Tomatoes/Peppers

Women farm workers win sex harassment case

While picking tomatoes for DiMare Ruskin, one of Florida's largest growers, Catalina Ramirez says her crew leader would repeatedly ask her for sex, according to a lawsuit.In the same Immokalee fields, Lucia Reyes says she... more »

Farming family creates a niche at home and around the world

Huron, Ohio-based The Chef's Garden used a value-added producer grant it received several years ago to study the feasibility of adding a processing component to its family-owned operations. The company provides more than 600 varieties... more »

Herbicide-tolerant crops spark concerns

In 2008, Dave Simmons' neighbor applied 2,4-D on a windy day.He shouldn't have been spraying. The herbicide drifted onto a 2-acre block of Simmons' grapevines, stunting their growth and hurting yields for the next two... more »

Editorial: Unlocking the tomato genome

At the end of May, the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) and Tomato Genome Consortium announced that they had sequenced the genomes of the domesticated tomato and its wild relative.My understanding of genetics... more »

Orzolek stepping down from Penn State duties

After more than three decades as a professor of vegetable crops at Pennsylvania State University, Mike Orzolek has retired.Not that he'll stop completely. Orzolek will still do some fieldwork, and will continue to interact with... more »

Bell peppers can grow better in the shade

As the seasons turn, commercial bell pepper growers in the Southeast share a common foe: the sun.Brutal summer temperatures often make growing anything impossible, and peppers can be susceptible to a host of diseases and... more »

Florida Tomato Exchange says no more Mexican ‘maters

The Florida Tomato Exchange (FTE), based in Maitland, Fla., has officially asked the government of the United States to sever the tomato suspension agreement with Mexico based on what Reggie Brown, FTE manager, said are... more »

Greenhouse growers’ group calls for national standards

Certified Greenhouse Farmers is calling for a standard, enforceable definition of what constitutes a “greenhouse.”Formerly known as the North American Greenhouse Hothouse Vegetables Association, Certified Greenhouse Farmers says rising demand for greenhouse-grown produce makes now... more »