Pasquinelli Produce pairs with Yuma Lettuce Days for Salúd to the Field Workers Backbone of Ag to be recognized at annual "feastival"

 
YUMA, ARIZONA – New to Yuma Lettuce Days in 2016, Salúd to the Field Workers presented by Pasquinelli Produce will feature a series of presentations and exhibits recognizing the tireless labor of those in the fields through first-hand storytelling.

"We are extremely proud to be partnering with Pasquinelli Produce," said Linda Morgan, Executive Director of Yuma Visitors Bureau. "Having their support in ensuring Salúd is a meaningful and successful part of Yuma Lettuce Days demonstrates the company's commitment to its workers and others in the industry."

Scheduled to take place on Yuma Lettuce Days' second day of festivities (Feb. 28), Salúd to the Field Workers presented by Pasquinelli Produce highlights the importance of field workers in driving Yuma County's multi-billion dollar agricultural industry.

Live presenters will share stories and answer questions about their work, while an art display offers intimate portrayals of the unseen world of those who labor to bring food to the tables of millions across the continent.

"We greatly understand the importance of field workers and their contributions to the success of agriculture in Yuma," said Gary Pasquinelli, owner of Pasquinelli Produce. "Supporting an activity which shares our company's beliefs makes all the sense in the world and we encourage residents and visitors to join us at Yuma Lettuce Days to recognize this community of dedicated, hardworking people."

The partnership between Yuma Visitors Bureau and Pasquinelli Produce comes on the heels of an announcement that Executive Chef Michael Cairns of Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia will headline live cooking demonstrations on Saturday and Sunday of this year's annual event.

Yuma Lettuce Days kicks off on Feb. 27 at the University of Arizona’s Yuma Agricultural Center  and concludes on Feb. 28 with Salúd to the Field Workers presented by Pasquinelli Produce. Ticketing information coming soon.

Other activities planned for Yuma's homegrown celebration include live cooking demonstrations and contests, a ginormous salad bar and the Recipe Box tasting event on Saturday that showcases specialties from local restaurants, plus beer and wine. Throughout the weekend, there will be plenty of ag-related vendors on hand, live entertainment, and a special Kids Ag-tivities area, along with a petting zoo with baby farm animals. Also on the Lettuce Days menu are farm tours, demonstrations of high-tech farming equipment and methods, a “test planting” of numerous strawberry varieties and a giant flower garden that Yuma's Master Gardeners will utilize for demonstrations.

Put Arizona's freshest destination food event on your calendar now!  Sure as Yuma sunshine, there will be a plate full of fun!  Plans are still germinating, check for added ingredients at YumaLettuceDays.com.

Hi-tech wellness monitor allows children to keep watchful eye on elderly parents via smartphone

Our parents have cared for us all of their lives. Now, for those of us with parents of advancing age, it's our turn to care for them.

But what are the best options for providing 'round-the-clock supervision and support to an elderly parent?

"The average yearly cost of an assisted living facility is $43,200 per year, and the cost of a nursing home with private room is over $90,000 a year according to the 2015 Genworth Cost of Care Survey," said health care systems expert Jason Carroll, Senior Sales Manager of the fast growing health technology company, Vitall, Inc. "But even for families where such costs are not prohibitive, parents are often reluctant to be relocated from their own homes, which are filled with years of happy memories, and placed into an unfamiliar environment, living with strangers."

As an inexpensive alternative to relocating parents to nursing homes and assisted living facilities, Carroll's company has developed HeyMomDad, (www.heymomdad.com), the world's first two-way communication and wellness monitoring system for seniors. The system allows children and loved ones to see and hear, in real time, that their elderly parents are safe and well simply by opening an app on their smartphone any time during the day or night.

"The system allows your mom or dad to press one button to talk to you or, if necessary, notify you if help is needed," said Carroll. "Once the notification appears on your phone, you just tap the HeyMomDad icon and you can instantly see, hear, and talk to your parent through the high quality HD video and two-way audio component that's part of HeyMomDad."

Carroll said the HeyMomDad monitoring solution isn't like other systems that simply call a monitoring service or dial 911.

"Most seniors are very reluctant to call 911 in an emergency because they're embarrassed or they don't want to cause a fuss or incur an expense - which can be as high as $1,200 even for false alarms where paramedics were dispatched," said Carroll. "But with the HeyMomDad solution, seniors have a choice: press the blue button on the Instant Alert Pager to alert only family and friends, or press the red button to alert family, friends and 911."

Carroll said the system's high definition camera can be controlled through the smart phone and directed to any location in the room, permitting a full 270 degree view. The camera even boasts night vision for clear viewing in dark rooms where lights have been turned off.

"What we're offering families with elderly members is a way to stay close; a way to know in a second if your parent or grandparent is doing well. One button push and they're connected to you." said Carroll.

"Just as importantly, HeyMomDad is a way for our parents to keep their independence and live life the way they want - with honor and dignity in their own homes. Not only does it address the needs of seniors and their caregiving family members, it's an excellent, low-cost alternative to engaging a nurse or moving to a senior living facility."

The HeyMomDad monitoring solution is easy to install with simple plug-and-play functionality. The only requirement is a reliable connection to the Internet via any existing Ethernet modem (not included).

For additional specifications, system options, and pricing information, please visit www.HeyMomDad.com.

What challenges does climate change pose for global production and procurement?

The 35th Fresh Produce Forum has the answers

Berlin, 18 January 2016 – The 35th Fresh Produce Forum will kick off the FRUIT LOGISTICA 2016 supporting programme on 2 February, the day before the opening of the leading trade fair for the international fresh produce industry. The main focus will be on “Climate change – The challenges for global production and procurement”.

Climate zones are shifting, resulting in changes in growth and production cycles across entire cultivation areas. For the produce industry, this means fundamental changes in global sourcing.

Climatologists Dr. Benjamin Leon Bodirsky and Dr. Susanne Rolinski (both from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research) will explain how these changes impact the produce industry and retail trade. Stewart Collis, whose company aWhere provides weather and agronomic data, Thomas  Averhoff from UNIVEG Deutschland and Alfredo Miralles from the Spanish grape grower Uvasdoce will describe the specific effects these changes have on production, procurement and ultimately on the consumer.

The 35th Fresh Produce Forum takes place Tuesday, 2 February, from 15:00 to 18:30 in Hall 7.3a in Saal Berlin. All presentations will be translated simultaneously into English, German, French, Italian and Spanish.

Participation fee is EUR 90 and includes a three-day pass for FRUIT LOGISTICA. Register here.