A
major food service provider called The Compass Group has signed onto an
agreement to pay tomato pickers more. They’re the latest entity to
support the penny a pound initiative championed by the Coalition of
Immokalee Workers.  WGCU’s Valerie Alker reports.

Chipotle
Mexican Grill has just joined several fast food chains to give tomato
pickers in Florida a raise. But unlike the others, the Colorado-based
company has pledged to ensure the workers will GET the money.  WGCU’s
Valerie Alker reports. 

More
than a thousand people turned out Wednesday for the annual Citrus Expo
at the Lee Civic Center in Fort Myers.  The event draws growers and
people in related industries from across the state, and from other
citrus growing regions around the world.  The theme of this year’s
event was “Using Today’s Innovations toward Future Success”.  WGCU’s
Valerie Alker has more. 

More
than five-hundred growers and citrus industry leaders are gathered in
Bonita Springs for the Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference today. WGCU’s Luis Hernandez reports on the
expectations for the citrus industry in the coming year.

Lee County Alliance of the Arts will host a Greenmarket tomorrow morning from 8:00 to noon.  WGCU’s Mike Kiniry reports.

Georgia
peaches will be arriving in area grocery stores any day now – but this
year Florida peaches were there first!   And most of the peaches were
grown in Southwest Florida – in a Charlotte County grove.  WGCU’s
Valerie Alker was there and has this report.

The
Coalition of Immokalee Workers recently met with Governor Charlie Crist
who followed up with a letter encouraging the state’s tomato growers to
honor an agreement between the CIW and fast food restaurants.  The
growers say the will, but with a caveat.  WGCU’s Valerie Alker reports.

The state’s plan to buy out U-S Sugar is becoming foggy. WGCU’s Luis Hernandez reports.

The
Coalition of Immokalee workers sent a delegation to the state capitol
Monday to help raise awareness of indentured servitude in Florida’s
fields.  They’re also petitioning for a meeting with Governor Charlie
Crist.  WGCU’s John Davis has more.

A
delegation of well-known writers, activists, sustainable food advocates
and small farmers met in Immokalee yesterday to discuss reform for
Florida’s agricultural industry.  WGCU’s John Davis reports.