Six individuals representing a cross section of the potato industry in the western United States were elected to serve with the U.S. Potato Board and were named to positions of leadership last month during its 38th annual meeting in Denver. Molly Connors, who represents the third generation at Skone & Connors Produce Inc., was named co-chairman of the board's Domestic Marketing Committee. Ms. Connors has been a member of the sales team at Basin Gold Cooperative in Pasco, WA, for the past nine years. The company handles potato sales and marketing for a number of producers in Washington and

In its first year of marketing to India, New York apple growers are expecting to ship 50,000 cartons of apples to that nation this year. And more markets are expected to open to Empire State growers, providing opportunities for future growth. Jim Allen, president of the New York Apple Association in Fishers, NY, told The Produce News, "We have also opened export programs to Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Africa, Thailand and Hong Kong this year. Movement into some of these countries is minimal, but it has opened doors and given us opportunities for future growth." Mr. Allen said that increasing

The New York Apple Association announced April 13 the winners of its annual display contest for apples and Marzetti products in military commissaries. They are Vicky Parsons of Gunter Air Force Base in Montgomery, AL; Jeannett Winkley of Dyess AFB in Texas; Patricia Vass of Portsmouth Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, VA; Mark Hare of Ft. Drum in Watertown, NY; Angela Harmon of Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque, NM; and Jesse Arreola of Ft. Bliss in Texas. The contest was open to all continental U.S. military commissaries and ran from Jan. 23 to Feb. 28. Entries featured displays of New York

Giumarra VBM International Berry announced April 12 that 5K Farms in Ellisville, MS, has agreed to market its blueberries under the "Nature's Partner VitalBerry" brand. 5K Farms, which is owned by the Kittrell family, grows 65 acres of blueberries, harvesting from mid-May through mid-July. The family grows the Highbush and Rabbiteye blueberry varieties. "We have a state-of-the-art packing facility to process our blueberries," Brian Kittrell, owner of 5K Farms, said in an April 12 press release. "We carefully manage all of our operations year round to produce outstanding berries." 5K Farms

LAKELAND, FL -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture increased its April orange crop forecast for the 2009-10 season by 600,000 boxes. Florida is now expected to produce 131.6 million boxes of oranges. "As the season heads into the stretch run, we are starting to get a clearer picture of the effect the January freeze had on our crop," Michael W. Sparks, executive vice president and chief executive officer of Florida Citrus Mutual, said in an April 9 press release. "Overall we came through in decent shape, and with the bloom coming out, the industry is starting to think about next year." The USDA

Alsum Produce Inc., based in Friesland, WI, has changed its name to Alsum Farms & Produce Inc. to better reflect its long-term growth plans and commitment to locally grown produce. The company will continue its growth through innovative new potato products, expanded offerings in fruits and vegetables, continued improvement in sustainable practices, and by building awareness of Wisconsin potatoes. In addition to its name change, Alsum Farms & Produce has developed a new logo with the tagline, "Integrity from field to fork." According to Larry Alsum, president and chief executive officer of the