Tater Man announced that it has the first cured sweet potatoes available for the 2012-13 season and started shipping its "Suwannee River" branded sweet potatoes Aug. 15.  

Tater Man is a Dover, FL-based produce company that specializes in growing and marketing sweet potatoes on approximately 800 acres. Most of the crop is located in northern Florida and in southern Georgia near the Suwannee River. Tater Man also grows sweet potatoes in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and North Carolina.

Boca Raton, FL-based Fresh-Veg announced that it has created a new logo and is working with TFM International Inc. to help with a new marketing strategy and execution.

Fresh-Veg is a family owned broker-grower representative and specializes in year-round sales of squash, tomatoes, Bell peppers, hot peppers and Mexican fruits and vegetables that cross Nogales, AZ, and McAllen, TX. Fresh-Veg has offices in Florida, Nevada, Arizona and South Carolina.

Maurice A. Auerbach moved to its new state-of-the-art facility in Secaucus, NJ, last fall. Bruce Klein, director of marketing for the company, told The Produce News that the 60,000-square-foot facility has 45,000 square feet of refrigeration and an unbroken cold chain. The construction also offers enhanced sustainability.

Okray Family Farms Inc., located in Plover, WI, expects its potato volume to increase 10 percent this season when compared to 2011. The company has approximately 1,800 acres in potato production. “We grow principally Norkotah and Silverton russets, Red Norlands and Jelly and Augustas for yellows,” Corporate Secretary Richard Okray told The Produce News Aug. 20. “Okray Family Farms provides category management and replenishment to the retail sector. Very little of our product is used for foodservice or wholesale.”

The University of Wisconsin-Madison provided a snapshot of the state's potato production in its Vegetable Crop Update issued Aug. 16. "Harvest season has begun for many growers harvesting chipping and processing potatoes, and of course fresh potatoes of all types direct to the processing plants or packingsheds," wrote Professor A.J. Bussan of the Department of Horticulture. "Yields appear to be quite good across the state. But there are some quality issues that have begun to raise concerns. Determinate crops, including Norkotah, are beginning to mature.

DANNY GOFORTH joined Salinas, CA-based Mann Packing as a sales executive for its customer solutions/sales team.

Mr. Goforth is also a graduate of Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, where he earned a degree in agricultural business. He previously worked as a sales and business development manager for Salinas, CA-based Colorful Harvest.