VANCOUVER, BC -- When Karen Brux moved back to the United States from Taiwan in 2002, she had the task of selling gold kiwifruit to the North American retail market. She relied heavily on the knowledge garnered while living and working in Asia for the previous decade.

For anyone who makes a living growing fruits and vegetables, the whims of Mother Nature are an all-too-familiar part of the deal.

Up and down the East Coast, growers have seen the timing of their deals thrown off this spring, with Florida and Georgia trying to recover from record freezes and states in the mid-Atlantic region having endured drenching rains that pushed back planting schedules.

Summer 2010 is shaping up to be an especially busy season for the Colorado Potato Administrative Committee, with events and activities to include co- hosting the National Potato Council's summer meeting in June.

At the CPAC booth in the Colorado Proud aisle of WestEx, a foodservice show sponsored by Sysco and the Colorado Association and held on May 11 at Denver's Merchandise Mart, CPAC Executive Director Jim Ehrlich and Administrator Linda Weyers said the NPC meeting will feature U.S. Olympic figure skater Rachael Flatt, who is a spokesperson for CPAC and Colorado potatoes.

Much of the work of the director of communications for the National Watermelon Promotion Board is "currently focused heavily on kids."

Leslie Coleman said that her communications efforts from NWPB headquarters in Orlando, FL, involve projects that primarily target the youth of the United States.

As of mid-May, feedback from the Pacific Northwest pointed to an outstanding, if not record-setting, cherry crop. "We're seeing a curve similar to 2007," said James Michael, promotions director for the Washington State Fruit Commission and Northwest Cherries. "Everything looks good this year."

Two independent and significant transportation developments will be helping the distribution of South African citrus in the United States this summer.

These involve new contracts between the Western Cape Citrus Producers Forum and the reefer steamship line Seatrade, as well as an agreement with the rail service Railex. The Western Cape Citrus Producers Forum is the South African grower group that is the leading supplier of Southern Hemisphere citrus to the Uunited States.