Dutch researchers promoting hydroponics in Florida

From the Bradenton Herald:

To compete with the meteoric growth of the tomato industry in Mexico and Canada, and to put more money back in the pockets of local farmers, a Netherlands-based research firm is trying to influence the way tomato growers harvest their crop in Manatee County.

Enza Zaden Research USA, the American branch of the international vegetable seed-breeding company, is promoting the adoption of hydroponic growing for tomatoes, sweet peppers and cucumbers. Hydroponic farming, an all-natural process, uses a liquid mineral solution instead of soil to bring nutrients to the plants.

Rather than utilizing the traditional open-field farming method where growers plant dozens of acres of tomato seeds, Enza Zaden is opting for the more-modern technique: One-acre greenhouses (or tunnels) that have the ability to produce more than five acres worth of tomatoes.

To learn more about Enza Zaden's efforts, read the full article at the Bradenton Herald.