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Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Tomatoes”
By Clint Thompson Sustainability in the tomato industry likely will rely on automation. It only makes sense for tomato breeding research at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) to focus on developing varieties that can be harvested mechanically. Edgar Sierra, a post-doctoral researcher at the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, discussed tomato breeding …
By Clint Thompson Tomato harvests are well under way across Florida. One industry expert likes the quality and quantity of this year’s fall crop. Bob Spencer, president of West Coast Tomato in Palmetto, Florida, discussed the outlook facing Florida growers. “We started up about a week and a half, two weeks ago. We’ve had decent yields for the fall; I …
The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) submitted a letter urging the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) to approve the Florida Tomato Exchange’s (FTE) request to terminate the U.S.-Mexico Antidumping Tomato Suspension Agreement. The FFVA emphasized the adverse impact of unfair subsidies provided by the Mexican government to its fruit and vegetable industry. The challenges faced by the tomato industry …
By Clint Thompson Florida tomato growers have a new concern with plant disease management this year. “The big news that we have right now is that we’ve identified a new race of fusarium wilt on tomato that appears to overcome a lot of our sources of resistance that are currently deployed. I’m just trying to get the word out to …
The Fresh Produce Association of the Americas (FPAA), which represents importers of Mexican tomatoes, used a misleading study to distract from Mexico’s record of dumping tomatoes. The study claims that tomato prices will rise by an average of 52% if antidumping duties are imposed on imports of Mexican tomatoes. This conclusion, however, is based on fantasy and not on market …
By Clint Thompson Tomato producers applying fungicides should be wary the management tactic could exacerbate bacterial spot disease. Gary Vallad, professor of plant pathology at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, spoke at the Florida Tomato Conference in LaBelle, Florida, last week. He cautioned growers to consider the spray applications they …
By Clint Thompson Tomato producers applying fungicides should be wary the management tactic could exacerbate bacterial spot disease. Gary Vallad, professor of plant pathology at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, spoke at the Florida Tomato Conference in LaBelle, Florida, last week. He cautioned growers to consider the spray …
By Clint Thompson Florida’s controversial immigration law could affect the labor force available for the state’s specialty crop producers this year. That includes the tomato industry. Michael Schadler, manager of the Florida Tomato Committee and executive vice president of the Florida Tomato Exchange, spoke during Wednesday’s Tomato Conference in Labelle. He highlighted the law and how growers could be impacted. …
The U.S. Department of Commerce opened an investigation by the request of the Florida Tomato Exchange (FTE) that could result in anti-dumping duties on Mexican tomatoes. In June of 2023, FTE filed a request to eliminate the 2019 Tomato Suspension Agreement. The purpose behind this request was to end the unfair trading pattern between the U.S. tomato industry and the …
By Clint Thompson Grafting tomato plants may be an expensive venture for commercial growers, but they will be the ones laughing at the end, capitalizing with fruit when supply is limited. Jacob Kelley, Alabama regional Extension agent, encourages his producers to adopt the practice to help overcome diseases that are prevalent in South Alabama. “A lot of these diseases and …
