As part of the 

Agricultural 

Marketing Service’s 

(AMS) Fruit and Vegetable 

Programs ongoing effort 

to share information with 

the produce industry, we 

continue our expanded

outreach through the 

utilization of webinars, 

conferences and other 

targeted events. The goal is 

to enhance the information 

flow so the entire industry – 

large and small – can benefit 

from the tools and services 

made available by AMS. 

Outlined here are just a 

few of the ways that we are 

working to open up a window 

into our organization: 

Fruit and Vegetable Industry 

Advisory Committee. 

The 2009-2011 Fruit and 

Enhancing Our Outreach and Education Efforts

By Robert C. Keeney

1

Agricultural Marketing Service

United States 

Department of 

Agriculture

Inside this issue:

ፚ USDA Grants Support Specialty 

Crop Production

ፚ PACA Searches Aid Decisionmakers

ፚ Marketing Order Online 

Services System 

ፚ USDA Farm to School Program 

ፚ USDA Offers Produce 

Industry Training

Robert C. Keeney 

is the Deputy 

Administrator 

of AMS Fruit 

and Vegetable 

Programs. He 

can be reached at 

robert.keeney@

ams.usda.gov

Vegetable Industry Advisory 

Committee held its inaugural 

meeting on March 30-31, 

2010, in Washington, D.C. 

The meeting opened with 

a welcome from AMS 

Administrator Rayne Pegg 

and followed by USDA 

Deputy Secretary Kathleen 

Merrigan. Merrigan was 

quick to commend the 

committee members for their 

volunteer service, elaborating 

on their importance to the 

Obama Administration, and 

mentioned how they are truly 

considered the eyes and ears 

of the industry on behalf 

of Agriculture Secretary 

Tom Vilsack. She also 

emphasized the significance 

of their mission, which is to 

provide the Secretary and his 

Administration with valuable 

insight on how USDA 

can best help the entire 

industry flourish now and 

in the future. 

A formal Federal Register 

notice will be published 

with additional details about 

future meetings.

AMS, Fruit and Vegetable 

Programs News. Many of 

you have seen our industry 

newsletter highlighting news 

and services within AMS 

Fruit and Vegetable Programs. 

Webinars. We are enhancing 

our Web-based outreach 

programming. For example,

AMS has partnered with Red 

Book Credit Services on a

series of educational webinars 

titled Red Book University.

Industry Conferences and 

Meetings. We are frequent 

speakers and exhibitors at

industry events, such as the 

annual conferences held 

by the Produce Marketing 

Association and United Fresh 

Produce Association. 

Trade Journal Articles. At 

the invitation of produce 

industry journals, our staff 

often contributes articles 

about issues of importance 

to the produce industry. For 

example, for several years

we have contributed to the 

“Government Views” section 

of Blue Book Services, Blue 

Prints, a quarterly journal. 

If you have questions or 

additional ideas about 

different ways you might like 

to hear from us, please feel 

free to contact us.

We want to hear from you. 

What topics would you like 

to see covered in future 

editions of the newsletter? 

Are there questions you 

can’t find answers to on 

our Web site? Send your 

questions and suggestions to 

FVInfo@ams.usda.gov.

Volume I, Issue 3 Fall 2010

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Marketing and 

Regulatory Programs

Agricultural Marketing Service

Fruit and Vegetable Programs

1400 Independence Avenue SW

Washington, D.C. 20250-0235

Telephone: (202) 720-4722

Fax: (202) 720-0016

Email: FVinfo@ams.usda.gov

www.ams.usda.gov/fv

FRUIT&VEGETABLE PROGRAMSNEWS
S

ince 2006, the Specialty 

Crop Block Grant

Program (SCBGP)

has provided grants to State 

departments of agriculture, 

including more than 1,900 

specialty crop projects 

throughout the United 

States and in five U.S. 

territories. The projects have 

all focused on enhancing the 

competitiveness of specialty 

crops, which are defined as 

USDA Grants Support Specialty Crop Production By Trista Etzig

The funds distributed to 

the State departments 

of agriculture substantially increased from 

$7 million in 2006 to 

$55 million in 2010. 

PACA Searches Aid Decisionmakers By Gary Nefferdorf 

2

fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, 

dried fruits, horticulture, 

and nursery crops (including 

floriculture). The funds 

distributed to the State 

departments of agriculture 

substantially increased from 

$7 million in 2006 to $55 

million in 2010.

Many of the projects 

administered by the State 

departments of agriculture 

place emphasis on child and 

adult nutrition, sustainable 

agricultural practices, Good 

Agricultural Practices and 

Good Handling Practices, as

well as improving food access 

in underserved communities. 

