MOSES LAKE, WA -- From the southeastern corner to the Skagit Valley, farmland planted in fresh-market and process potatoes has decreased by 5,000 acres, and most members of the Washington potato industry are looking at the coming season with renewed optimism.

In September, the New York Apple Association will roll out a consumer advertising and public relations campaign to promote the 2005 crop.

"We're going to have another busy fall promoting apples with advertising and public relations," said Jim Allen, president of the NYAA, who is coordinating the campaign.

An extensive advertising program will promote apples on television, radio and through high-end consumer magazines. Heavy advertising over the past two years has been credited with helping drive up consumer demand for apples and apple products.

Nuchief Sales Inc. in Wenatchee, WA, announced that it will handle marketing for Congdon Orchards Inc. in Yakima, WA, effective Aug. 1.

With the addition of Congdon, Nuchief will represent over 2.5 million cartons of apples, pears, cherries and asparagus. Currently, Nuchief markets for Washington firms Crane & Crane in Brewster, Smith & Nelson in Tonasket and Andrus & Roberts in Sunnyside. As part of the Congdon program, Nuchief will take on the sales for Lloyd Garretson Co., which Congdon has marketed the last three seasons.

For an avocado to meet the increasing demands of health conscious consumers, it's got to have less fat and fewer calories. Its got to be SlimCado, the naturally light alternative to the leading Californian variety.

The season is underway for this popular Florida avocado. Brooks Tropicals Inc. has just started picking SlimCados from its groves in south Florida, with shipments carrying through next February. Last season the industry total for all Florida avocados was over 1 million bushels, which was 40 percent higher than the 2003 season.

San Juan Bautista, CA-based Pride of San Juan has completed additions to its headquarters that add upwards of 112,000 square feet, bringing the total facility size to 178,000 square feet.

The move consolidates San Juan Bautista-area operations under one roof; storage of bell peppers and dry vegetables had been done in nearby Hollister, and a warehouse on the PSJ ranch had been used prior to the consolidation. About 100,000 square feet of additional space were used for cooler and production operations.

MONTEREY, CA -- Produce companies pride themselves on providing freshness in their products, but what consumers really care about is taste, Steven Little told his audience at a July 25 session during the PMA Foodservice Conference, Tours & Expo, here.

Mr. Little hit his audience between the eyes with a sprinkling of comments such as the one about taste, telling attendees at the outset that he was not a motivational speaker but a speaker who speaks the truth and has information to impart.