Tomatoes in the News

• California Farm Bureau Rains help, but could be 'too little, too late'California Farm BureauIn the southern San Joaquin Valley, which did not receive as much precipitation as Northern California, Bob Wilson, a diversified grower in Kings County, said his tomato planting is "still pretty much on schedule," with three-quarters of his crop ...
• Ag leaders optimistic despite challengesGustine Press-Standard... hay continues to be a West Side staple commodity and the diversity of row crops ranges from broccoli and cauliflower to lima beans and tomatoes. Water issues are clouding this year's prospects, however. The Central California Irrigation District is ...and more »
• ConAgra Completes Del Monte DealFood Product DesignConAgra Foods, Inc., has completed its acquisition of Toronto-based Del Monte Canada, Inc., a leading provider and marketer of packaged fruits, fruit snacks and vegetables in Canada, from an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners.ConAgra Foods Completes Acquisition of Del Monte Canada from an Affiliate of ...MarketWatch (press release)ConAgra Foods completes acquisitionCBS Newsall 19 news articles »
• Tomatoes Ripe With Powerful Health BenefitsFood Product DesignResearchers from the National Center for Food Safety & Technology, Illinois Institute of Technology and ConAgra Foods Inc. examined current research to discover the role tomato products play in health and disease risk reduction. ...Tomatoes Pack A Nutritious Punch, Study FindsBETTER Health Researchall 3 news articles »
• Local companies face cap-and-trade deadlineFresno Business JournalEmitting more than 53000 metric tons of pollutants in 2008, the processing plant of Los Gatos Tomato Products in Huron will also be looking into allowances or offsets to fulfill its share of the emissions cap. Producing around 265 million pounds of ...
• California Farmers Feel PainTruth about Trade & TechnologyFIVE POINTS, Calif.—Sharp cutbacks in water for farmers threaten to trigger renewed layoffs in a large swath of California, eating into the state's $40 billion-a-year agriculture industry and damping its nascent economic recovery.and more »
• California Farm Bureau Commentary: Farm Bureau outlines programs key to farmers, ranchersCalifornia Farm BureauBy Rayne Pegg Programs in the US Department of Agriculture budget that benefit California farmers and ranchers include those aimed at fighting specific pests, such as Asian Citrus Psyllid. Programs in the US Department of Agriculture budget that ...
• Fresno Bee Smelt Supreme Court ruling goes against farmersSan Francisco Chronicle(10-31) 15:43 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- The US Supreme Court denied an appeal today by Central California farmers who claimed the federal government lacks constitutional authority to protect the imperiled delta smelt by limiting north-to-south water ...Supreme Court denies California farmers as Delta smelt swims onWestern Farm Pressall 47 news articles »
• Western Farm Press California tomato processors to contract for 12.7 million tonsWestern Farm PressAs of January, California tomato processors reported plans to sign 2012 contracts totaling 12.7 million tons of processing tomatoes. Processors estimate the contracted production for 2012 will come from 266000 acres producing an average yield of 47.74 ...

Simple Saucy Beef Lasagna

School food service cooks avoid all that layering to quickly prepare this favorite of students everywhere.

• 1 1/2 pounds ground lean beef
• 10 1/2 ounces lasagna noodles, uncooked
• 4 cups water
• 1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes
• 1/2 cup tomato paste
• 1/4 cup dehydrated minced onion
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cups shredded part-skim milk mozzarella cheese (8 ounces)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded American cheese (6 ounces)

Preheat oven to 350º F. Remove tops from peppers and set aside. Being careful not to puncture the bottoms, scoop out and discard cores, ribs, and seeds. Arrange peppers in 9 by 13-inch baking dish and set aside.

In a medium sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté for 3 minutes. Stir in rice and continue stirring until translucent, about 1 minute. Add tomato paste, tomatoes, parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper; simmer for 3 minutes. Divide rice mixture evenly and spoon into peppers. Add water just to cover the filling. Replace pepper tops. Bake for 1 hour or until water is absorbed and rice is tender.

Serves 6

Nutrition facts per serving: 210 cal (21% cal. from fat), 5g total fat (0.5g sat fat, 3g mono, <1g poly), -0- mg chol., 520mg sodium, 37g carbo., 4g fiber, 4g pro. Daily Values: 20% vit. A, 210% vit. C, 6% calcium, 15% iron, 12% potassium.