Food & Farm News
Real Audio» November 6, 2006 «
Trade panel rules in favor of lemon growers
Lemon farmers have won a preliminary ruling in a trade case involving charges of unfair lemon-juice imports. The U.S. International Trade Commission voted unanimously (Friday) that juice imports from Argentina and Mexico have injured producers here. The decision continues an investigation into charges that the imported juice has been "dumped" on the U.S. market at unfairly low prices. The next ruling in the lemon juice case should come early next year.
Farm leader says standards must be effective
California farmers say they're working as quickly as possible to establish new food-safety standards. A coalition of large food buyers has asked that extra standards for produce be in place by mid-December. Work on the standards intensified after the E. coli incident involving fresh spinach. California Farm Bureau President Doug Mosebar says farmers know that new standards have to be done right and as soon as possible. Mosebar says the new standards must be practical, effective and science-based.
Strawberry crop heads south for the winter
The onset of autumn rain ended strawberry production in the Watsonville-Salinas growing region last week. But farmers in Southern California continue to harvest fresh, ripe strawberries. The California Strawberry Commission says consumers should see fresh berries in retail stores throughout the winter. There may be occasional interruptions when rain reaches the Southern California production areas.
Olive oil marketers emphasize freshness
Fresh taste is among the selling points for California olive oil producers. Olive oil marketers say they expect demand for their product to continue increasing. Farmers use updated technology to plant more olive trees per acre, and to prune the trees to a height permitting them to be harvested by machine. That same technology allows the oil to be produced faster, which insures a fresher taste than imported olive oil.
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