'Tate,' the PEI Potatoes mascot, and 'Bud the Spud,' the mascot for WP Griffin Inc. joined Sobey's staff at the world's largest potato display Oct. 3 in Charlottetown, PEI.

With the Produce Marketing Association Fresh Summit convention just weeks away, Mastronardi Produce, based in Kingsville, ON, released a three-minute video via its Facebook page and YouTube channel talking about what flavor means to its staff.

"We came up with the idea over the summer to help our customers and consumers understand what flavor means to our staff each and every day," Chris Veillon, director of marketing, said in a press release.

It’s not déjà vu all over again for O.C. Shulz & Sons Inc. And Dave Moquist, the company’s secretary-treasurer, said that’s a good thing. “It was such a pleasure this year compared to last,” he told The Produce News on Sept. 12.

“We had adequate moisture and excellent conditions for planting and the early stages of growing. It turned hot and dry for the rest of the growing season after July 4. It looks like the moisture in our area turned out to be adequate.”

Garber Farms in Iota, LA, has been in business for 131 years, giving the owner, Wayne Garber, some deep insight into growing issues, trends and changes throughout the years.

He explained to The Produce News that there is an aspect of growing where different crops compete for the same piece of land.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service issued its annual mushroom report Aug. 20. It states that sales of the 2011-12 U.S. mushroom crop totaled 900 million pounds, up 4 percent from the previous year. Value of sales for the 2011-12 crop is $1.1 billion, up 8 percent from the previous year.

In a typical year, Georgia leads the nation in pecan production and has for decades. But with the nut’s rising popularity and migration to the produce department, Georgia growers have enough new trees in the ground to increase production by about 50 percent between now and 2020. More importantly, Georgia growers believe they will find a welcoming market for those additional pecans.