As part of its cross-country tour, the Great Big Idaho Potato Truck spent a few days enjoying the southern hospitality in Atlanta, where one of its first stops was the Atlanta Food Truck Park. Lunchtime visitors had an opportunity to view this "spudtacular" vehicle and four local Meals On Wheels agencies received a total of 350,000 servings of Idahoan mashed potatoes, ready-to-serve, dehydrated potato products.

With the official launch for its "grilling platform" set for Sept. 1, the Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion Committee is going into the 2012 season with an ambitious new marketing and promotion campaign focusing on both retail and consumer-direct activities with Weber-Stephen grill products.

Working to stay ahead of the water shortage that is plaguing all of Colorado, Delta-area onion and sweet corn growers Brent and Brenton Hines, father and son respectively, are putting more onion acreage under drip irrigation this year.

Brent Hines, son of longtime Western Slope farmer Jerry Hines, told The Produce News in late June he has 100 acres of yellows and a lesser amount of reds and whites this year.

First loads of summer potatoes from Greeley, CO-based Martin Produce will be shipped by Cañon Potato Co. in Center, CO, the first week of August, according to Cañon President David Tonso.

Mr. Tonso said the russets and golds will go 70-80 percent to retail and the balance to foodservice under the Cañon Potato and Martin Produce labels. Receivers are both in-state and outside Colorado.

Beginning this season, the Greeley Farmers Market — which has been in operation for the past 20 years — requires its vendors to carry a minimum of $600,000 in insurance covering general and product liability. “We were one of the few markets in [Colorado] to not require liability insurance,” said Karen Scopel, natural resource planner with the city of Greeley, CO. “It’s surprising how many vendors don’t realize the risk they’re in by not having insurance.”

According to Ms. Scopel, Colorado has 130 farmers’ markets throughout the state.

In a web-based conference call with investors and the press, Campbell Soup Co. announced the morning of July 9 that it had reached an agreement to purchase Bolthouse Farms in Bakersfield, CA, for $1.55 billion, and will operate it as a separate business unit maintaining its current senior management.