January 2021 - 31

INDUSTRY NEWS
Kentucky tomato
growers honored
Central Kentucky growers, Mark
and Velvet Henkle of Henkle's Herbs
and Heirlooms, received virtually the
2020 Bill Best Award for Food and
Farm Stewards from the University
of Kentucky's (UK) Food Connection
on Dec. 4.
tomatoes, as well as herbs, beans,
peppers and broccoli.
Virtual format set
for Colorado event
MARK AND VELVET HENKLE
The honor is named after Bill Best,
collector and preserver of heirloom
beans, author and director of the
Sustainable Mountain Agriculture
Center. Lilian Brislen, executive
director of The Food Connection at
UK in the College of Agriculture,
Food and Environment, said the
award is a way of thanking the
people and organizations who
dedicate their lives to building and
preserving local foodways.
" The award is named after a
man who has saved hundreds of
varieties of heirloom beans and
tomatoes, and whose work will
sustain Appalachian foodways
for future generations, " she said.
" This year we're honoring one of
Dr. Best's proteges, and, I would
argue, the best tomato growers in
the state of Kentucky. A big claim,
I know, but anyone who has visited
with Mark and Velvet and enjoyed
their produce can attest to their
generosity of spirit and knowledge
and the unparalleled quality of their
products. "
The Henkles take praise like that
with modest smiles.
" That's a very bold statement,
and I appreciate it, " Mark Henkle
said. " I think the synergy of the two
of us together and our attention
to detail, love of our customers
and wanting to constantly bring
a quality, consistent product to
everyone makes us strive to fulfill
that. "
Best and Mark Henkle go back 15
years.
" Mark worked for me as an intern
during the summer and fall of 2005,
including selling at the farmers'
market in Lexington. He and Velvet
then started their own market
garden the following year and have
since become, in my opinion, the
best growers of heirloom tomatoes
in Kentucky, " Best said. " They
have gone from field production
to high tunnel production and
have increased their knowledge
significantly. "
The Henkles took a small piece of
property in Jessamine County and
turned it into a success story. They
raise many varieties of heirloom
The Colorado Fruit & Vegetable
Growers Association (CFVGA) will
hold its seventh annual conference
Feb. 17-18, using a virtual format.
Registration for the event is $20 for
members registering early.
" With a very reasonable
registration rate and no need
to travel, we expect even more
registrants than the 300 we typically
have for in-person conferences, "
CFVGA President Robert Sakata said
in a news release. " While we will all
miss the in-person socializing that
our conferences provide, we believe
the virtual conference will offer a
similar line-up of opportunities to
engage with others in the produce
industry. "
The CFVGA conference will include
plenary sessions
that inform
and motivate
participants.
In addition,
breakout
sessions will include a variety of
topics, including farm labor, Covid-era
food system adaptations, consumer
behavior changes during Covid,
production research, online produce
sales platforms and multiple food
safety education options. In addition,
participants can watch videos from
recipients of the Specialty Crop Block
Grant Program, who have completed
their projects.
Most sessions will be pre-recorded
with the presenters available
live following the recording
to answer questions about the
topic. An advantage of the virtual
format is that these sessions and
exhibitor booths will remain on
the conference website for a year
following the conference.
Exhibitors will be able to
showcase their goods and services
by uploading a promotional video
and handouts to their virtual booth
that visitors to the booth can view
and download.
The conference will include the
annual business meeting, with
results of the online election of
board members announced, and
presentation of the 2020 CFVGA
Robert Sakata Member of the Year
Award.
To register, view the CFVGA
conference website, www.cfvga.org.
Enza Zaden has
white asparagus
Dutch vegetable breeder Enza
Zaden has introduced its first
asparagus variety on the European
market: the white Daleza F1
(E225W.004).
For Enza Zaden, the asparagus
market is a new market in which
the company is active. After years of
development
and testing
in field fields,
the new
asparagus
variety
Daleza (E225W.004) is the first
variety to be launched by Enza
Zaden. But how did Daleza come
about?
" Enza Zaden's wish to also
participate in the asparagus
market was very clear to the R&D
and sales departments, " said
Michel Neefs of the Enza Zaden
breeding team. " We have clearly
mapped out where a new hybrid
variety can add something extra to
the market. "
" The benefits of Daleza are
diverse, " said Paul Huijs, sales
manager at Enza Zaden. " In the
trials we looked at, among other
things, earliness, quality and
average stem weight and linked
this to the financial aspects such
as weekly prices and harvest
costs. Because Daleza is early in
production and immediately has a
high stem weight, this immediately
yields financial benefits for the
grower. Daleza has a strong and
open crop, which ensures good
recovery capacity. "
" Daleza is the result of
traditional breeding methods, "
said Christof Flörchinger, sales
director for Germany and France.
He said Enza Zaden " uses the most
modern breeding technologies and
can therefore also use its broad
expertise from other crops to
quickly create a broad foundation
within the breeding of asparagus. "
Production of the mid-early to
early harvest Daleza will be rolled
out primarily in the German,
BeNeLux and French markets.
Vitalis Organic Seeds is the
certified organic seed division of
Enza Zaden.
Grimmway Farms
bought by asset group
Bakersfield, California-based
carrots giant Grimmway Farms said
Nov. 25 it has reached an agreement
to sell to an Indiana conglomerate
that focuses on agricultural
investments.
According to a story by
Bakersfield.com, the buyer is Teays
River Investments LLC, an assetsmanagement
firm founded in 2009
and headquartered in Zionsville.
Terms of the sale agreement were
not disclosed.
A spokesperson for Grimmway,
which is family-owned, said no
major changes are expected as part
of the sale. The spokesperson said
the local company's management
team is expected to remain in
place after the sale closes, and that
Grimmway is expected to remain
headquartered in Bakersfield.
" Their goal is they're going
to be supporting our existing
management team as we
continue, as we always have, to
meet consumer demand for fresh
produce, " the spokesperson said.
" They are a respected steward
that embraces what our core values
are, " the spokesperson continued,
" and they believe very strongly in
the continuity of our management
team as well as our thousands of
team members across the country. "
Low food-safety risk
at California markets
A new study by University of
California Davis researchers finds
a low risk of contamination of
foodborne pathogens on produce
and meat at northern California
certified farmers' markets, but still
finds cause for some concern.
The study, published in the Journal
of Food Protection, examined
the prevalence of salmonella on
meat and produce, as well as the
prevalence of generic E. coli on
produce. Samples were taken from
44 certified northern California
farmers' markets, including in the
Sacramento region and Bay Area.
Slightly more than 30% (31.3%) of
produce tested positive for generic
E. coli. Generic E. coli is an indication
of fecal contamination, but not all E.
coli is harmful. This study didn't test
for pathogenic E. coli.
" Based on this data, I think it's
safe to consume meat and produce
from farmers' markets, " said lead
author Alda Pires, a UC Cooperative
Extension specialist and research
scientist in the UC Davis School of
Veterinary Medicine. " That's a low
risk of contamination of foodborne
pathogens, especially salmonella. "
While the prevalence of generic
E. coli may seem relatively high, the
concentrations were low. Pires said
that's especially so compared to
previous studies of contamination at
farmers' markets elsewhere in the
United States.
Among the produce sampled,
leafy greens had the highest
prevalence of E. coli, followed by
root vegetables.
VGN | JANUARY 2021 | 31
http://www.cfvga.org http://www.Bakersfield.com
January 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2021
