Distinguished guest bloggers

Thanks to The Packer's Fred Wilkinson for adding the post about bananas today, and I also extended guest blogging invites to members of United Fresh Produce Association's 14th Produce Industry Leadership class. I look forward to seeing some of their contributions over the course of time.

Thanks to Jay Martini as well for his recent contributions to the blog as well; I'm sure you will agree with me Jay could have a second calling as a writer....

Cookie Monster on 'Colbert Report'

A recent segment of Comedy Central news-ertainer Stephen Colbert's Colbert Report saw the host take Cookie Monster to task for pushing balanced diets and fruits' and vegetables' role in them in lieu of his traditional, one-plank "COOKIES!" position.

Colbert assails the muppet's mission creep, at one point calling fruit "un-American" and saying he eats fruit only in "loop or pebble form."



Maybe Produce for Better Health president and CEO Elizabeth Pivonka should have her people call Colbert's people.

Bananas -- slipping into history?

Hello. Packer copy chief Fred Wilkinson weighing in with my inaugural posting on Tom Karst's Fresh Talk.

Back in February, I reviewed author Dan Koeppel's book "Banana," where he warns that pest and disease threats are poised to make the cavendish bananas consumed worldwide history .

Koeppel makes his case again in a recent New York Times column, ending on this somber note:

" ... bananas have always been an emblem of a long-distance food chain.
Perhaps it’s time we recognize bananas for what they are: an exotic fruit that,
some day soon, may slip beyond our reach."

Check out Koeppel's blog for a roundup of banana-related news and links.

What are your reasons for optimism?

Matt Drudge of the Drudge Report highlighted a link to this story headlined "Everything seemingly is spinning out of control." The article, I think pretty much captures the sense of despair many in the country are feeling right now, as the writer enumerates the downers : high gas prices, Midwest flooding, the war in Iraq, well...Here is the lede, spelling it all out:

Is everything spinning out of control?

Midwestern levees are bursting. Polar bears are adrift. Gas prices are skyrocketing. Home values are abysmal. Air fares, college tuition and health care border on unaffordable. Wars without end rage in Iraq, Afghanistan and against terrorism.
Horatio Alger, twist in your grave.
The can-do, bootstrap approach embedded in the American psyche is under assault. Eroding it is a dour powerlessness that is chipping away at the country's sturdy conviction that destiny can be commanded with sheer courage and perseverance.

TK: And if the country is feeling doom and gloom, how much more the fresh tomato industry might be given to that inclination, given the last few weeks of the salmonella outbreak? Yet, as Americans, where is our optimism? As a member of the produce industry, what gives you hope?

I challenge anyone reading this post to leave a comment telling why you are hopeful about tomorrow, what makes you optimistic.

What make me optimistic? It starts with family for me. I know that as a parent - even with all the mistakes I made - that our children have the character they need to succeed in whatever future unfolds before them.

For the industry, I'm optimistic that "this too shall pass."Perhaps because of the salmonella outbreak linked to tomatoes, both industry and government will make changes that will prevent a similar outbreak in the future.

What could have been - NY apples

Andy Nelson of The Packer provides coverage of damage to the New York apple crop from last week's hail storm.

Talking with Jim Allen of the New York Apple Association this morning, he said the state took a significant hit from the June 17 hail storm, particularly in Wayne County - the largest apple producing county in the state.

Apple growers in that area lost the opportunity to turn the crop there into valuable fresh market inventory. The full extent of the damage is still being measured.

Allen noted the 2007 overall crop came in at close to 30 million bushels, and the industry was expecting something similar for 2008 before the hail storm. In general, about 57% of the apple crop in NY goes fresh and 43% goes to processing channels.

Given the state's overall expected crop, Wayne County was expected to produce about 13 million this year, before the hail storm. Typically, processing apples account for about 70% of the Wayne County crop while fresh market apples have a 30% share.

This year, 60% plus of what would have gone for fresh out of Wayne County will go to processed channels instead. More than 3 million bushels that would have gone fresh from Wayne County won't after the hail storm, Allen said. Allen said Wayne County will still produce about 3 million bushels of fresh market apples.

"We will be down, but we certainly won't be out," Allen said.

The processing market, which has been strong, figures to absorb a good amount of the fruit that had been slated for the fresh market, he said.

Look for more coverage in next week's Packer about the New York apple crop from Andy.

From the USDA's June 20 cold storage report, an update on apples in cold storage Note that some of these apples are controlled by processors: The USDA reported total apples in cold storages were 994 million pounds on May 31, off from 1.065 billion pounds the same time a year ago, or down about 7%. Michigan holdings of 21 million pounds were off by 53%, while New York apples in cold storage totaled 148 million pounds, up 150%. Pennsylvania cold storage holdings of 35 million were off slightly from year ago levels and Washington apples in cold storage on May 31 tallied 739 million, 14% lower than a year ago.

Ultimate anecdotal

Just how big is the "backyard garden" trend going to be this summer? We may never know, but news editors at newspapers across the country are assigning stories to their reporters that tend to confirm and reinforce the trend. I have my doubts how much volume backyard gardens will account for this year, though it is true we may be on the leading edge of a movement that sees more people attempt to garden. We see recurring stories on the Web about victory gardens, but most of these stories interview one or two backyard gardeners and don't really flesh out the extent of the purported increase in vegetable gardens. From The Berkshire Record in Massachusetts, this is a typical approach:

The price of gas is not the only rising cost that is altering Americans’ summer plans. The soaring cost of fruits and vegetables at supermarkets across the nation is prompting people to, quite literally, rely on the “fruits of their labor” for their fresh produce. New Marlborough resident Nory Loeung is one of those creating her own vegetable garden this year.

TK: More sophistication in backyard growing is noted by advocates of greenhouse gardening:

Greenhouse gardening is a terrific way to provide fresh fruits and vegetables for your family at a fraction of the cost of purchasing those same items from a commercial retailer, like Wal Mart. Growing your own fruits and vegetables in the greenhouse also allows you to grow organically and to control what, if any, pesticides are used in growing your family’s fruits and vegetables. Greenhouse gardening produces fruits and vegetables all year-round, providing fresh, balanced nutrition for the whole family.


TK: Another theme is that backyard gardens are increasing in response to food safety concerns. This news release from Penn State follows that thinking but issues a reminder:

The recent tomato contamination outbreak has many people thinking about growing their own garden-fresh fruits and vegetables. But a food-safety specialist in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences says it's not where the produce is grown, but how it's grown, so amateur cultivators should know a few important tips about home-garden food safety.

Since many of the bacteria and parasites that make people sick are transmitted through animal and human waste, it's important to protect the garden from wild animals and household pets, said Luke LaBorde, associate professor of food science. While people are sharing their harvest with them, they could be sharing potential illnesses via saliva and droppings.

"It's just common sense," LaBorde said. "We don’t want droppings to contact the produce, particularly if we're going to be eating it raw -- which we often are.

"Treat your garden like something you want to eat," he added. "You don’t want birds and animals snooping around your food. Deer are cute, and they'll be attracted to your lettuce and green peppers. But they'll leave something behind, so try to divert them to another area.

TK: Until we see statistics that put backyard gardening in a measurable context, I think the trend is being over-reported in relation to its importance. Few people can commit the time and energy to grow their own vegetable gardens, but the trend merits watching for commercial produce marketers.