Not so bad

Coincidence or a winning trade agreement? In either case, Mexican growers are apparently pleased with the results of the North American Free Trade Agreement:
This press translation of a Mexican newspaper story was recently featured in a report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service in Mexico:

While many agricultural workers are protesting against NAFTA by taking their tractors to the streets, others are taking them to the fields and taking advantage of free trade; specifically, fruit and vegetable producers. Since the beginning of NAFTA, Mexican fruit exports to the United States have grown 177 percent, while vegetable exports have grown 122 percent. Mexico is the world’s main avocado producer, and U.S. imports of Mexican avocados have multiplied 500 times since NAFTA was created. In 2007, 12 percent of all Mexican exports to the United States were avocados, and Mexico has conquered 66percent of the total U.S. market, displacing Chile as the main supplier. Meanwhile, 88 percent of the U.S. tomato market is covered by Mexican exports, which totaled 863,000 MT last year. Manuel Tarriba, President of an agricultural worker’s association in Sinaloa explained that “we as producers
did our homework, and we invested in food safety, plant health, postharvest treatments and state-of-the-art equipment.” Jeffrey Jones, Under Secretary of Agribusiness Development, believes that this sector is also the least “politicized”, which is something that has allowed the industry to do well. (Source: Reforma, 2/2/08)

Strawberries rising

Support from Cancer fighters

This press release loudly touts the benefits of plant based foods based on their cancer fighting attributes. From the release:

For most Americans, meals tend to center around meat. To significantly decrease a person’s risks of developing colorectal cancer, experts at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center suggest a new approach to meal planning that focuses more on fruit and vegetable dishes.
According to recent findings issued by the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), consuming more than 18 ounces, or a little over a pound, of red meat (pork, beef, lamb and goat) each week can significantly increase a person’s risks for developing colorectal cancer. In addition, every ounce and a half of red meat a person eats over 18 ounces increases their risks by 15 percent.

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and National Nutrition Month, and nutritionists at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center are encouraging people to increase portion sizes of the vegetable, fruit, whole grain and/or bean dishes being served and decrease the portion size of meat.

Focus on Fruit and Vegetable Dishes
“Instead of asking what goes well with pork chops, ask what goes well with broccoli and sweet potatoes,” said Sally Scroggs, senior health education specialist in M. D. Anderson’s Cancer Prevention Center. “That way, your serving of meat becomes more of a side dish and not the center of the meal.”

“Red meat contains substances linked to colon cancer,” Scroggs said. “For example, some studies suggest that the heme iron (the compound that gives red meat its color) may increase the risk of developing colon cancer.”

AICR recommends that two-thirds of a meal consist of plant-based foods. Consuming less red meat and more plant-based foods can significantly decrease a person’s risks of developing colorectal cancer.

TK: This well-aimed message advises to increase fruit and vegetable consumption and to decrease meat consumption. The two pronged approach is more aggressive than conventional industry efforts toward generic promotion, which encourage greater consumption of f/v (more matters) but leave out the barbed message about meat. Why can't the industry say both?

Chat - Melinda Ivey

I've posted a new chat session with Melinda Ivey on the chat archive link. Melinda is the E-Product Manager for Vance's Produce Division, and she gives some perspectives on the scope of the online audience and what she sees coming around the corner. You will find the Q and A with Melinda at the bottom of the chat archive page.

me: Melinda - are you there?

10:03 AM theverymel: Hello!

10:04 AM me: Great - thanks for taking part in another Fresh Talk chat session. First of all, where did you grow up?

10:05 AM theverymel: Thanks for having me! I grew up in Republic, MO, a little town just west of Springfield

It was quite rural then but it's more populated now

10:06 AM me: What was your educational pathway to where you are now - and for our readers, give us a little bit of a job description of what you do for Vance

10:07 AM theverymel: I graduated from Mo State University in Springfield with a degree in communications, and I started out in Marketing positions out of college.

10:09 AM In the mid-90's when the web boom came into full swing, I found myself producing and launching websites as part of my marketing duties, and I fell into multimedia from there

10:10 AM Today I am the E-Product Manager for Vance's Produce division, and I love my job!

10:11 AM me: You do a good job of evaluating a lot of statistics about Web usage for e-newsletters and The Packer's Web site(s). Do we have an estimate about how many readers of the print Packer are now "online"?

