The USDA has filed an administrative complaint against sweet potato company Southern Produce Distributors, Faison, N.C., alleging the company failed to pay $3.49 million to produce sellers.

Sweet potato grower-shipper Wayne Bailey Produce Co LLC, which closed after 85 years this spring, left creditors with more than $8.1 million in unpaid debt, according to the USDA.

Culinary experts from Los Alamitos, Calif-based Frieda’s Specialty Produce created grilling and picnic-friendly recipes inspired by Stokes Purple sweet potatoes and put them in a new recipe portal.

Simcoe, Ontario-based Berlo’s Best, Canada’s largest sweet potato producer, is adding another 5,500 square feet to its storage warehouse for a total of 90,000 square feet.

Wilson, N.C.-based Vick Family Farms is expanding its organic line of Natural Gold sweet potatoes, said Charlotte Vick, partner.

North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission now is working with a new marketing agency — Raleigh, N.C.-based Fresh-West-Vaughan, said Kelly McIver, the commission’s executive director.

Sweet potato grower-shipper Wayne Bailey Produce, Chadbourn, N.C., is closing after 85 years, and its customers will now be served by Jackson Farming Co.

The North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission is planning to launch a branding program for sweet potatoes grown in North Carolina.

Sweet potatoes are a popular vegetable among U.S. shoppers, with female, white and high-income consumers among the most frequent purchasers.

Amelia and Ashley discuss which age groups and regions buy the most sweet potatoes, along with their experiences with the vegetable and "millennial-friendly" ways to use it.