MONTE VISTA, CO — Mexican marketing campaigns remain in a holding pattern as the Colorado Potato Administrative Committee awaits further word on the border fully reopening for potato exports from the San Luis Valley, according to CPAC Assistant Director Linda Weyers.

Weyers said in mid-August, “We’re playing the waiting game right now,” noting the committee was awarded a USDA specialty crop block grant early this year to research consumer-direct marketing programs for its Mexican trade.

MONTE VISTA, CO — RPE’s Colorado facility located near Monte Vista will see the start of its 2014 new crop in early September, according to Manager David Tonso.

Tonso, longtime San Luis Valley potato shipper who came to RPE in 2013, heads up a staff of four sales, two customer service reps and two transportation facilitators. Since his arrival, the staff has expanded to handle growing domestic and export accounts.

MONTE VISTA, CO — Though he’s new to the position of general manager, assuming responsibilities with the retirement of the operation’s longtime GM, Jason Tillman has several years’ experience at Monte Vista Potato Growers under his belt.

Tillman is going into his fourth year MVPG and now sits in the manager’s chair occupied for 22 years by his dad, Steve Tillman.

The 2014 fall produce season is underway and should be highlighted by good quantities of high-quality produce available for wholesale and retail purchase. After four seasons in a row with extraordinary weather that has had a major impact on our fall season, we have enjoyed a late, but average, growing season this year, according to New Jersey State Climatologist David Robinson of Rutgers University.

VINELAND, NJ — The Vineland Produce Auction’s Carol DeFoor was looking forward to a good fall season, as the quality of fresh produce items has been consistently high throughout the summer even as supply and demand was affecting pricing during the month of August.

New Jersey’s 2014 spring produce season got off to a late start due to the unusually long and cold winter, but “the beginning part of the season was really good,” DeFoor told The Produce News Aug. 19 at her office here. “We made up for the late start.”

In 2003, as a new teacher of a high school agricultural education program, I was fortunate to connect with the circle of New Jersey agriculture teachers who taught in similar programs. During a conversation with a colleague, I was introduced to the term “gleaning,” which I learned is the act of harvesting surplus produce from farm fields. My colleague invited me to attend a gleaning with his FFA [originally Future Farmers of America] chapter at a local farm through a program called New Jersey Farmers Against Hunger.