I mean to say, how many regularly get online on The Packer's various sites..

10:12 AM theverymel: We average about 15,000 unique visitors to the site each month

me: How do you think the world of electronic publishing may change in the next few years?

10:14 AM theverymel: E-publishing is expected to grow by leaps and bounds. Publishers are looking to take advantage of the cost-effectiveness and vast reach of e-media. Production and distribution is much cheaper than print.

Ad dollars on the web are only expected to increase in the coming years

10:15 AM me: What Web sites do you find useful to your job - do you get any e-newsletters related to Web development, etc?

10:17 AM theverymel: Yes - I find Jakob NIelson's Alertbox very useful, it is more about usability, but also I get MediaPost and newsletters from Email Labs, about trends in e-mail communications and e-publishing

10:18 AM me: Do you try to get away from the computer at home? What do you like to do away from the office?

10:20 AM theverymel: Lol you would think I would try to get away from the computer at home! Sometimes I do feel like I need to hold a book or talk to a real human being! But I still spend a lot of time on the computer after hours, reading, researching, or chatting

Otherwise I do have a teenage son at home and he takes a lot of my time

10:21 AM me: I can relate - we have a soon to be 18 year old.. One more thought about epublishing - how is the trade press different than the consumer press when it comes to how the Web is used - are there any distinctions or is it mostly the same?

10:24 AM theverymel: B to B communications on the web is vastly different than consumer. With consumer publishing, you have a wider pool overall to shoot for. With B to B, sometimes it's harder to reach your audience and harder to measure the results

10:25 AM me: If our readers have any questions about Packer Web sites or e-newsletters, where should they go first?

10:28 AM theverymel: They are more than welcome to contact me, I can be reached at mivey@thepacker.com, but also editor Lance Jungmeyer is very involved in our e-communications, and he can be reached at ljungmeyer@thepacker.com

me: Great . Thanks Melinda for your time and I appreciate your insights!

10:29 AM theverymel: Anytime! Thank you!

Election Day

Don't forget the Election 2008 Web site today to follow the primaries in Texas and Ohio. Here is sample commentary from the site:

So what's the conclusion for Texas? Clinton's once huge lead has vanished. The state is now a statistical tie. However, because so many districts have 4 or 6 delegates and the districts where Obama is strong have the most, in a close election, he is likely to walk away with more delegates. Also, Obama has done extremely well in Western caucuses all year and there is no reason to doubt that he will do well in the Texas caucus as well. Thus even in a close election today, he may end up with more Texas delegates than she.

Now on to Ohio. The picture there is much brighter for Clinton. Her once double digit lead has been reduced, but most polls show her ahead by single digits. Ohio has fewer delegates than Texas, but it's 161 is still a large number. Ohio has a very different electorate than Texas. With oil at $100 a barrel, there is still quite a bit of swagger in Texas. Rust-belt Ohio has been hit hard economically with many plant closings. The state has far more older blue collar workers who are barely hanging on and they mostly support Clinton, so she is expected to do better here than in Texas.

Rethinking NAFTA or not

I can barely believe that NAFTA is still a lightning rod for public opinion, yet it continues to be so in all three countries. Amid the recent noise of this second Super Tuesday are the presidential campaigns of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain. McCain is the only one among the three who has expressed support for the free trade agreement.

Here is a quick rundown of some news coverage;
Barack Obama takes heat over NAFTA memo, Rezko - Chicago Tribune

But much of the heat didn't come from a shift from chilly Ohio to last-minute campaigning in humid Texas. Instead, it involved a top Obama adviser's recent visit with Canadian officials that included a discussion of the North American Free Trade Agreement, a trade pact that President Bill Clinton considered a signature accomplishment, but one that now has been the subject of calls for renegotiation by both candidates.

Two faces on NAFTA Chicago Tribune

Hillary Clinton is an odd one to accuse someone of being two-faced on this topic. After all, it was during her husband's presidency, and with his support, that the treaty was ratified. As recently as 2004 she made it clear she grasped its value. "I think on balance NAFTA has been good for New York and America," she said, while indicating she had some reservations as well. Now, of course, Clinton insists she never liked it.

Buckeye blues - The Daily Standard

WHEN VOTERS IN OHIO go to the polls today, they will have heard over and over again from Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton that their state's economic troubles are caused by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and other trade treaties.

