Latest News From VEGETABLES

Mother Nature is cooperating with this year's southern sweet potato crop - for the most part - sources say.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1 1/9-bushel cartons of jumbos in late August from western North Carolina sold for $8-10.35 for jumbos and extra large.

Mushroom volumes were up in the 2015-16 season, but the value of the crop was down slightly, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

For the first time, a pesticide-resistant whitefly has been discovered outdoors in the U.S.

Idaho and eastern Oregon grower-shippers got off to an early start this year.

The Idaho Potato Commission released a collection of kid-friendly recipes, with the back-to-school selection of offerings taken straight from the organization's website.

SALINAS, Calif. - Red beets and baby leaf items were among the vegetables on view for growers and seed dealers at Sakata Seed America's annual California Field Days in Salinas.

Grower-shippers of Baja California, Mexico, tomatoes took a bit of a break in August and look forward to what they hope will be a stronger market in the fall.

Importers reported fluctuating asparagus markets as Peruvian volumes ramp up.

A NatureSweet tomato plant in San Isidro, Mexico, is the 10th facility to offer product under the Responsibly Grown Farmworker Assured label of the Equitable Food Initiative.

The National Potato Council awarded a $10,000 annual scholarship to University of Wisconsin-Madison doctoral student Justin Clements.

Value-added packs are helping increase greenhouse pepper and tomato sales at British Columbia's SunSelect Produce Inc.

Most Idaho and eastern Oregon onion grower-shippers expect a similar mix of yellow, red and white onions this season.

Onion grower-shippers in Idaho and eastern Oregon's Treasure Valley continue to fight higher input costs and labor shortages.

Organic onions remain a tough sell in the Treasure Valley.

Idaho and eastern Oregon onion grower-shippers expect excellent quality and size this season.

Domino's Pizza is rolling out a line of salads created for the company by Ready Pac Foods.

West Coast Tomato Growers grower Harry Singh Jr. and his family are celebrating their 75th season of producing vine-ripe tomatoes in Oceanside, Calif.

Treasure Valley grower-shippers expect strong demand for their high-quality onions once other domestic deals wind down.

Lipman Family Farms has helped some of southwest Florida's needy children by giving them school supplies.

Remember the ad for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups? You know, chocolate and peanut butter - two great tastes that taste great together!

Frieda's Specialty Produce took note of the increasing popularity of shishito peppers by offering them in grab-and-go pouches.

To meet increasing demand, RPE Inc. is expanding its organic potato production and adding more growers.

Oceanside Pole brand tomato volumes are peaking in August.

Mushroom sales are on the rise.

The Central California Grower-Shipper Association's documentary "Historical Narratives of Salinas Valley Agriculture" is premiering at Corral de Tierra Country Club.

Georgia grower-shippers expect favorable late-summer weather to help produce typical fall sweet corn and green bean harvests.

Mushrooms are seeing increased consumer interest across the board, but varieties beyond basic white mushrooms are growing at even faster rates.

Lef Farms Corp., a baby greens growing facility for the Northeast, hired Donald Grandmaison as sales and marketing manager.

North Carolina sweet potato growers say they'll be in the fields early this year and the harvest should bring the best yields in years.

Increasing marketing efforts to kids on and around salad bars may be an effective way to increase vegetable consumption, a new study claims.

Guatemala Produce Trade Association has published a category management plan for fresh beans and peas.

Mushroom marketers say adding chopped mushrooms to ground meat is their favorite fungi trend.

Mushroom marketers say consumers are more knowledgeable about the category than in the past, but there are still education efforts needed, especially as specialty varieties gain in popularity.

When it comes to selling mushrooms at retail, one of the best ways to increase sales is to simply get more people to try them.

Hungenberg Produce Inc. is growing organic carrots for the first time this year.

Black Gold Farms has begun harvesting red potatoes in Indiana.

Alfalfa sprouts from Sprouts Extraordinaire, Denver, have been linked to a salmonella outbreak that has sickened 30 people, including five who were hospitalized. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Foo

Fagerberg Produce began harvesting its transplant onions the week of July 25 - and its timing was good.

Kitchen Pride Mushroom Farms Inc., Gonzales, Texas, recently held a Jr. Mushroom Masters cooking contest for kids age 6-15.

Commerce City, Colo.-based Ringer & Son Brokerage Co. Inc. expects to sell more Colorado-grown peaches, corn and pears this year.

The Fruit & Vegetable Dispute Resolution Corp. has terminated the membership of a Canadian garlic company for failure to pay an arbitration award.

In crop news, watermelon production is shifting and growers are set to begin digging new crop potatoes.

USDA has refused to pay claims filed by two Idaho families who contend its pesticide treatment contaminated their crops and poisoned a cattle herd.

Agriculture officials say that poultry and hog operations appeared to have come through the storm all right. But when the rains came, workers were just getting into the fields to harvest such things as peanuts, sweet potatoes and tobacco.

Pushed by his past and guided by what he feels is a divine call -- a life of service through agriculture -- former NFL star Jason Brown’s road to farmland is a most unlikely tale.

Two North Dakota brothers were sentenced Monday to prison time and ordered to pay back more than $900,000 for intentionally destroying potatoes to collect federal farm insurance payments.

Two North Dakota brothers were convicted Thursday of intentionally destroying potatoes to collect crop insurance payments in a scheme that prosecutors said defrauded the federal government of about $2 million.

For the first time, low-income women would be able to pay for them with government-subsidized vouchers issued by the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program.

Farmers Aaron and Derek Johnson are on trial for conspiring to defraud federal crop insurance programs for more than $2 million.