The eagerly awaited start of the 2008 Idaho potato harvest has finally arrived, according to Frank Muir, president of the Idaho Potato Commission. The eagerness is due to two factors. First, shippers went through the 2007 crop faster than anticipated, so there is not much product in the marketplace. Added to that is the fact that the crop, delayed by cool, wet weather in the early spring, is running a little later than normal. Some growers began harvesting early Norkotahs for the fresh market the week of Aug. 18. "We don't know a lot about the harvest yet, other than the size of the acreage,"

CULVER CITY, CA -- Australian citrus growers toured 50 major supermarkets in California as part of the annual promotions of the only Australian citrus program in the United States, run for the past 16 years by DNE World Fruit Sales in Fort Pierce, FL. "This is the first push we've done that's involved growers," Stu Monaghan, DNE's national sales manager, told The Produce News. "Normally we run promotions by offering retailers a great price to push a few varieties and tell consumers about the items in the newspapers and in-store signage. It's a huge boost to moving produce." Commenting on DNE's

WASHINGTON -- By later this fall, 1 million kids will be eating fresh fruits and vegetables in schools as a popular snack program is expanded nationwide. "If you're a wholesaler, you should know about this program," said Lorelei DiSogra, vice president of nutrition and health for the United Fresh Produce Association, here. "This is a huge business opportunity for wholesalers and even retailers." Thousands of schools that cater to the neediest kids will divvy up $49 million this year under the U.S. Department of Agriculture's newly expanded Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program. Ms. DiSogra, a former

The Idaho Grower Shipper Association, headquartered in Idaho Falls, ID, is a voluntary trade association that has been representing the fresh potato shippers and grower-shippers of Idaho for 80 years. For the last 28 of those years, Dave Smith has been at the helm of the organization, but he is retiring Aug. 29, and Travis Blacker, formerly with Dickinison Frozen Foods, has been hired to be the new president of IGSA. "I don't know whether I can say enough good about Dave," commented Bob Wilkins, chief executive officer of GPOD of Idaho in Shelly, ID. "I would almost say Dave is the backbone of

Loblaw Cos. Ltd., one of the larger retailers in Canada, has kicked off a new program to promote locally grown Canadian produce. Called "Grown Close to Home," the program, which was unveiled Aug. 14 and will run through the beginning of September, will be promoted on all Loblaw's outlets that sell produce -- at least 1,000 stores across the country, Mike Venton, the firm's new senior vice president of produce, told The Produce News Aug. 19. "As a business, we've supported the local theme and growers pretty well over the past few years across Canada," Mr. Venton said. "We are beginning as an

The Southeast Produce Council updated its website earlier this month to give it a fresh, new look, adding some exciting functions that both grower- shippers and retailers should find quite useful. "The site looks more professional," SPC Executive Director Terry Vorhees told The Produce News Aug. 18, noting that the site (www.seproducecouncil.com) went live just three days before. "We've added a few things," he noted. "One of the most important is a member search function," located right on the home page. "This will be a big advantage, particularly for grower-shippers ... and for retailers."