State Agriculture officials are using Cinco de Mayo to alert residents to a threat to Florida’s backyard and commercial avocado trees.  WGCU’s Valerie Alker reports.

Florida’s sugarcane growers routinely face flooding in their fields and have to pump out excess water.  But this also releases harmful phosphorous found in fertilizers into the Everglades.  But as WGCU’s John Davis reports, new research shows some sugarcane varieties can thrive under prolonged flood conditions.

Record low temperatures in January devastated South Florida crops, and eliminated much of the need for farm labor.  For weeks, out-of-work Immokalee residents could be found hanging out on the streets and in soup kitchen lines.  WGCU’s Luis Hernandez reports, the scene is improving now, but it’s not all due to a resurgence of work harvesting crops.

If you buy a potato anywhere in the United States during this time of year it’s a pretty safe bet it’s either been in storage since the fall, or was grown in Southwest Florida.  Don Troyer has farmed potatoes in Lee & Collier Counties since 1983. WGCU’s Mike Kiniry took a tour of his operation and has this report…

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has increased its orange crop forecast for Florida.  Valerie Alker has more.

It’s been a tough winter for Florida’s tomato crop. A devastating freeze last month wiped out production by 70-percent. The state provides almost all of the tomatoes consumed in the U.S. during this time of year. Farmers are struggling and soon consumers will notice it too. WGCU’s Luis Hernandez reports.

Thousands of people in Immokalee are struggling to eat, pay rent and keep the power on. Ever since the January freeze thousands of farm workers have had their hours in the fields cut to a fraction of what they used to be. For many there is NO work. And since they are unable to work they’re also unable to purchase and businesses are hurting. One, however, is seeing a slight increase. WGCU’s Luis Hernandez reports.

After years of struggle, tomato pickers in Florida will soon see a pay increase.

In a surprise move Tuesday, the Florida Tomato Exchange agreed to pay migrant workers the extra penny per pound the Coalition of Immokalee Workers has fought for the last three years.The Exchange said it will allow companies like McDonalds and Burger King to pay the extra penny per pound to workers if they choose. It represents growers producing 75 percent of all Florida tomatoes.Those companies will pay a supplemental wage based on the amount of tomatoes purchased. The money will be divided among the migrant workers on a weekly basis.

Exchange Vice President Reggie Brown says it’s a move to allow those companies to have social accountability.

“That enables them to pass funds to the migrant worker community and we’re willing to take those funds in our payroll period and distribute those funds to the workers,” Brown said.

Lucas Benitez, spokesman for the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, says it’s about time.He says the Exchange has resisted the pay increase for years, but now is spinning its change in position to make it appear the pay increase was the growers’ idea.

“The lies they made at the beginning when they said that it was impossible to pay the extra penny to the workers, now they’re saying they can. Those lies they’ve been making throughout our campaign – they’re now trying to retract,” Benitez said.

The money collected from companies like Burger King and Subway has been sitting in an escrow. Benitez says that will soon be distributed to the workers. The exchange also agreed to regular audits and a code of conduct to allow workers to more easily complain about working conditions.

Federal assistance is available for Florida farmers suffering losses after extensive crop damage from last month’s cold weather.  WGCU’s John Davis reports.

The prolonged January cold snap has put untold thousands of Florida farm workers out of work and in danger of becoming homeless.  Agencies and advocates are trying to help. WGCU’s Luis Hernandez was in Immokalee and has this report on a town where many of the inhabitants are becoming desperate.