California new potato growers and handlers from the Kern County district hope that their potatoes - dug, packed and shipped without moving into cold storage - really are a hot potato in a true marketing sense.

It is this rush to freshness that makes California new potatoes unique, since most potatoes marketed nationwide are done so out of storage.

WASHINGTON Although the Senate voted April 19 not to debate the AgJobs bill, supporters say they were pleased with the vote tally and believe there is enough support to pass it in the Senate later this year.

Maggie Bezart, vice president of marketing and sales for Castroville, CA-based Ocean Mist Farms since 1999, left the company April 15 with an eye toward pursuing other employment. She will consult for Ocean Mist through June.

The Oregon Senate in Milwaukie voted to designate pears the official state fruit of Oregon, bringing to a close a fruitful endeavor initiated by the Pear Bureau Northwest on behalf of Oregon's 370 pear growers.

A mid-April freeze in the Yakima and Chelan growing regions of Washington state prompted many growers to utilize smudge pots for heat and crank up their propane or gas-powered wind machines to blow warm air across their in-bloom fruit trees.

However, while overnight temperatures reached a record low of 20 degrees in the Yakima area, only minimal damage has been assessed.

SHERMAN OAKS, CA  Sunkist Growers Inc., in partnership with the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena, CA, hosted the fourth annual Sunkist Citrus C?l?bre, an event that brings together culinary innovators from North America to explore creative cooking with citrus.

The event, held Feb. 1-4, gave chefs, marketers, educators and distributors an opportunity to explore world citrus trends and get an in-depth look at citrus varieties.