The first of six USA Onion Grill-Off competitions coinciding with Boise State 2013 home games was a resounding victory on Sept. 7 for both the Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion Committee and for the BSU Broncos, who cleaned the clock of University of Tennessee at Martin Skyhawks in a 63-14 blowout.

Grab’n’go packaging to be offered by Rainier Fruit Co. this season is expected to drive additional apple sales at retail. “We installed new mesh bagging equipment this summer which — in addition to our current mesh header bag — gives us the option to pack a wrap-around mesh pouch bag,” said Director of Marketing Suzanne Wolter.

Galas are already coming off the trees, and Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers is looking for a great apple season and promotable crop. “Weather has been pretty good this growing season,” said National Marketing Representative Dan Wohlford. “We’ve had good temperatures and precipitation at the right time for the most part. There were a couple of hail events in July that affected a small amount of fruit. However, there is a market for that, too, and we don’t anticipate any real issues.”

Monsoonal flows, which began in July, were well-received by Colorado residents and agricultural producers. But the rainfall was not enough to overcome extreme drought conditions and improve water supplies.

Craig Cotten, district engineer with the Colorado State Engineer’s office, provided The Produce News with a detailed snapshot of conditions experienced in the San Luis Valley this production season.

AMC Direct, an importer of fresh produce based in Glassboro, NJ, along with sister companies AMC Fazio and AMC Canada, is set to launch new brand assets in next month before the PMA Fresh Summit Convention & Exposition in New Orleans. All three companies are members of the Spain-based AMC Group.

Publix Super Markets Inc. and Bi-Lo Holdings LLC, parent company of the BI-LO and Winn-Dixie grocery store chains, have entered into an agreement under which Publix is expected to purchase seven BI-LO-branded stores in North and South Carolina.

Publix continues to look at aggressive growth in the North Carolina market, and the acquisition will allow the company to further enhance its footprint in the company’s Charlotte Division.