CENTER, CO — Despite not shipping into the interior of Mexico, Skyline Potato Co. continues to see brisk movement with its customers within the 26 kilometers that remain open for potatoes from the United States.

Skyline General Manager Les Alderete told The Produce News in mid-August, “Mexico is still a good market, and we’re shipping mostly conventional russets to buyers there.”

As Skyline prepared for the 2014 crop to come in the first week of September, the industry veteran said all signs point to good quality and increased volume.

At the Organic Trade Association’s 2014 Organic Leadership Awards celebration Sept. 17 in Baltimore, three organic visionaries will receive awards.

“These outstanding visionaries have made invaluable contributions to demonstrating how organic practices can change our world for the better,” Laura Batcha, OTA’s executive director and chief executive officer, said in an Aug. 7 press release. “We are excited to honor these three individuals who were nominated by their peers and chosen unanimously by OTA’s board of directors.”

The Idaho Potato Commission's annual Potato Lovers' Month display contest has become so successful, with so many stores participating, that it has become necessary to expand the promotion to eight weeks, rather than just four weeks in February.

Last year, demand for Idaho potatoes during the February promotion was so great it essentially reached the limit of the capacity of Idaho potato packing facilities to meet the demand. Therefore, for the 2015 Potato Lovers' Month, the contest period will be extended to eight weeks. It will start mid-January and continue into mid-March.

Eduardo Campos, director of Crowley Fresh in Miami, said that based on recent visits with growers, the company is anticipating an increase in blueberry imports for the coming season.

“Blueberries seem to be growing faster than other fresh produce imports,” said Campos. “We handle blueberries cleared from Argentina, Uruguay and Chile. And from past experience, we expect to see a lot of Argentinean berries-by airfreight into Miami this season.”

Crowley Fresh is a cold storage facility that opened in December 2012.

California Giant Berry Farms in Watsonville, CA, a leading producer and marketer of strawberries, blueberries and other berries, is in the blueberry business year-round, with production from spring and summer out of the Pacific Northwest and other parts of North America and from South America during fall and winter.

“We import blueberries from Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Peru,” Nader Musleh, executive director of California Giant’s blueberry division, said in an interview with The Produce News Sept. 8.

“It’s a strength that we have in that we can convert to different pack styles and/or repack blueberries,” said Bob Von Rohr, director of customer relations for Sunny Valley International, headquartered in Glassboro, NJ. “When we ship blueberries from New Jersey, we’re able to offer good delivery with high-quality berries and in a wide diversity of packaging.”

Sunny Valley’s primary blueberry import programs are from Argentina and Chile, but this season it will also have some blues from Peru.