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President - GPC

The GPC Committee has inspected the 7.3 Tomato via the pictures submitted for the Early Tomato Weigh off. Initial inspection was done on a 4K high resolution 70” Monitor. I applied two dots to the main area of concern. Under high resolution we can see that the tomato has pulled apart with soft spots visible and flesh hanging from both sites of the area. It is with much regret the GPC committee has voted to disqualify this entrée as a sound fruit based on Tomato Weigh Off Eligibility Rules # 1, and #9.

The GPC Committee is going to review and revise the Early Tomato Rules this off season to require a greater deal of inspection, witness statements and verification pictures especially for fruit larger than 6 pounds. It is very important that we confirm record fruits to maintain our integrity and verification regarding potential record setting fruits and ensuring fairness of competition. This way we can continue the early tomato registrations as the interest in the tomato competitions continue to increase. In the meantime, more is better if you have a fruit meeting these criteria. Take and submit lots of pictures, include knowledgeable growers as witnesses who have read the contest rules.


Thank You

GPC Committee

8/22/2018 1:30:03 PM

Central NY

Darn!!...still an awesome tomato

8/22/2018 8:55:17 PM

Oak Grove, Mn

Wixom, I am wondering if you could send me the full megapixel pictures that you have of this 7.3. Master P, I am also wondering if you have any high resolution pictures. I am not questioning the umpires, but would really like to see what is being called for future reference. Wizzy, I would like to see the picture with your dots also.

8/23/2018 5:05:32 PM

Wixom MI.

http://bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=296673

Im not trying to start any problems but trying to get a better understanding of what we need to do and interpretation of the rules. I received about 10 pictures from patrick and this is the only angle that i can find anything questionable ? Since i see almost no stem the only thing i see looks like it could be a tear made by removing to much stem ? Or it could be a soft spot ? Doesn't look like a soft spot to me. My question is if you tear the skin on your fruit while picking it, cause a DMG statice ? Rule #2 says that its still spound if it cracks as long as it doesnt leak ? I view a tear the same way. Am i wrong? Also who is concidered a credible witness when you have a state record or any prize winning tomato ? Is a family member or freind credible or do we need a better witness ? Im just bringing this up now before anyone else does something wrong. Did patrick need A GPC representative to come out to look at his tomato for being a german record ??? Thanks for any feedback !

8/23/2018 5:22:31 PM

Eddyz@efirehose.net

Not to start anything and this is the first pictures I have seen of this fruit but I will tell you over the years I have had many tomato's that looked like that. Probably 6 or 7 if I had to put a number to it, All of them had stem rot and never were entered.
as far as going forward, If you have a fruit in contention for a record and can't get someone to verify it, other than a non grower then why not use a flashlight to show the hidden areas, video the fruit. The burden falls on the grower because every fruit is a dq or an est. until proven otherwise Just like pumpkin, squash etc. You don't need 1000 pictures either. You need pictures of marginal areas, and they need to be conclusive.

Remember the GPC has the Early tomato entry's to facilitate the growers It would be disappointing to see this removed because of controversy. You would then only have weigh offs to take your fruit to.

8/23/2018 8:09:35 PM

Oak Grove, Mn

I am not trying to start anything, but so far I have not seen any conclusive evidence that this tomato is damaged. Eddy, you say you have grown 6-7 that were not sound to be weighed. Between Wixom and myself, I am sure we have grown 500 tomatoes. I will harvest about 300 this year.

Obviously the 7.3 was not leaking all over the scale..soft spot, unknown.

Eddy, dont try the threat that gpc will remove early tomatoes. GiantTomato.org would fill the void. If the void gets bigger...GiantVegetableGrowers.com (org) could fill a void.

8/23/2018 8:57:12 PM

Central NY

I would also be disappointed to see the early entries removed ...jeezus bob

8/23/2018 9:12:08 PM

Lebanon, Oregon

With a lot of new people the rules need to be re-emphasized. The GPC has blind faith that everybody is honest. It is no big deal to take a few more photo's of questionable fruit. As a grower I want to look at the GPC list and know that all the fruit is sound.

8/23/2018 9:20:56 PM

Oak Grove, Mn

My point is..if the gpc sees a dark spot on an early tomato entry..it is dq for damaged. They should go thru all the entries this year. Anything that is questionable dark should be dq'd. How many sound entries will there be. What is the right call for one..should be the right for all.

Maybe the gpc needs to change what they state is the requirement for entry for early tomato. I just helped a new grower send in his first entry for early tomato. The tomato was sound, but the picture he sent has a dark spot.

Just saying....and yes...i have faith tomatoes will become a 100,000 grower sport

8/23/2018 9:31:45 PM

Central NY

They saw flesh hanging...did you even read the first post?...or just fly off into a tizzy at the get go?

8/23/2018 9:36:37 PM

Wixom MI.

Eddie made a good point if in question put a light on it to get the best picture possible. I just dont wont to make the same mistakes that is why i bring it up !

8/23/2018 9:45:38 PM

Central NY

Yers are covered in spots wixom...DQ

8/23/2018 9:47:56 PM

Wixom MI.

Lol...just ignor those wite leaky spots on mine, their ok !!! :-)

8/23/2018 9:59:49 PM

Gone With The Win

Nice mater wow...was it leaking?

