From your lawn to the food on your table, the recent drought is having a major impact in the area.

At the several Regional Farmers Market, the lack of rain is affecting the quality of much of the produce sold there.

Among the hardest hit crops are green beans, tomatoes and peaches.

The drought is compounded by the freeze that affected crops earlier this year.

Farmers and vendors say that they've had to raise prices, on average, about 15-20 percent this summer over last year.

One farmer said all he can do is take things day by day, even if his crops and business suffer.

Jason Berkes

http://produce.blog.dada.net/

SEEDS will hold its 4th Annual Harvest Dinner at 6 p.m., Sept. 20, at Bay 7, American Tobacco Campus.

Local produce from Chapel Hill Creamery, Four Leaf Farms, Peregrine Farms, Ayrshire Farms, ECO Farms, and Eastern Carolina Organics will be featured.

Frances Mayes, author of "Under the Tuscan Sun," is the speaker. Cost is $100 per person or $800 for a table.

RSVP by Sept. 7 by calling 683-1197 or e-mailing info@seedsnc.org.

Metz Fresh, a California spinach grower, based in King City in the Salinas Valley, recalled 8,000 cartons of fresh spinach this week after finding Salmonella in routine testing, prompting a debate on whether voluntary safety rules recently adopted by the California produce industry are working.

The recall covers 10- and 16-ounce bags, 4-pound cartons, and cartons containing four 2.5-pound bags, all with the tracking codes 12208114, 12208214, or 12208314. The spinach was distributed in the continental United States and Canada. The company encouraged consumers to discard the packages or return them to the store for a refund.

Metz Fresh,  has announced No illnesses had been reported in connection with the product, the company said.

Testing by an independent laboratory detected Salmonella on one of many samples on three packing lines, triggering a recall of the entire field lot of spinach packed that day, the company said. "Through its labeling and numbering system, Metz Fresh has already tracked, located, and put 'holds' on the vast majority of cartons of spinach affected," the firm said in its announcement.

The safety rules were drawn up by the produce industry, but the system is administered by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). Firms that participate in the agreement agree to undergo safety audits and can use an official safety seal on their bills of lading, according to CDFA news releases. About 99% of the leafy greens industry in California participates in the agreement, the CDFA says.

Company spokesman Greg Larson said more than 90% of the recalled cartons never reached stores, according to an Aug 30 Associated Press (AP) report. He said the recalled spinach was picked Aug 22, and the company began telling stores and restaurants on Aug 24 not to sell or serve it, after a preliminary test was positive. Further testing confirmed the contamination on Aug 28, prompting the company to notify state and federal officials, according to an Aug 30 report in the Salinas Californian.

Metz Fresh has complied with the California Leafy Green Handler Marketing Agreement (LGMA), a set of voluntary safety rules set up after a nationwide Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak was linked to fresh spinach from California last year, the AP reported. The outbreak involved 205 cases and three deaths.

Jason Berkes

www.jasonberkes.com

Vance Publishing Corp. today said it has hired Donald P. Ransdell to lead its produce division in Lenexa.

Vance has been hired as vice president/publishing division. He joins Lincolnshire, Ill.-based Vance from In-Stat, a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based unit of Reed Elsevier, where he had been vice president and general manager.

Ransdell will have responsibility for The Packer and three monthly magazines serving the grower and retail audiences, Doane Advisory Services, the Red Book credit services guides, and the Greenbook crop protection reference resources.