November 2019 - 1

US pumpkin capital
works through surplus
rain
SEED SHOWCASE
8
11
36
Speaking the universal
language of agriculture
November 2019 | Volume 53 |
Issue 11
MightyVine head grower Ruben Vicencio has more than 20 years of experience at growing operations in Arizona and Maine. Photos: MightyVine
By Stephen Kloosterman
Associate Editor
Regionally-grown tomatoes are
thriving in Chicagoland, where
MightyVine is doubling its greenhouse
space for growing tomatoes.
The company started in 2015 by Gary
Lazarski, Jim Murphy and a group of
investors has 15 acres under glass and
will add another 15 over the next two
years - 7.5 by the end of 2019, and
another 7.5 in 2020.
There's been some uncertainty in
the market's recent history as the U.S.
Department of Commerce worked
to hammer out a new agreement
with Mexican growers governing
the importation of fresh tomatoes.
Lazarski said the trade controversy
was too big for his own company to
have much effect. But he's confident
local products' superior quality will
make the difference for consumers it
reaches. MightyVine tomatoes have
been distributed to most states in the
Midwest, although its home is Chicago.
" I don't see demand tapering, " he
said. " The majority of tomatoes are
still imported from Mexico. They are
typically lower in quality and for many
markets they suffer from long transport
times. More than most produce,
tomatoes do not travel well. The
Chicago market and the U.S., in general,
can absorb the expansion. "
Building a bigger greenhouse allows
a better economy of scale, spreading
fixed costs over a larger total business,
he said. With financing from Rabo
AgriFinance, the company plans to
have 30 acres under glass by the end of
See MIGHTYVINE, page 5
Organic growers won't talk GMOs
By Stephen Kloosterman
Associate Editor
Consider this a conversation-stopper.
A USDA gene editing dialogue with
the organics community didn't get
very far before a chorus of organic
growers responded in the negative,
saying it was a distraction from more
pressing issues.
During a House Committee on
Agriculture Subcommittee meeting
in mid-July, Rep. Neal Dunn asked
Department of Agriculture Under
Secretary Greg Ibach about the use of
gene editing to come up with diseaseresistant
plants for organic growers.
Genetically-modified organisms
are currently prohibited under the
guidelines of organic certification,
Ibach said. But he expressed interest
in opening a dialogue with the organic
industry about more advanced geneediting
techniques.
" We've seen new technology
involved, that includes gene editing,
that accomplishes things in shorter
periods of time that can be done
through a natural breeding process, "
Ibach said according to a video of
the meeting. " I think there is an
opportunity to open the discussion to
consider whether
it is appropriate
for some of these
new technologies
that include gene
editing to be
eligible to be used
to enhance organic
production and
to have resistant
varieties -
drought-resistant, disease-resistant
varieties as well as higher-yielding
varieties. "
See ORGANIC, page 6
GREG IBACH

November 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November 2019