Pennsylvania’s Top Tomato Farmer Calling it Quits
By Michelle Fabio
This season, Keith Eckel, Pennsylvania’s top producer of fresh-market tomatoes, will stop growing tomatoes and plant corn on those 1,200 acres instead.
This in response to Eckel’s fear that his tomatoes would go unpicked because of a lack of workers. Last season, Eckel’s farm had the fewest seasonal workers in 20 years, and Eckel simply doesn’t want to take the chance—even though the move will cut his revenue up to 70 percent.
Although Eckel says his decision is not a protest, he is encouraging lawmakers to push ahead and pass some real immigration reform; farmers have wanted a functional guest worker program for years, and indeed, the lack of field workers was ranked as the biggest concern for Pennsylvania fruit and vegetables farmers in a 2007 poll.
Could this affect you as a consumer of tomatoes?
Eckel thinks so.
“If we in fact lost the ability to produce fresh fruits and vegetables in this country because of our inability to deal with the immigration issue,” he says, “we are going to become dependent on foreign countries and governments for our food and fiber. And we only have to look at what’s happened with energy to realize how at risk we are.”
Let’s hope lawmakers can sort this out before it’s too late for our homegrown tomatoes.
Source: Top tomato farm ends production
March 24th, 2008 at 9:30 am
Aaaarrrggghhhh! This concerns me personally as a Pennsylvania gardener and consumer. I hope he changes his mind!
March 24th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
I’m originally from PA, Ben, so I can appreciate your concern.
March 27th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Oh man, this is sad. As a Pittsburgh PA gardener, garden blogger, and tomato lover this is depressing news.
March 28th, 2008 at 2:44 am
Completely agreed Esther; hopefully lawmakers will take this as incentive to get moving on some real immigration reform.
March 28th, 2008 at 2:44 am
Oop, Ether! I meant Ether! Must’ve been thinking about another reader of ours, Esther