Projects include farm-toschool programs, extension of

the growing season, research 

concerning increasing plant 

resistance to disease and pests, 

and development of storage 

and distribution efficiencies; 

Making the business 

decision as to 

whom you would 

like to deal with in the 

produce industry, to buy 

from or sell to, can be tricky 

and difficult. The Perishable 

Agricultural Commodities 

Act (PACA) Branch of

USDA’s Agricultural 

Marketing Service has the 

resources available to help 

you in your decision. 

PACA is a Federal law 

which facilitates fair trading 

practices in the marketing of 

fresh and frozen fruits and 

vegetables in interstate and 

foreign commerce. In general, 

any person who buys or sells, 

in the chain of commerce, 

Trista Etzig

is the Project 

Manager of the 

Specialty Crop 

Block Grant 

Program. She can 

be reached at (202) 

690-4942 or trista.

etzig@ams.usda.gov

Gary Nefferdorf 

is the Assistant 

Regional Director 

of the PACA Branch. 

He can be reached 

at (703) 331-4550 

or gary.nefferdorf@

ams.usda.gov

fresh or frozen fruits and 

vegetables may be required to 

be licensed under the PACA. 

A major function of PACA 

is to help ensure that dealers 

of fresh and frozen fruits and 

vegetables get what they pay 

for, and get paid for what 

they sell, including when 

their customers go out of 

business, declare bankruptcy, 

or simply refuse to pay for the 

fruits and vegetables received.

PACA’s Web site, www.

ams.usda.gov/paca, provides 

a search option to see if the 

individual or firm you are 

considering has a current and 

valid PACA license. Just click 

on the link, “Search Current 

Licensees.” There are fields 

but, this is just a small sample 

of the many projects in 

SCBGP’s portfolio. 

To apply for funding, 

contact your local State 

department of agriculture. 

For more information, about 

the SCBGP and to identify

State contacts, feel free to 

contact me directly or visit 

our Web site at www.ams.

usda.gov/scbgp.

to enter the business’s PACA 

license number, the business 

name, or the trade name. A 

license that shows “Active” 

means it is current and in 

good standing. A license that 

shows “Terminated” means 

the license was not renewed. 

If a firm or individual was 

cited for a violation of 

PACA Regulations, then 

the license will show either 

“Revoked” or “Suspended.” 

As always, you can call 

the PACA Branch at (800)

495-PACA (7222) and select 

option number “1” to be 

connected to the National 

License Center to directly 

inquire about a firm's or 

individual's PACA license.
3

Michael Durando 

is the Chief of the 

Marketing Order 

Administration 

Branch. He can be 

reached at (202) 

720-2491 or 

michael.durando@

ams.usda.gov

•	 Sent directly to an

exempted outlet such

as processing, charity or 

animal feed, or 

•	 Inspected by AMS fresh

and processed product 

inspection personnel and 

evaluated according to the 

same minimum quality 

standards as set by domestic 

marketing orders. 

If the products are 

destined for exempted

outlets, the importer files the 

FV-6 “Importer’s Exempt

Commodity” form. This can 

either be done prior to entry 

or immediately upon arrival 

into the United States.

If the products are intended 

for fresh market consumption 

and fail the minimum quality 

requirements, importers 

may dispose of the failed 

products by destroying, 

reinspecting, reconditioning, 

or re-exporting them, or

they can direct the failed 

shipment to an exempt use,

again using the FV-6 form. 

In the past, filing the FV-6 

involved multiple forms and 

steps on the part of industry 

members. Since 2008,

MOAB has used MOLS for

the completion of the FV-6 

form, improving efficiencies 

and allowing access to users 

24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

For more information about 

our services, contact me 

directly or visit our Web site 

at www.ams.usda.gov/moab

Marketing Order Import Compliance Improves With Use of 

Marketing Order Online Services System (MOLS) By Michael Durando 

USDA Farm to School Program Makes the Connection By Charles Parrott 

I

n an effort to connect 

schools (K - 12) with 

regional or local farms in 

order to serve healthy meals 

using locally produced foods, 

Agriculture Secretary Tom 

Vilsack has introduced the 

Farm-to-School initiative. 

Farm to school is part of a 

larger program, “Know Your 

Farmer, Know Your Food,” 

which seeks to connect 

consumers with where their 

food comes from and how it 

gets to their plate.

Since the passage of the 

National School Lunch Act 

in 1946, key legislation has 

played an essential role in 

providing America’s children 

with access to healthier 

meals. Today, programs 

like the National School 

Lunch Program and the 

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable 

Program continue to provide 

nutritionally balanced and 

low-cost or free meals and 

snacks to children each school 

day. USDA's Agricultural 

Marketing Service and Food 

and Nutrition Service are 

focusing on Farm-to-School 

efforts that incorporate 

regional and local farm 

products into school meal 

programs. Schools and 

communities may initiate and 

support a variety of Farm-toSchool activities, including 

nutrition education, 

agriculture-related lessons 

and curriculum, school 

or community gardens, 

farm tours, taste testing, 

and parent/community

educational sessions. 

