MONTE VISTA, CO -- A decade in the San Luis Valley agriculture industry and a close working relationship with many of the area's potato grower-shippers puts Jim Ehrlich in a unique position as the new executive director of the Colorado Potato Administrative Committee.

Mr. Ehrlich succeeds Chris Voigt, who vacated the post last September for a similar position with the Washington State Potato Commission.

Its two booths -- No. 10943 on the show floor of the United Produce Show and the other situated in the Idaho section of the U.S. Food Export Showcase in the International Pavilion -- will serve as simultaneous unveiling sites for the Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion Committee's new logo and marketing campaign.

Sherise Jones, marketing director for the committee, said in mid-April that the eye-grabbing new logo and accompanying tagline, "Sweet with Heat," were designed for broad spectrum appeal.

CASTROVILLE, CA -- Decades and decades ago, when packing artichokes was the domain of local women from the Castroville area, Hugo Tottino, a partner in the California Artichoke & Vegetable Growers Corp., would start every day by going into the packing plant to personally greet each of his workers before heading into his office.

Figures tracked by the Mexican Mango Exporters Association and published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture show that Freska Produce International in Ventura, CA, is the largest importer of Mexican mangos in the United States. The April 15 report shows that Freska had brought in 1.5 million boxes of mangos, representing 50 percent of all crossings at Nogales, AZ, and 18 percent of all Mexican mangos coming into the United States since the season began.

WASHINGTON -- In a joint effort to help the fresh produce industry ensure the highest levels of food safety, the International Fresh-cut Produce Association, Produce Marketing Association, United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association and Western Growers Association released a document called Commodity Specific Food Safety Guidelines for the Lettuce & Leafy Greens Supply Chain.

Overall potato acreage in Kern County, CA, has dropped about 9 percent from the previous year -- from 8,727 acres planted in 2005 to 8,654 acres planted in 2006 -- according to published data from the Kern County Agricultural Commissioner's Office.