The worldwide recognition of Idaho potatoes was apparent when participants of the Special Olympics World Winter Games descended upon Boise, ID, in early February.

As the IPC mascot Spuddy Buddy greeted athletes from nearly 100 countries in his official cobalt blue World Games jersey, the universal support for Idaho potatoes was clear.

Mann Packing Co. is gearing up for its annual Swing Into Spring on-pack offer promotion.

Starting March 1, Mann will place instant-redeemable coupons on 200,000 packages of eight-ounce stringless sugar snap peas and six-ounce snow peas. The offer is good for $1 savings on any two packages of Mann's products purchased. This is one of eight on-pack offers Mann is planning in 2009 to encourage consumers to try its products and build sales.

TULARE, CA -- Educational seminars at the World AG Expo, the world's largest annual agricultural equipment show, are not always well attended, presumably because the show's 100,000 attendees are too busy looking at the 1,600 exhibits and buying equipment they need for their operations.

FRESNO, CA -- Growers in western Fresno and Kings counties in California's San Joaquin Valley who have been relying on water from the federal Central Valley Project have been warned to expect a zero water allocation this year. As a result, more than 330,000 acres of land that would normally be in production will not be planted this year.

VENTURA, CA -- "2008 was another billion-dollar year for Sunkist, the 11th in the past two decades -- which includes four freeze years," Sunkist President and Chief Executive Officer Russ Hanlin was quoted in a Feb. 18 company press release as saying to the more than 500 growers attending Sunkist Growers' 115th annual meeting at the Ventura County Fairgrounds. "In 2008 our total revenues were up 8 percent over 2007, and at $839 million, payments were up 5 percent."

Gordon Hunt had been in South Vietnam for eight months. Troops were to receive a rest-and-relaxation break every six months.

But war being what war is, Mr. Hunt's chance to break had not yet arrived.

It was 1968, and Mr. Hunt, who today is director of marketing for the National Watermelon Promotion Board in Orlando, FL, finally received word that a handful of slots had opened up.