Maitland, FL – The Florida Tomato Committee (FTC) will hold a virtual meeting on Wednesday, May 10, for tomato producers to nominate fellow growers or themselves to serve on the committee for a two-year term, from September 2023 to September 2025. The FTC is a federal marketing order that regulates the handling of Florida tomatoes and supports the industry through …
Low Supply and High Prices for Florida Tomatoes
By Clint Thompson Tomato prices are high right now for producers. They should be able to take advantage for a couple of more weeks, if they have a crop. “If” is the operative word, because supply is low. Bob Spencer, president of West Coast Tomato in Palmetto, Florida, attributes the low supply to the Christmas freeze event. Growers experienced significant bloom drop, …
Low Supply, High Prices for Tomatoes
By Clint Thompson Tomato prices are high right now for producers. They should be able to take advantage for a couple of more weeks, if they have a crop. “If” is the operative word, because supply is low. Bob Spencer, president of West Coast Tomato in Palmetto, Florida, attributes the low supply to the Christmas freeze event. Growers experienced significant …
Facing Tomato Disease Throughout South Florida
One tomato disease remains prevalent in South Florida, according to the South Florida Pest and Disease Hotline. Target spot (Corynespora cassiicola) is being observed at moderate to high levels in tomato fields across the region. It is also extremely high in older plantings in fields on the east coast. Target spot symptoms can be confused easily with bacterial spot and early …
On Target: Tomato Disease Increasing in South Florida
One tomato disease remains prevalent in South Florida, according to the South Florida Pest and Disease Hotline. Target spot (Corynespora cassiicola) is being observed at moderate to high levels in tomato fields across the region. It is also extremely high in older plantings in fields on the east coast. Target spot symptoms can be confused easily with bacterial spot and …
Florida Tomato Industry Pioneer Paul DiMare Passes Away
On Dec. 30, Paul J. DiMare passed away at the age of 81. DiMare had served as president of DiMare Fresh, a Florida-based company which grew into one of the nation’s top tomato producers. He moved to Florida in the 1960s to oversee the tomato growing and packing business started by his father and uncles. Over the years, DiMare made …
Tomatoes Fetching Strong Prices
By Clint Thompson Tomato prices remain high for those vegetable growers who actually have a crop. A lack of supply following Hurricane Ian has aided in prices exceeding $30 per box, according to Bob Spencer, president of West Coast Tomato in Palmetto, Florida. He said Florida production is half of what it should be. Growers are still a month away from production normalizing itself. …
Trends in Florida Tomato Production and Markets
By Kimberly L. Morgan, Xiuri Cui and Zhengfei Guan Driven by consumer demand, the fresh tomato supply-chain network includes product harvested at different maturity stages, resulting in a unique marketing process distinguishable from other produce. Fresh tomatoes are typically marketed either through retail or foodservice channels. From farm to fork, the supply chain is divided into stages with different entities: …
Dry Weather Aids North Florida/South Georgia Tomato Production
By Clint Thompson The prolonged dry period sweeping across the Southeast benefited tomato producers in the North Florida/South Georgia region. Growers welcomed the dry conditions that helped save the crop from bacterial spot disease. Josh Freeman, an agronomist and regional manager with TriEst Ag Group, discussed the impact that minimal rainfall had on tomato production. “Everything started off really bad. …
Tomato Prices High Following Hurricane Ian
By Clint Thompson Tomato prices are extremely high right now. Unfortunately, there’s not much supply for growers to take advantage. “North Florida and South Georgia are probably the only domestic supply of tomatoes we’ve got for the foreseeable future,” said Josh Freeman, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) associate professor in horticultural science. Freeman estimated those …