The North American Strawberry Growers Association will hold its annual meeting and conference Jan. 19-21 in New Orleans at the historic Hotel Monteleone. The meeting will feature two days of speaker presentations, panels and round-table discussions, followed by a one-day tour of local berry farms in the Ponchatoula district.

The association will be bringing in strawberry experts from growing regions at home and abroad. Featured speakers include Philip Lieten, a well-known agronomist who works with Fresh Forward in the Netherlands.

Delano, CA-based Jakov Dulcich & Sons grows more than a dozen red, green and blue-black table grape varieties on more than 2,500 acres of vineyards in California's Central Valley.

Dulcich produces 3 million boxes per year and ships worldwide through its own Sunlight International Sales Inc. It ships grapes by air, ocean and truck, and it offers a wide variety of pack styles. Dulcich harvests table grapes from July into December.

"We have storage grapes through Christmas," said Nick Dulcich, owner and director of sales for the long-time family farm.

Chefs Nobu Matsuhisa, Paul Prudhomme and David Burke are among 11 chefs sharing their favorite recipes using Idaho potatoes in the Idaho Potato Commission's Recipes for Relief on-line program running through the end of this year.

Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner has been selected to receive the 11th annual Friend of Chile Award presented by the Chilean & American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia, an affiliate of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber will honor Gov. Minner Nov. 20, 2008, during a luncheon at the Union League of Philadelphia.

Between the two of them, brothers Marc and Nic Marchini have the family business covered.

Marc Marchini, 25, handles sales and cost-analysis for radicchio specialist J. Marchini Farms, while Nic Marchini, 23, serves as the Le Grand, CA-based company's production manager.

"He is the grower and I am the marketer," Marc Marchini said.

The pair will be in attendance at PMA's Fresh Summit in Orlando, FL, Oct. 24- 27, where in addition to taking in supplier presentations, they are hosting a cocktail reception for their customers.

The fresh potato community in Colorado's San Luis Valley is bidding farewell to Jim and Sandy Tonso of Ca?on Potato Co. with great sorrow but best wishes for the future.

Thomas R. Ford, a recent inductee to the Colorado Agriculture Hall of Fame and chairman of the Colorado Potato Administrative Committee in Monte Vista, CO, took time to speak with The Produce News from his tractor as this year's potato harvest began.