You wouldn't have known it by the record high temperatures and dry conditions this summer, but New Jersey is a temperate state, weather-wise. As such, it’s just a fact of nature’s cycle that New Jersey’s fresh produce season will come to a close in late November and gear up again in March, with the first field-grown produce usually available by May. That is a challenge for our produce industry because retailers, restaurants and institutions want to feature locally grown items year round because "Jersey Fresh" is appealing to customers seeking high-quality produce. Naturally, our farmers are

Two new web sites, a recipe contest and a new direction in the two-wheeler giveaway program at the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association highlight the group's upcoming promotional plans. Tim Feit, director of promotions and consumer education for the Antigo, WI- based group, reviewed these and other promotions Aug. 31 with The Produce News. It had been about two-and-a-half-years since the growers association created a new web site. Subsequently, "We weren’t thrilled with it as far as how easy it was to update. We wanted to do that in-house and we were unable to. The other challenge

Brianna Shales believes in putting her best foot forward. The 25-year-old communications specialist at Stemilt Growers Inc. keeps her running shoes laced up, skillfully negotiating her way through any obstacle course she confronts. "I just love being busy," she told The Produce News. She will have her mettle tested in 2011. “Next year, I want to do a half- triathlon,” she told The Produce News. The words fall as naturally from her lips as water slips down desert slickrock. Keep in mind that she has never done a triathlon before. She and co-worker Dana Hall have been mulling the idea over for a

The state's 2010 fall produce season is underway and should be highlighted by fair to good quantities of high-quality produce for wholesale and retail purchase. To understand the fall season, one needs to look at the extraordinary weather that New Jersey farmers have had to deal with to produce this fall crop. New Jersey experienced the third wettest winter in history and the wettest March ever. The state experienced the warmest spring in history and the warmest five-month stretch in history through July. This warm and wet spring helped crops to get a good start to the season. This early start

Close to 100 million households nationwide will get a closer look at Idaho- Eastern Oregon's "Big Onions" Sept. 24 and again Oct. 22 when “The Balancing Act” spotlights the onions in its “Farm to Plate” segment. Broadcast on Lifetime Network, which currently holds the highest viewership of any women’s channel in the nation and targets more than 96 million households, “The Balancing Act” is hosted by Beth Troutman and Kristy Villa and is among the more popular morning programs. “The Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion Committee partnered with Lifetime Network’s morning program for a segment to educate

SUN VALLEY, ID — While the Idaho potato industry is coming off a difficult year plagued by high volume and suppressed prices, there is optimism that a shorter crop will lead to better returns for growers. But a veteran retailer warned the industry that it must be proactive in maintaining and improving its standing among consumers. At a luncheon session Sept. 1 during the 82nd annual Idaho Grower Shipper Association convention, here, Bruce Peterson, president of Peterson Insights, who is best known for having led the perishables division at Walmart Stores Inc. during that retailer's