Potato producers will have an opportunity to learn more about the state of the industry at the 2013 Washington-Oregon Potato Conference. The event will be held Jan. 29-31 at the Three Rivers Convention Center in Kennewick, WA.

10 Years Ago

Stone fruit and berry importers expressed optimism as the Chilean season in North America gained momentum. Cherry production was another bright spot as increased volume was resulting in more retail promotions. Meanwhile, importers of Chilean grapes were anticipating a season with good volume and good quality.

20 Years Ago

Handy Candy offers an innovative new way to enjoy the sweetness of a grape tomato with the introduction of its Handy Candy grape tomatoes, now available in an organic option as well.

All Handy Candy products are conveniently packed in a four-ounce resealable biodegradable cup.

Greenpoint Distributing Inc. in Nogales, AZ, offers a wide assortment of products and has added several new items to the mix this year. In addition, the company has increases in some items for the 2012-13 Nogales season, according to Rick Burkett, sales director for the company. “I’ve got a plateful of commodities,” Mr. Burkett said. “We have a little bit of everything for all parts of the country and all ethnic groups. We’ll see if we can take advantage of our position, offering a full line to make it easy for our customers to load in one spot.”

“We have a variety of in-store demos scheduled with major retailers throughout North America during the holiday season,” said Chris Veillon, director of marketing for Mastronardi Produce, headquartered in Leamington, ON. “The on-site demos are a huge hit in providing new options to customers who have not tasted our products before.”

Mr. Veillon added that retailers tend to “dress up” their produce departments with holiday decorations to add a festive touch to the product demos. The demos typically include coupons for the company’s “Sunset” brand products.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said its estimate of the 2012-13 Florida citrus crop has decreased more than 5 percent to 146 million boxes. The majority of the decrease will occur in early-mid varieties, which declined 7 million boxes to 67 million from the USDA's initial October estimate. Valencias decreased 1 million boxes to 79 million boxes.

The USDA makes its first estimate in October of each year and revises it monthly as the crop takes shape until the end of the season in July.