With the first of its 165,000 potato acres being dug in mid-July, the Washington state potato crop is producing great quality potatoes, though the yields might be down a bit for the season.

More than a decade ago, the potato growers of Washington state determined that the best way to spend their promotion dollars was to spread the good story that agriculture has to tell.

The organic produce category is alive, well and still growing, according to both the nation’s largest retailer and one of the East Coast’s larger service wholesale distributors.

If you handle organic produce in any way along the supply chain, now is the time to determine if you need to be certified under the new Strengthening of Enforcement regulations in USDA’s National Organic Program. And the overwhelming chances are that you must be certified.

The seventh version the Organic Produce Summit saw record crowds, interesting educational sessions and two back-to-back keynotes addresses: one addressing the environmental crisis created by wasted food and the other taking a thoughtful look at the future of food marketing from a retail perspective.

Shipments of avocados from Mexico have declined significantly in the past month and are also skewing heavily toward small sizes creating a two-tiered market with small sizes declining in price and large fruit demand exceeding supply.