But there was fresh evidence last week that NAFTA has had little to do with Ohio's doldrums, its job losses in particular. When the U.S. Air Force awarded a $40 billion contract for 179 new aerial refueling tankers, Ohio wasn't in the running as a site where the aircraft might be built. Instead, they'll be built in Alabama outside Mobile.

Why? The answer is simple: Alabama's business climate is good and Ohio's isn't. When major business projects are looking for the best site, job-hungry Ohio is rarely considered. And NAFTA has little or nothing to do with it.

Surely Obama and Clinton know this. If they don't, their understanding of the economy is lacking. If they do, their attacks on free trade were aimed to please NAFTA-hating union members. In truth, NAFTA is a boon to the Ohio economy. Roughly 55 percent of Ohio's exports go to Canada and Mexico, America's NAFTA partners. That exceeds the national share of exports--35 percent--to those countries.

Hort Import Situation

A little dated USDA FAS presentation, but useful ppt that captures recent trade trends.

Produce promotions - March 5-11

South America is nearly at war, the dollar is at historic lows and oil is at record highs. Just another week in 2008. Thankfully, the reassuring beat of produce promotions goes on. Here is a summary of produce ads in the suburban Kansas City region from March 5-11.

Price Chopper:
Mix or match berry patch: 1-lb strawberries, 5.6 oz. blackberries and 4.4 oz. blueberries at 2 for $4
Jumbo artichokes: 2/$4
Chilean peaches/nectarines: $1.69/lb
Chili peppers: 99 cents/lb
Earthbound Farm organic grape tomatoes: 2 for $4
Melissa's Perfect Sweet Onions: $1.99/lb
Broccoli crowns: 99 cents/lb
Green Giant sliced whole white mushrooms: $1.69/8 oz
Dole salads: 2 for $5


HyVee
Thompson green or red grapes from Chile: $1.28/lb
Stemilt jumbo granny smith apples: 99 cents/lb
Dole salads: 2 for $3
Ripe n' Ready peaches: $1.38/lb
California clementines: $7.88
California navel oranges: 5 lb bag: $2.48
Dole broccoli bunch: $1.38


Hen House
Hot House Grown beefsteak tomatoes: $1.49/lb
Broccoli bunch: 99 cents
Dole salads: 2 for $3
Costa Rican golden ripe pineapples: $3.99 each
Asparagus: $2.49/lb
Fresh green beans: 99 cents/lb
1015 Sweet onions: 49 cents/lb

Aldi
Red Delicious: $1.29/3 lb bag
Strawberries: $1.69/lb
Cauliflower: 99 cents/head
Grape tomatoes: 79 cents/10 oz

Agricultural Prices - February

Here is the link to the February 29 report on Agricultural Prices. Inflationary pressures will continue to bear down on consumers, with prices for growers noted up 17% compared with a year ago. From the report:

February Farm Prices Received Index Unchanged From Last Month

The preliminary All Farm Products Index of Prices Received by Farmers in February, at 145 percent, based on 1990-92=100, was unchanged from January. The Crop Index is up 1 point (0.6 percent) and the Livestock Index increased 1 point (0.8 percent). Producers received higher commodity prices for wheat, soybeans, corn, and hogs and lower prices were received for milk, lettuce, broccoli, and tomatoes. The overall index is also affected by the seasonal change based on a 3-year average mix of commodities producers sell. Increased monthly marketings of milk, cattle, broilers, and eggs offset decreased marketings of corn, soybeans, wheat, and cotton.
The preliminary All Farm Products Index is up 17 points (13 percent) from February 2007. The Food Commodities Index, at 145, decreased 1 point (0.7 percent) from last month but increased 17 points (13 percent) from February 2007.

Fresh Talk Wiki

The newly created Fresh Talk Wiki has its first subpage, related to Industry Training. Here is the info to note:

International Produce Training would like to offer all members of the fresh produce industry an opportunity for a training class, designed specifically for your company, for your specific needs, at your site. These lecture and "hands-on" training courses are designed to include the inspection and identification of defects of fresh produce. Classes are developed to account for the expertise level of your staff, and are structured to cover as many commodities as you feel necessary. For further information visit the web site for International Produce Training; www.ipt.us.com


TK: Feel free to go to the site and add your page or subpage for industry services or training.