Business is brisk for Borton & Sons Inc., headquartered in Yakima, WA. “Apple movement to date has been good,” said Eric Borton, vice president of international sales and marketing. “We have felt some effects from such a large crop across the rest of the United States, but have been pleased with the movement so far. We have been progressing nicely through our early storage rooms and are well on track in terms of our sell through goals for our 2013 crop.”

“In terms of our crop, we look extremely good this year,” Lee Peters, vice president of sales and marketing for Fowler Brothers, Inc., in Wolcott, NY, told The Produce News in mid-December. “We plant more trees and have more production every year. This year our supplies are in good shape and we expect to be shipping into mid-summer. That’s also when we’ll be starting with our new crop for both apples and cider.”

The Chilean Citrus industry, via the Chilean Citrus Committee and Fruits from Chile, wants to provide as much useful information to its U.S. customers about the numerous steps in the supply chain — from growers to exporters to importers and finally to retailers — to keep everyone abreast of the volumes being shipped during any given season and forecasts for that overall season. One way the organizations do that is through videos posted on YouTube and on its "Fruits from Chile" website.

For the 31st consecutive holiday season, Red River Valley potato shippers cooperated with Haun Potato Co., located in Shawnee Mission, KS, to contribute a truckload of potatoes to metropolitan Kansas City’s poor via The Salvation Army.

On Dec. 11, company owner David Haun and his father, Dick (Spud) Haun, received the delivery at a Salvation Army facility in Kansas City, MO.

The Red River Valley potato industry was represented in the recent New York Produce Show & Conference through a booth sponsored by the Northern Plains Potato Growers Association, which is located in East Grand Forks, MN.

Representing the association were its marketing director, Ted Kreis, as well as Glen Reynolds and Keith Groven, representatives of Black Gold Farms Inc., and Jenni Boushey from A&L Potato Co. Inc. A&L is located in East Grand Forks, and Black Gold is headquartered nearby in Grand Forks, ND.

The United Fresh Produce Association has launched “Fresh Insights for Foodservice,” a new quarterly report showcasing the latest trends in fresh produce use in foodservice and restaurants.

“We are excited to offer the industry such an in-depth resource focused on foodservice,” said United’s Vice President of Trade Relations Jeff Oberman, liaison to United’s Retail-Foodservice Board. “Our members know that foodservice trends shift quickly and this publication will be a valuable tool for them to stay on top of those trends and take advantage of new opportunities.”