow and red onions.

"We are pleased to announce that we have made some upgrades to our sales program," Greg Rasmussen, owner of R.A. Rasmussen & Sons, wrote in a recent letter to the firm's customers. "We are working diligently to make this a smooth transition for all of our loyal customers."

The Florida Senate passed a first-of-its-kind food-safety bill March 23 that gives teeth to self-imposed regulations put in place by the state's tomato industry in the wake of a Salmonella scare two years ago.

A virtually identical bill is already through committee and on the floor of the state House of Representatives.