Red Tomato Adds Value with Market-Driven Programs

To stay competitive in the wholesale market, farmers must constantly keep in mind market trends and potential regulations or changes in current regulations. Farmers in the Red Tomato network benefit from the dynamic information sharing that happens within our grower network. This farmer-to-farmer dialogue, combined with similar conversations with retail buyers, enables Red Tomato to develop programs that maintain the competitive edge of farmers in our grower network.

Food Safety

Food safety has become a major concern, and more & more wholesale and retail buyers are moving toward mandatory food safety regulations for their suppliers. Anticipating that not all growers have the means to make food safety certification a top priority in tough economic times, Red Tomato initiated a search for funding to develop and implement a food safety education, assessment, and certification program for growers in our network.

With funding support from EPA and CIG in 2008/9, Red Tomato contracted with consultant Bruce Wilkins of Agricultural Consulting Services, Inc. to develop a voluntary program to provide training, assessment and GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) certification for Red Tomato growers. As of 2010, 21 farms have been assessed, three are on track for certification, and fourteen more growers will be GAP certified within the year. Next steps in the program include the implementation of a recall and traceability system within the network.

Farm Labor

Skilled, reliable farm workers, both year-round and seasonal, are essential to even the smallest farms.  Labor needs are especially challenging for fruit and vegetable growers who must hand harvest their crops on a schedule dictated by Mother Nature, not the clock. Much media attention has focused on big production regions of the country, and abusive labor practices that are of genuine concern. In the Northeast, however, many growers go to great lengths to treat their workers fairly, provide high quality living standards, and pay competitive wages. Growers in the Red Tomato network often employ a mix of local, guest-workers and interns for year-round and seasonal work. They often have relationships that go back generations with their seasonal crews, who come from Jamaica and elsewhere.

In order to better understand labor practices on farms in the Red Tomato network, and how Red Tomato can support both growers and workers in the context of the very messy national conversation about immigration and farm labor, , we have started a multi-year discussion with our growers and with national farm labor advocates. In 2010 we expect to develop a pilot project around fair farm labor on Northeast farms.

Eco

In response to the tremendous difficulties presented by growing organic fruit in the Northeast, Red Tomato launched the Eco Apple^TM program in 2004. The eco program is a third-party certified standard that is centered around advanced Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies. IPM growers seek to minimize the use of chemical applications on the farm by common sense practices, like targeted mowing and pruning, as well as advanced scientific concepts like beneficial insects and mating disruption. Apple growers in the program must follow a very advanced protocol that were developed by Red Tomato and the IPM Institute of America and updated annually in collaboration with scientists and growers.

In 2010, Red Tomato expands the eco program to include Eco Stone Fruit (peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots) in collaboration with the IPM Institute of America and the University of Connecticut Extension. We will begin a pilot for marketing this year in stone fruit, and are working to expand the eco program to other crops as the science and funding becomes available.