“The real highlight every year,” and again this year, of the Idaho Potato Commission’s foodservice promotional programs, “is our Chef’s Calendar,” said Don Odiorne, vice president o foodservice for the commission, in an interview with The Produce News Aug. 28. “We are just going through the process of selecting 12 chefs to work with” who will be featured, along with their recipes, in the 2015 calendar.

Finding ways to get consumers thinking about Idaho potatoes is something at which the Idaho Potato Commission excels, as evidenced by everything from award-winning websites and wildly popular television ads to the national road tours of The Big Idaho Potato Truck, soon to enter its fourth year, which draws crowds and attracts media coverage everywhere it goes.

SunDate LLC in Coachella, CA, is “the largest grower of Deglet Noor and Medjool dates in California,” and the volume continues to grow, said D.J. Ryan, who handles sales for the company.

R Best Produce Inc. in Port Washington, NY, which handles an extensive line of fruits and vegetables, has recently introduced a new line of dried fruits and nuts which it calls “We R Nuts!,” according to Jasmine Hines, director of marketing and advertising.

The company launched the new product line in July.

“‘We R Nuts!’ offers gourmet quality candies, dried fruits, dried vegetables, trail mixes and a wide variety of nuts, all packaged within the R Best Port Washington warehouse,” said Hines in a written statement to The Produce News Sept. 5.

Rains at harvest time in 2012 and 2013 affected the date crop in the Coachella Valley, and although the weather had been good for the start of the 2014 harvest through the first week in September, there was a possibility of rain early the following week, according to Sean Dougherty, vice president of Hadley Date Gardens Inc. in Thermal, CA.

“It could be light rain or heavy,” and if heavy, it would be the third year in a row, Dougherty told The Produce News Sept. 5.

“We are very excited that we have recently been granted the American Heart Association’s Heart Healthy seal,” signifying that “Bard Valley Natural Delights” brand Medjool dates are “a good addition to diets that are low in fat,” said Erin Hanagan, “Natural Delights” marketing manager for Bard Valley Medjool Date Growers Association in Yuma, AZ, in an interview with The Produce News Sept. 3.

The association launched the “Bard Valley Natural Delights” label two years ago for use on all of its products, which includes Medjool dates and date rolls.