Loughridge Bunge jumping

John Loughridge has found a new challenge. Here is a release that John sent out this afternoon describing his new opportunity.

After leaving Coral Gables, Fla.-based Del Monte Fresh Produce NA Inc. last August, the release said Loughridge has joined Bunge Ltd. as vice president, food products for Latin America and the Caribbean. Loughridge will work out of Bunge’s Coral Gables, Florida office.

The release notes Bunge is the world's oilseed processor, the largest producer and supplier of fertilizers to farmers in South America, the world’s leading seller of bottled vegetable oils to consumers, and an emerging leader in biofuels.

We'll get more reaction from John next week on his new job description and if he will cross paths with the world of produce.

No invitation needed

Sources in Europe said California's loss from the freeze is their gain, thank you very much. This story notes the fact that Spain and Morocco have "already begun sending" fruit to the U.S. As one wholesaler told me earlier in the week, the market will surprise when it comes to providing options to crops lost to the cold.

House Ag Committee names members, leaders

All the members and subcommittee assignments for the House Agriculture Committee are set. Here is the report from the Democratic leadership, this is the release from the Republicans. Industry advocate Rep. Dennis Cardoza will be chair of the subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture.

The Democrats:
Subcommittee Chairman: Representative Dennis Cardoza
Subcommittee Members (majority only): Representatives Bob Etheridge, Lincoln Davis, Tim Mahoney (FL), John Barrow (GA), and Kirsten Gillibrand.
Jurisdiction: Fruits and vegetables, honey and bees, marketing and promotion orders, plant pesticides, quarantine, adulteration of seeds, and insect pests, and organic agriculture


The Republicans:
Rep. Randy Neugebauer, TX, Ranking Member
Rep. Randy Kuhl, NY
Rep. Virginia Foxx, NC
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, CA
Rep. Mike Conaway, TX


Meanwhile, Senate subcommittee assignments can be found here.

Hy Vee bargain

This is the sight that greeted me as I walked into our HyVee this morning, and I was glad to see it. Navel oranges at 39 cents per pound, after the big California freeze! I grabbed a few and checked out, remarking about the great price on oranges. The cashier said knowingly they were from Australia. I pretty much thought that was out of the question. Navels from Down Under in the middle of California's season? I resisted the urge to break out my "professional produce journalist card" They were California navels, though when she rang up the sale, the plu identified them as Australia navel oranges. Great timing for consumers for HyVee's citrus sale.

Farm bill talks and third party audits

This report on the farm bill legislative process notes the House and Senate Ag Committee staffers will meet weekly so they can avoid getting too far apart as lawmakers draft the 2007 version. I suppose that could be either good or bad for the produce industry. I think the Senate will produce a farm bill that is friendlier to specialty crops growers.

Whatever the fruit and vegetable industry gets, it appears the the industry is expected to lose its planting prohibition on farm program acreage. At least that's the sense I get from talking to a Farm Bureau lobbyist the other day. Would a couple of hundred million in the farm bill be worth the loss of the planting prohibition? It brings to mind the little used term "Pyrrhic" victory- a win with devastating cost to the victor.

Wikipedia:

The phrase is a reference to King Pyrrhus of Epirus, whose army suffered irreplaceable casualties when he defeated the Romans during the Pyrrhic War at Heraclea in 280 BC and Asculum in 279 BC.


Meanwhile, this story on Wegmans soon-coming requirement that growers will need an independent audit of all farmers' agricultural practices before buying their crops. Wegmans isn't bluffing when it lays out what it needs from growers, but it was pointed out in the story that there is a real shortage of third party inspectors in New Jersey and other states.

Leafy greens and green onions will need a "pedigree" first, according to a Wegmans official.

A core issue continues to be the need to avoid the costly burden of multiple third party audits. Retailers must resist the urge to create unnecessary costs in the system by demanding unique third party audits of growers.