8/23/2018 10:00:38 PM

Eddyz@efirehose.net

Lol Bob I can't make that threat I'm not on the board just saying that's all

8/23/2018 10:00:48 PM

Central NY

Lol

8/23/2018 10:05:35 PM

Central NY

Do they still sell 1 megapixel cameras?....

8/23/2018 10:06:34 PM

Oak Grove, Mn

Have you seen a picture yet porkchop..of something you would dq. I havent yet. I am sorry, I am still remembering the 2015 1965 controversary. Don't post diary pictures. Yes, I know...GPC is always right?...Sorry, Eddy, you forgot to follow thru on something...bedtime for me..before i create more problems.

8/23/2018 10:11:24 PM

Wixom MI.

No you have to scuff up your phone lense real good like i do to get those real blury pictures that i get !!!

8/23/2018 10:12:30 PM

Central NY

Lmao!...I knew you were breathing heavy on the lens...that’s a pro secret right there...

8/23/2018 10:16:24 PM

Oak Grove, Mn

porkchop...i have a 22megapixel camera...that wouldnt would get rejected in the gpc, early entry email

8/23/2018 10:16:28 PM

Wixom MI.

I don't know if the gpc has different pictures than the ones in my diary but i realy cant see anything to over turn the original decision. The other thing is that it was about two weeks ago and patric now cannot do anything to defend his tomato because its probably gone now ? I don't know if the gpc tried to contact patric to get better pictures or in a reasonable time frame ??? I don't know !!! I know their were some complaint about it by competetors but i don't know if they were justified or something else. I know patrick white in alaska made a big stink about dan sutherlands 8.61 two years ago but we know sutherland met the requirements. I just wonder if the complaints justify the removal ??? Again i don't have all the facts but i can't see it ?

8/23/2018 10:32:42 PM

Grittyville, WA

For the purpose of the legitimate discussion of entry qualification... not the 7.3 in particular... Anna has one with a lot of brown scabbing all around the stem. From the comments here it seems it would be hard to tell the difference between this and rot in an ordinary picture. So if you have a big one and can't get a gpc rep. . .take a lot of full resolution pano pictures if possible nothing else would be adequate. Fair enough I suppose... since most smartphones can do this.

8/24/2018 2:04:20 AM

Lebanon, Oregon

Trying to harness all the "what it's" is definitely a can of worms. The scabbing, cracks, and separation around the stem is normal Brandon so I'm sure Anna's tomato would be fine at this point (still waiting for your scabbing and cracking Brandon!) WiZz did say tomatoes would be srutinized more to maintain the integrity which is a good thing, especially with one's over 6 lbs, which was only 11 tomatoes last year.

8/24/2018 12:38:33 PM

Mn

What does the grower have to say? Maybe they think it’s dmg too? Just sayin...

8/24/2018 3:39:54 PM

Wixom MI.

The Grower was very upset he said it was sound ! I agree Rebel tomatoes over six pound should be looked at more closely and state records at lower weights to. We need to keep the integrity in our record keeping!!! To me it looks like a tear caused by removing to much stem ! It looks like the stem is almost completely removed. I know two years ago i tore several of mine by removing to much stem. I had the stems split in half on a catipilar tomato when cut the stem to short and then caused the tomato to rip in half after that !!! My question is if you tear the skin removing to much stem will this cause a DMG ? I guess i like to know how to interpet this ! Rule #2 said that a split is still ok oweroas long as it is not leaking ? Is this different ? Complaints call it a soft spot grower said its not ! Can't really tell from pictures. Just going with my experience and feeling!!! I just hate seeing someone be dmg because they don't fully understand what is required ??? Im not sure i fully understand myself yet ???

8/24/2018 5:52:20 PM

Grittyville, WA

How do you prune the stem when it's surrounded by tomato. It's like extracting a tooth from a sleeping tiger. Hard to do and easy to mess up? I think the rules were written/ reviewed by pumpkin growers... or folks who have not grown tomatoes that big. I'm not as clever as I need to be... but I do have jack larrue's number so it's all good!

8/24/2018 6:00:36 PM

Oak Grove, Mn

wixom..when i look at the pictures you posted that is the feeling I get.. It looks to me like the tomato grew onto the stem. When he was trying to cut the stem to a 1 inch max for the rules, he might have broken the skin. If so, that seems to me to be a sound a tomato on the vine. It is really hard to tell for sure...the picture on your diary that you posted is only 65 Kb. Not something that is clear when you expand it. I have to admit...I am probably not impartial...I would like to see a 7 pound hydro tomato be ruled sound.

8/24/2018 6:27:23 PM

Wixom MI.

I used to try and cut it half inch from flower bace ! Now i cut it half inch from top of tomato after damaging many tomatoes in the past ! Not worth it.

8/24/2018 6:30:14 PM

central Nc

That's a good point wixom. Maybe the rule could be rewritten to say half inch above where the stem is flush with the top of the mater.

8/24/2018 8:30:27 PM

Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

How old are these rules? What was the world record size then? Why has a tomato grower to remove the stem but a pumpkin growers only need to cut down the vine? I really dont like to see tiny tomatoes at long panicles with two inch of fat vine at the scale, but when the rules are reviewed and revised, there shoud be found a rule to cut the stem safely.

8/24/2018 10:58:52 PM