CENTER, CO — Mid-August saw Aspen Produce in Center, CO, winding down on its shipments of 2013 spuds and preparing for the new crop that Jed Ellithorpe, operations manager for Ellithorpe & Son growing arm of the company, said was expected to start in late August.

“There will be no gaps in supplies,” Ellithorpe said, noting that dig testing used on the farm provides growers with a good indication of tuber readiness.

MONTE VISTA, CO — Going into the 2014-15 season with vigorous growth in virtually every aspect of its operations, Monte Vista-based Farm Fresh Direct of America is releasing five new spud varieties, offering several new pack options and announcing its partnership with Albert Bartlett, the largest fresh potato shipper in the United Kingdom.

4Earth Farms has recently expanded its organics division and has experienced double-digit sales growth in both sales and SKUs under the "4Earth Organics" label.

WASHINGTON — GMO-free claims on packages of stone fruit may cause confusion in the marketplace but if companies want to use that marketing technique they can, Cathleen Enright, executive vice president of Biotechnology Industry Association, told attendees in a standing-room only session Sept. 9 at the United Fresh Produce Association's Washington Conference, here.

Enright joined Randal Giroux, vice president of food safety, quality and regulatory affairs at Cargill Inc., to discuss GMO issues at the popular session, "The GMO Debate and Impact on Fruits and Vegetables."

Market Fresh Produce, based in Nixa, MO, has completed its asset acquisition of Harlin Fruit Co., a 100-year-old produce business based in Monett, MO.

Organics Unlimited, a San Diego-based distributor of organic tropical fruit from Mexico and South America, is teaming with Four Seasons Produce to distribute its GROW organic bananas on the East Coast.

Four Seasons Produce, a full-service produce wholesaler based in Ephrata, PA, will receive and ripen the bananas and distribute to markets in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast.