At one time, Telesis Onion Co. Inc. in Five Points, CA, grew and packed onions predominantly for the foodservice sector. But retail business has become increasingly important for the company in recent years, according to salesman Mike Smythe.

“Telesis is still mostly a foodservice company,” he said. “We mostly supply onions to our foodservice customers. But as time goes by,” more and more retailers want cartons and consumer bags.

Butch Nottingham, marketing specialist for the Virginia Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, headquartered in Richmond, VA, told The Produce News that the agency focuses heavily on the state’s potato crops.

“Farmers in Virginia typically produce between 3,000 and 4,000 acres of potatoes,” said Mr. Nottingham. “But we’ve seen an eight to 10 percent decrease this year for various reasons.”

The promotional campaign that the Fresno, CA-based California Table Grape Commission has built for the 2013 season — not only for the United States but for Canada and for countries around the world — is “an aggressive one,” according to Kathleen Nave, president of the organization. “It focuses on the many ways in which California table grapes can be incorporated easily and conveniently into a healthy lifestyle. We will be communicating those messages to retailers, foodservice operators and certainly to consumers around the world.”

One of every three bites of food comes from plants pollinated by honeybees and other pollinators. Yet, major declines in bee populations threaten the availability of many fresh ingredients consumers rely on for their dinner tables.

The Indiana State Department of Agriculture is marching toward 2025 with a clear vision about the importance and potential of the state’s agricultural sector. “We really have an opportunity to be a leader,” Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann told The Produce News in a recent interview.

In my area, it is somewhat unusual to find a wedge of Iceberg on restaurant menus anymore. However, we happen to have a local restaurant in town that has that very item on its list. I often order it draped in chunky Roquefort or blue cheese dressing, which makes for an outstanding meal in itself.