In addition, USDA 

recognizes the growing 

interest among school 

districts and communities 

to incorporate regionally 

and locally produced farm 

foods into the school 

nutrition programs. USDA 

is supporting Farm-to-School 

efforts through a number of 

initiatives, and continues to 

look for ways to help facilitate 

this important connection.

For more information about 

the Farm-to-School initiative, 

visit us at http://www.fns.

usda.gov/cnd/F2S/

Charles Parrott 

is the Associate 

Deputy Administrator 

of AMS Fruit and 

Vegetable Programs. 

He can be reached 

at (202) 720-6393 

or charles.parrott@

ams.usda.gov

When Federal 

marketing orders 

are in place for 

specific fruits and vegetables, 

the products – whether 

produced domestically 

or imported – need to 

comply with grade, size, 

quality, volume, or other 

requirements. The Marketing 

Order Administration 

Branch (MOAB), which

monitors all domestic and 

import activities and enforces 

those requirements, uses the 

Marketing Order Online 

Services System (MOLS) 

to track imported products 

entering the United States.

 As imported products 

enter the United States, they 

can follow one of two paths: 
Serving the produce industry since the early 1900s, the AMS Fruit 

and Vegetable Programs fee-for-service programs are delivered 

via a network of trained and experienced staff. Our clients include 

growers, shippers, brokers, receivers, distributors, processors, 

retailers, and restaurants, among others. 

Our services include:

Audit-based programs

International representation

Commodity purchases 

Market News reports and information 

Establishment of U.S. Grade Standards

Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA)

Inspection and grading 

Self-help marketing programs

Industry training

Specialty Crop Block Grants

Additional information about AMS Fruit and Vegetable Programs can 

be found at www.ams.usda.gov/fv or by contacting Christopher Purdy 

at 202-720-3209 or christopher.purdy@ams.usda.gov

Cheri Courtney is 

the Acting Chief of 

the Fresh Products 

Branch. She can 

be reached at (202) 

720-5870 or cheri.

courtney@ams.

usda.gov

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Marketing and Regulatory Programs

Agricultural Marketing Service

Fruit and Vegetable Programs

1400 Independence Avenue SW

Washington, D.C. 20250-0235

Telephone: (202) 720-4722

Fax: (202) 720-0016

Email: FVinfo@ams.usda.gov

Proposed Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement–USDA 

continues to review the record from the September and 

October 2009 hearings. The decision on whether to issue a 

Recommended Decision establishing the marketing agreement 

will be based on the information received during the hearings, 

and the public will be provided with another opportunity to 

provide further comments. For more information, visit 

www.ams.usda.gov/moab

PACA Fee increase –The Perishable Agricultural Commodity 

Act (PACA) license fee increase notice was submitted to the 

Federal Register on March 11, 2010. The comment period 

ended May 10, 2010. USDA is reviewing the posted comments 

and will submit a final rule to the Federal Register in the coming 

weeks. For more information visit www.ams.usda.gov/paca

Commodity Procurement – USDA has announced the 

additional purchase of more than 600,000 pounds of peeled 

baby carrots for the National School Lunch Program. For 

more information, visit www.ams.usda.gov/fvprocurement

The Fruit and 

Vegetable Programs of 

USDA’s Agricultural 

Marketing Service is offering 

produce inspection training 

courses for industry members 

in partnership with the 

United Fresh Research and 

Education Foundation. 

The “Produce Inspection 

Training Program” is a series 

of training courses held 

throughout the year at the 

Training and Development 

Center in Fredericksburg, 

VA. The series focuses 

on the application of U.S. 

grade standards for various 

commodities and associated 

evaluation procedures. 

Participants will have available 

to them the same instructors 

and state-of-the-art training 

facility and equipment that 

are used to train USDA’s own 

inspectors. Topics include:

•	Basic and/or advanced

instruction on USDA grading 

and inspection procedures and 

certification of various fruits 

and vegetables;

•	Understanding and

applying U.S. grade 

standards; 

•	Practical application

to identify quality and 

condition defects that affect 

various products;

•	Tolerances and

understanding when various 

products meet or fail to 

meet a grade standard; and

•	Hands-on grading exercises.

For more information 

about the “Produce Inspection 

Training Program,” contact Dr. 

Carl Newell at (540) 361-1120 

or carl.newell@ams.usda.gov 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, 

color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, 

sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or a part of an individual's income is 

derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities 

who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should 

contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination write to USDA, 

Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 

(voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

USDA Offers Produce Industry Inspection Training By Cheri Courtney

News in Brief