EUGENE TOLAR AND RED STAR FARMS

On a bright day in April, five miles down an unpaved road from county road 833, plenty of activity was happening. A converted school bus bumped along rows of round watermelons, where workers picked the fruit, placed it in buckets and handed the buckets up to another worker in the back of the bus. The pickers were quick, and before long, the bus was filled and on its way to a loading dock.

In another field nearby, a second set of workers filled endless buckets with large, fresh tomatoes.

It was a typical spring day at Red Star Farms, a Hendry County operation that grows melons and tomatoes for the DiMare Company.

Eugene Tolar, head of Red Star Farms, produces watermelons by double-cropping in plastic, sharing the land with a tomato crop.

"We've been in business here since 1990," said Eugene Tolar, who heads up the operation. "That's when the opportunity came to do a joint venture with DiMare Homestead," he said.

Tolar, a third generation farmer originally from Southeast Alabama, graduated from the University of Florida and immediately went into the agriculture business. He worked for L.J. Nobels in Immokalee for a time, and later started his own vegetable venture. Since 1990, he and his wife have been officers and owners of Red Star.

Tolar's crews make the most of their acreage. They grow fall tomatoes on about 400 acres, and then double crop with watermelons in the spring on that land. Spring tomatoes grow on another 150 acres.

"We produce watermelons by double-cropping in plastic," Tolar said. "Basically, we finish up with the fall tomatoes, cut the string and pull the stakes, but leave the vines as a windbreak for the small melons. Then we plant the melons in between the tomatoes and fertilize them through the drip tubes. That's how we're able to make the second crop," he explained. The technique is a bit of a challenge because the plastic stays in place for at least nine months and weed control becomes an issue.

Tolar grows fall and spring tomatoes at Red Star Farms.

As with most agricultural operations, Red Star faces its share of challenges. "The availability of labor is at the top of our list," Tolar said, adding that changing government regulations keep him on his toes as well. "We try to do everything right. We're Primus certified, and on our last audit, we got a superior rating. We're pretty proud of that," he said.

Red Star joined FFVA in early 2001. Tolar is also a member of the Florida Watermelon Association and the Florida Tomato Committee. In addition, he's served the industry at the national level as a two-term member of the National Watermelon Promotion Board. "It's important to stay involved," he said.