CENTER, CO — The year-round fingerling program started last year has worked out well for Mountain Valley Produce, according to General Manager Ernie Myers, and the longtime San Luis Valley potato grower said that this year’s harvest was set to start on Sept. 10.

“The Colorado crop looks good,” Mr. Myers said in mid-August. “Right now we’re running California fingerlings, and we’ll start harvesting Colorado Sept. 10.”

Russets will start Sept. 15, he said, adding, “Growing conditions have been favorable — once we got into July. We saw a cold, dry and windy spring.”

McCormick & Milne LLC, headquartered in Monte Vista, CO, has entered its seventh year of operation, working with potato growers in Colorado’s San Luis Valley. Managing Member John McCormick said he expects volume marketed this season will be comparable to 2010, coming in at 8,000 loads.

Mr. Milne has been in the industry as a shipper-broker since 1982.

CENTER, CO — After short russet supplies in 2010-11, Cañon Potato Co. in Center, CO, anticipates fewer russets again this year.

Company President David Tonso said in mid-August that a cold and windy spring, followed by a dry summer, has put some growers behind a week to 10 days, and he said, “I think the [russet] crop will be short again this year and yields will likely be average.”

Arvin, CA-based Kern Ridge Growers LLC’s busiest season starts in October with organic and conventional carrots.

“Carrots are our primary crop, and we offer both organic and conventional options,” said Andrew Bianchi, sales manager. “We also handle citrus. Green bell peppers and chili peppers are available seasonally, from the first week of June through the third week of July.”

On Aug. 24, Bob Lords, fresh and foodservice sales manager for The Garlic Company in Bakersfield, CA, said that the company continues to offer both fresh whole-bulb and peeled organic garlic.

“We are currently finishing up with our Mexico organic garlic and starting with our California crop,” he said. “These are the two areas where we grow organic garlic.”

Mr. Lords said that the organic demand seems to be growing a little every year at retail as well as at the ingredient level.

The vision and foresight of one man built a pathway into the future. Roger Pepperl, director of marketing for Stemilt Growers Inc. in Wenatchee, WA, attributes the company’s success in the organic arena to company founder Tom Mathison.

“Tom Mathison, who has since passed away, took Stemilt into a path of organic production and organic practices as a response to the Alar crisis, a growth regulator for apples, in which apples were attacked on a “60 Minutes” segment with Meryl Streep on a health-risk issue,” Mr. Pepperl told The Produce News on Aug. 24.