With the beginning of summer just weeks away, mushroom marketers are primed for the spike in sales that results with the start of the grilling season. Joe Caldwell, vice president at Watsonville, CA-based Monterey Mushrooms, said that the summer month s used to be slow for Monterey Mushrooms, but about 10 years ago, the company started promotions in the summer. The promotions were buoyed by the lack of competition that mushrooms enjoy. "People eat mushrooms with other things, but they don't buy s omething instead of mushrooms," he said. Monterey Mushrooms' Portabella variety has increased to

In a press release dated May 26, the Washington State Potato Commission announced that its longtime executive director, Pat Boss, tendered his resignation from the organization on May 25, effective immediately. Mr. Boss, who joined the commission as government affairs director in September 1996, became executive director in December 1998. During his nine-year tenure, the commission saw several advances, including open trade with South Korea, key federal funding for projects specific to the potato industry and inroads for protection of farmers rights. When contacted May 27, Mr. Boss was

The New York Apple Association in Fishers, NY, announced that the 2005 apple growing season is underway as bloom began across the state, with some varieties already in full bloom in the Hudson Valley. Western New York farms and orchards along Lake Champlain are expected to bloom in the coming days. "This is an exciting time of year for our growers, and an overall high point for our industry as consumer demand for our apples continues to grow," said NYAA President Jim Allen. "With a new bloom comes new optimism for a good fall harvest. Bloom has been slightly delayed this year due to cold

Ole Tyme Produce in St. Louis announced the launch of a new line of trucks with unique decals that feature close-up photographs of various fruits and vegetables. The decals will raise awareness for the fresh produce company as well as showcase the quality of the product for which the company is known. "We wanted something unique on our fleet of trucks that coincides with our message of fresh and natural," said Ole Tyme President Joan Daleo. "We hope everyone will take notice of our traveling fleet because of the unique design. Located on Produce Row in St. Louis, Ole Tyme Produce is a

The California cantaloupe industry has developed a new quality-assurance program it hopes will further distance the state's melons from the food safety problems that have plagued Mexican melons in the past. "The California cantaloupe industry was devastated by food-safety problems during the 1990s that had absolutely nothing to do with our region," said Stephen Patricio, chairman of the California Cantaloupe Advisory Board and president of Westside Produce Co. in San Jose, CA, which specializes in field packing, commercial cooling and shipping of California cantaloupes and honeydews. In

Beginning July 1, produce companies that hire third-party auditors can tap a new service that allows managers, for the first time, to log on to a secure web site and view the corrective actions that need fixing, along with the employee responsible for the task. Traditionally, a client who contracts with an auditing firm receives a bulky report with a numerical score on the top sheet, explained Karey Gilmore, spokesman for St. Louis-based ASI Food Safety Consultants Inc. This leaves the unlucky person whose job it is to sift through endless paperwork to find the list of recommended corrective