Scott and his wife of 39 years met in high school, but the farm is where their love really blossomed. As Terri remembers, “I used to live across from the farm that he was on, and he would go back and forth with the tractor. I’d be in the upstairs window waving at him just about every round. We’ve been together ever since."

The Smiths and Red Gold owners, The Reicharts, aren’t just business associates. They literally are family.  The Smiths grew up tomato farmers, while the Reicharts grew up tomato canners. It was a perfect fit…so much that Scott’s sister Selita ended up marrying Brian Reichart – The President and CEO of Red Gold.

Remington is Shane’s son – and part of the fourth generation of Middlesworth’s coming up. Even if he needs his dad’s feet to reach the pedals, he’s no stranger to sitting behind the wheel of a pickup. Whether or not he follows in his father’s footsteps is up to him, but the opportunity will be there waiting if he wants it.

When asked if he knew that he wanted to be a farmer early on, Danny replied, “I was born to farm, that’s all I ever wanted to do!”

Danny remembers sitting on the fender of the tractor as a kid while his dad was driving, and finally heard those four magic words: “You want to drive?” Before he knew it, he was behind the wheel and his dad was on the fender. It was a thrill he’s never forgotten.

Meet Shane and Brett, 3^rd generation Middlesworth farmers. Can you guess where Brett and his wife Linsie had their first date? If you guessed a tomato field, you’d be right.

Shane and Brett work side-by-side with their dads on a daily basis – something they’d both dreamed of since they could walk. To them, family and farm are permanently tied together.

Wilma and Daryl Middlesworth both grew up on family farms before starting their own. Throughout their entire marriage, they prided themselves on their ability to grow the perfect tomatoes. Wilma once asked him, “Daryl, do you think there’ll be tomatoes in heaven?” If there are, Daryl’s growing them as we speak.

Today they’ve grown to 290 acres of Red Gold tomatoes, and 21 great-grandchildren. While Wilma doesn’t drive the tractor anymore, three of her boys – Danny, Max and Brian – two of her grandsons – Shane and Brett – are out there every day…and on most days, the fourth generation of Middlesworths isn’t too far behind them.

Now in her first year back, Shanie’s learning new skills every day – from seed tendering to how to go about properly ‘flagging’ the tomato fields…all side-by-side with her dad. In her words, “It’s the best move I’ve ever made.”

Scott couldn’t agree more.

After being away for almost a decade, Shanie sat down with her parents one evening and laid some news on her dad.

“I said, ‘Dad, I think I’m ready to come back to the farm’…and he looked at me – and his eyes were just huge.” – Shanie

Scott simply didn’t see it coming. But once he did, it was a thrill he could barely contain.

Scott’s sister-in-law Cheri sits right underneath the motto of the Smith farm: “Faith, Family, Farm” - in that order! Having the faith to be able to roll with whatever life throws at you is particularly important when you spend your days at the mercy of the elements. And family and farm, well, they just kind of speak for themselves.