February 2022 - 33

INDUSTRY NEWS
SE Regional helps
producers keep up
After a virtual conference in
2021, the Southeast Regional Fruit
and Vegetable Conference was
back in Savannah, Georgia,
Jan. 6-9, for the 20th anniversary
of the event.
and Extension Center (NWREC)
in Aurora, Oregon, and also as a
professor in the Department of
Horticulture.
" We are pleased with the
continued attendance for this
event, " Drew Echols, president
of the Georgia Fruit & Vegetable
Growers Association, said in a
news release. " After our virtual
event in 2021, it is encouraging to
see our growers come to Savannah
and start their year with more
education and more resources,
ready to move forward from a
really hard year. "
The conference, coordinated and
sponsored by the Georgia Fruit &
Vegetable Growers Association
(GFVGA) and the Georgia Peach
Council, was held across three
days at the Savannah Convention
Center.
Session topics included specific
commodities like blueberries,
blackberries, raspberries, citrus,
muscadines, peaches, strawberries
and vegetables, and also operation
topics like business operations,
food safety, roadside markets and
organic production.
Beth Oleson, GFVGA Director
of Education and Food Safety,
said conference educational
coordinators continue to bring
top-tier speakers to each session
based on relevant needs of the
industry.
Dara leaving UC to lead
Oregon State's NWREC
With more than 25 years of
experience in research and
Extension, he brings expertise
in IPM, microbial control,
biostimulants and biological soil
amendments. Dara is recognized
for his development of innovative
solutions in sustainable crop
production and protection.
" We are excited to have
Surendra join the team and take
on the leadership role at one of
the most agriculturally diverse
experiment stations in the state, "
said Alan Sams, Dean of the
College of Agricultural Sciences
and director of the Oregon
Agricultural Experiment Station.
" Research stations play a critical
role in the local economy and
how we contribute to the success
of sustainable agriculture, " Dara
said. " I am eager to get started
and take this opportunity to make
a meaningful difference. "
Dara is filling the position left
open by Mike Bondi, who recently
retired after a distinguished
career serving OSU since 1978,
including the past 10 years as the
director of NWREC.
CFVGA annual event
to be be live, virtual
The Colorado Fruit & Vegetable
Growers Association (CFVGA) will
hold its eighth annual conference
Feb. 28-March 1, both in-person
at the Denver Renaissance Central
Park Hotel and online.
" The committee made the
decision last spring to offer an
event that
is fully
in-person
and also
available
online, "
CFVGA
Conference Committee Chair and
Founding Board Member Adrian
Card, said in a news release.
The conference will open with
a panel on Colorado Senate
Bill 21-087, which passed and was
signed into law last spring and
summer.
SURENDRA K. DARA
Surendra K. Dara, University
of California Cooperative
Extension advisor-entomology
and biologicals, left his position
Jan. 17 to join Oregon State
University (OSU) as the director
of North Willamette Research
" Growers will have the
opportunity to learn how this
bill became law and how CFVGA
impacted the final legislation, "
said CFVGA President Bruce
Talbott, Talbott's Mountain Gold,
Palisade.
Educational sessions will
include the latest in research and
production practices, branding
and marketing Colorado produce,
protecting farm workers from
injury and heat illness, GAP
audit success strategies, labor
solutions, production technology
and food safety practices.
The conference also will feature
on-site and virtual exhibitors,
the grower-buyer networking
session, CFVGA annual meeting
and time for participants to
network and socialize.
Vilsack: Port progress
may aid ag exports
U.S. ports are making progress
in clearing docks piled high
with shipping containers in a
pandemic-induced crisis that is
delaying billions of dollars in U.S.
agricultural exports and causing
severe financial worries for
America's farmers, U.S. Agriculture
Secretary Tom Vilsack said Jan. 10.
In a wide-ranging speech at the
American Farm Bureau Federation
Annual Convention in Atlanta,
Vilsack said the U.S. Department
of Agriculture has committed $500
million to ease port congestion
and related transportation
challenges. But, he said, " We
have too many empty containers
leaving our ports without having
agricultural products in them. "
A recent University of California,
Davis, study estimated California
farmers lost $2.1 billion in
export sales between May and
September 2021 due to container
shortages, clogged ports and other
inefficiencies.
The port congestion, combined
with increasing imports from
Asia and surging demand for
containers, has led some shipping
companies to rush empty
containers back to the Far East
without bothering to fill them.
Vilsack said the crisis was
triggered by a rapidly expanding
economy and increased consumer
demands amid the market
recovery from the pandemic. But
he said farmers need to benefit in
that recovery.
2021 produce sales up
over 2020; volume dips
The fourth quarter of 2021
was disrupted by high levels of
COVID-19 cases, high inflation and
continued supply chain disruption.
" Americans are very aware of
inflation, with 43% perceiving
prices to be a little higher and
48% perceiving them to be much
higher, " said a statement by Jonna
Parker, Team Lead for IRI Fresh,
citing the December wave of IRI's
primary shopper survey.
Perishables, including produce,
had the highest year-over-year
sales growth in 2021, at +2.2%.
The performance by the produce
department is right in line with
the rest of the store. Year-on-year
dollar gains were slightly above
average, where the comparison to
2019 tracked slightly behind.
From a dollar sales perspective,
2021 was another great year for
fresh produce, surpassing the
records set in 2020. However,
dollar gains were inflation boosted
and units and volume sales
declined year-on-year.
Vegetables did not see the same
inflationary boost as fruit and
while total vegetables increased
sales by 1% over December 2020
levels, four areas lost ground,
including potatoes, onions,
peppers and mushrooms.
Newly-formed group
hikes food safety efforts
The International Fresh Produce
Association (IFPA) announced
Jan. 11 the addition of Gretchen
Wall as director, food safety and
quality, as
well as the
promotion
of Emily
Griep to vice
president, regulatory compliance
and global food safety standards.
" The launch of IFPA gave us
an opportunity to reflect on the
current status and anticipate
the future needs of the global
produce supply chain, " Jennifer
McEntire, chief food safety and
regulatory officer, said in a news
release. " The industry continues
to put tremendous resources
toward produce safety, and as the
industry association, our team will
provide expanded resources to
help IFPA members stay on top of
new knowledge and requirements
related to produce safety. "
IFPA serves as a resource on food
safety not only for members and
the produce industry, but also to
regulatory partners, policy makers,
and members of the media within
North America and other global
markets.
IFPA launched on Jan. 1, 2022,
officially succeeding legacy
organizations, Produce Marketing
Association and United Fresh
Produce Association.
VGN | FEBRUARY 2022 | 31
February 2022

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