CENTER, CO — Well into its first full season of year-round fingerlings, Mountain Valley Produce, based here, is moving the specialty spud at a good rate, according to General Manager Ernie Myers.

The operation, which has grown and shipped Colorado fingerlings for several seasons, went year round in 2010, shipping product from California and Colorado to close the gap.

Describing post-holiday potato movement as brisk, Tonya McCormick, partner in H.R. Bushman & Son Corp. and manager of the Colorado office in Golden, told The Produce News that she continues to maximize relationships she's developed with Colorado spud grower-shippers.

Ms. McCormick, who is in her 10th year as partner in the St. Louis-based Bushman operation, works the Colorado office with her sister, Melodie Dorland. Ms. McCormick handles sales, and Ms. Dorland secures transportation.

Sales activity has ramped up for RPE, a second-generation potato and onion grower-shipper owned by the Wysocki Family of Companies in Bancroft, WI. The company markets potatoes grown in Colorado's San Luis Valley by Hi- Land Potato Co. and Metz Potato Co.

RPE Vice President of Marketing Randy Shell said that the addition of Colorado growers to its producer lineup has been beneficial. RPE is a year-round supplier of russets, also working with growers in Wisconsin and Idaho. The company has offices in Minnesota, Illinois and Georgia.

From his Atlanta office, Dave Yeager, new vice president of business development for Colorado-based Farm Fresh Direct LLC, said in early January that he sees his role with the potato distributor as a busy one.

"It's definitely in growth mode," Mr. Yeager, who came on board with Farm Fresh Direct in November 2010, said of the operation. He will continue to work from his Georgia office.

CENTER, CO — Following a Thanksgiving season that was "as good as we've had in a long time," Cañon Potato Co. President David Tonso described the first four months of sales for the 2010 potato crop as “vigorous.”

Mr. Tonso said, “We’ve seen a steady rise in price, but we’re working hard to keep it at a slower approach.”

As the result of short supplies nationwide and potatoes from the Northwest being shipped into Canada, Colorado’s position in the domestic market has been strengthened.

Late in January, the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association again will be taking a group of North American retailers on an educational tour of Chile's fresh produce industry.

"We have found that the more retailers know about the care, handling, traceability, the GAP programs, the USDA inspections and the modern port -- all of the factors that go into production, harvesting and distribution of fruit - - the better off we are," said Tom Tjerandsen, managing director of North America for the Sonoma, CA-based Chilean fruit promotion group.