D.C. MCCLURE, WEST COAST TOMATO

"A WONDERFUL LIFESTYLE"

How does someone manage to be a fourth generation tomato grower and never have actually lived on a farm? Ask D.C. McClure, whose great-grandfather was a pioneering tomato farmer in Manatee County.

"No, I never lived on a farm. I grew up in Bradenton," he said. And not only that, he grew up wanting to go into law, not agriculture. "I always figured I'd go to law school," he said. "But halfway through college, I switched over to ag, because I decided I wanted a career where I could be outdoors much of the time and not stuck in an office. It's one of the best decisions I've made in my life."

McClure is one of the newest members of the FFVA Board of Directors. He's vice president and head of field operations for West Coast Tomatoes, which grows tomatoes in Manatee County, Immokalee, Homestead and Valdosta, Ga.

At West Coast Tomatoes' Palmetto packinghouse, each tomato passes under a camera that takes a 3D picture of it. The conputer analyzes the photos and determines where the tomato will be shipped.

A LONG LINE OF PROGRESS

Back in the early 1900s, before it became West Coast Tomato, the McClure family operation grew assorted vegetables in Manatee Country. Over the years, the McClures have grown watermelons, cucumbers and citrus, and also raised livestock. The had a packinghouse in California for awhile before deciding to concentrate on growing tomatoes in the Southeast. "We're tomatoes and potential land developers now," said D.C. "Much of our land is in the shadow of development, so that will probably play a stronger role in our company's future as that particular industry stays healthy." He predicts his daughter and nephews and nieces will eventually take over as a fifth generation, and he sees the development issue as being something they'll need to address.

One of the things about West Coast Tomato that stands out these days is its packing line, which looks more like an interstate highway system than a simple packing system. "Its purpose is to perform defect grading with a computer. The tomatoes pass under a camera panel where about ten zillion pictures get taken. Then it makes decisions," said McClure.

John Darling keeps a close eye on monitors in the control room above West Coast Tomatoes packing line.

The machine consists of multiple lanes of tomatoes. Once past the initial grading stage, thousands of tomatoes travel single file through a sizing system, under a camera box that takes 360-dgree photos and sends data to the central computer. They're assigned a value and a unique identifier, and a celluloid directs tomatoes to the proper box, ready for shipping.

"We can get the tomatoes to the box this way with very little human contact," said packing line foreman John Darling.

"With this machine, we're attempting to do something that hasn't been successful traditionally in tomatoes," said McClure. "It's been used with other items."

D.C.'s father, Dan McClure, a gentleman who was well-known in the industry, recently passed away, but he did live to see the incredible technology that was installed at his operation up and rolling.

All of the tomatoes McClure's farms grow are shipped through the Palmetto facility.

FAMILY FIRST

McClure isn't all business. Tennis equipment fills the back of his SUV. "I'm a tennis brat," he laughs. And he enjoys spending time with his 22-year-old daughter, Amanda. "She's definitely shown aptitude for the business," he said. "I'd like for her to experience working with local developers to understand that part of the business." Amanda takes after her father, playing on a college tennis team.

Another member of Amanda's generation, McClure's nephew Todd, has expressed interest in field production, McClure said.

"It really is a family operation. We all wear multiple hats," McClure said. "We all try to have regular meetings to hash things out. Everyone puts his or her two cents in." He says the operation is also blessed to have excellent farm managers. "There a real sense of team participation, and that's a strength," he said.

THE BIG ISSUES

D.C. McClure says food safety, labor and environmental concerns are important issues in today's agriculture business climate.

"Food safety is our number one issue," McClure said. "We're absolutely dedicated to producing and selling a safe, quality product." He names labor problems and environmental concerns, especially as related to water, as additional issues of importance.

What is McClure's favorite part of being a tomato producer? And did he regret not pursuing a law degree? No way. "I love going to work. I love the people I work with," he says. "They're all salt-of-the-earth good people who are on a pure and simple mission of producing food for people to eat." Of course, in his position, he might have to deal with not-so-simple responsibilites like government and regulatory issues, but he has no regrets. "For me it's been a wonderful lifestyle, a wonderful career, because of the outdoorsy part and because of the people you associate with as opposed to some cut-throat attorneys. When I talk to friends who are attorneys, they're jealous!"