The cover story of the July issue of Specialty Crop Grower Magazine puts the spotlight on DiMare Company, one of the largest field-grown tomato producers and packers in the U.S. Tony DiMare, president of DiMare Fresh and DiMare Homestead, recounts the company’s history, which spans 96 years and started with Tony’s grandfather, Anthony, and his two brothers.
Deer and feral hogs continue to be pests for Georgia’s specialty crop producers. Legislative leaders armed state agencies with funding in next year’s budget to tackle some of the wildlife troubles in agriculture; $150,000 to the Georgia Department of Agriculture for the Feral Hog Task Force and $300,000 to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources for the Hunters for the Hungry Program.
The pre-harvest agricultural water-use rule in produce cultivation under the Food Safety Modernization Act was published in May. The rule applies to applications that include sprinkler, drip, furrow, flood and seepage irrigation. The rule has multiple requirements that are outlined in the story.
Jessica Chitwood-Brown is building better tomatoes as the new tomato breeder at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Gulf Coast Research and Education Center. She talked about her research which includes an emphasis on developing varieties suited for machine harvesting.
This year’s Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo is just around the corner, scheduled for Aug. 21-22 at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. Ag policy leaders, including Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson, will headline the two-day event.
The magazine also highlights the specialty crop tracker, which focuses on the progress of multiple crops throughout the Southeast. These include blackberries, watermelons and sweet corn.