Keystone Fruit Marketing Inc., which is headquartered in Greencastle, PA, is anticipating a Peruvian asparagus deal very similar to last year.

At least that is the view of Tracy Wood, sales manager of the firm’s Southeast Division in Vero Beach, FL. But speaking on July 29, Wood added the caveat that it is “still too early to tell. It’s winter down there right now and not all the fields are open.”

Southern Specialties, headquartered in Pompano Beach, FL, has built a strong reputation in the asparagus business, which puts it in a good place for growth when U.S. buyers are looking for additional supplies or a new supplier.

It was two days before the deadline for comments on a new user fee on fumigating fresh produce when customs broker Frank Ramos talked to The Produce News — and he was upset.

“You don’t go from zero to $375 all at once,” said the president of The Perishable Specialists, headquartered in Miami, FL. “I understand that fees may have to go up, but to go up that much? It’s unfair, it’s unethical.”

Hollis Baley, director of marketing for Klamath Basin Fresh Organics LLC, said the cooperative is gearing up for its harvest to begin along normal timetables in September. KBFO is a cooperative of 17 family farms in the basin, all of which recognize the importance of sustainability. The majority of these family-based farms are third- and fourth-generation ag-related businesses.

The cooperative’s organic potato manifest includes russets, reds, Yukon Gold, Purple Majesty, Klamath Pearl and Purple Fiesta. Fingerlings include Ruby Crescent, Russian Banana, French and Amarosa.

The Washington State Potato Commission and Oregon Potato Commission continue with collaborative efforts to gain increased international market access. This October and November, state agriculture directors from Oregon and Washington will lead a trade mission to Vietnam and the Philippines to promote fresh potatoes grown in the Pacific Northwest. Representatives from both potato commissions will be included in the delegation.

Columbia Marketing International, headquartered in Wenatchee, WA, is ready for the national rollout of its new Sweet Gourmet Pears program which includes a new pouch bag. “CMI introduced the Sweet Gourmet pouch bag for Bartletts, Anjous, Red Anjous and Bosc pears on a test basis last year,” said Steve Lutz, vice president of marketing “We were very pleased with the results. We found that the pouch bag grew volume because it increased consumer transactions with a minimal level of cross-category cannibalization. The results were meaningful increases in both dollars and volume.”