STRAWBERRY GROUP CHANGES NAME

WATSONVILLE, Calif. -- The California Strawberry Advisory Board here has changed its name and adopted a new mission.

public affairs.

"As a commission we have much more latitude to get involved in government and regulatory issues," said Teresa Thorne, communications director for the Commission. "As an advisory board we were restricted by the state of California to [focus primarily] on generic marketing and agricultural research. Legally we couldn't even call our state legislators on the status of a bill."

Some of the new activities planned by the commission include a series of educational meetings with state agricultural commissioners and field tours for legislators.

In other Commission news, Ed Kelly, owner of Kelly-Thompson Ranch, Watsonville, is serving as acting chairman following last month's death of the commission's chairman, Bill Deardorff.