FLORIDA TOMATO EXCHANGE

Protecting American Farmers Through Strategic Advocacy.

1,179TOTAL NEWS HITS

126NATIONAL NEWS HITS

2,617,520PAID MEDIA IMPRESSIONS

A 1996 U.S.–Mexico trade agreement set a floor price for Mexican tomato imports but failed to adequately enforce it.

For 30 years, Mexican producers engaged in illegal product “dumping,” the practice of selling goods in the U.S. at artificially low prices to capture market share. This practice enabled Mexican tomato growers to consistently undercut American tomato farmers, driving domestic market share down from 80% to 30%. Without intervention, the agreement threatened to wipe out the domestic tomato industry.

01Strategy

Florida Tomato Exchange (FTE)—the largest trade association representing American tomato farmers—hired CLYDE to lead an advocacy campaign urging the White House and Commerce Department to terminate the tomato agreement. The campaign emphasized the agreement’s failure to stop the flood of artificially cheap Mexican tomatoes into the U.S. market and positioned termination as essential to protecting American farmers and upholding fair trade. CLYDE’s integrated earned and digital media strategy was key to controlling the narrative and preventing opponents of terminating the agreement from shaping public opinion.

02Execution

CLYDE executed a coordinated earned and digital media campaign to drive the argument for ending the agreement, securing coverage in CBS, Fox Business, The Washington Times,  Bloomberg, NPR, among many others. Our digital campaign targeted decisionmakers through Google Display, LinkedIn, and strategic sponsorships in media outlets like The Daily Caller to take our message directly to the Trump administration and congressional allies.

03Result

On July 14, 2025, the Trump administration terminated the U.S.-Mexico Tomato Suspension Agreement and imposed anti-dumping duties on Mexican tomato imports, a major victory for American farmers and a decisive step toward restoring fair competition in the tomato market.

“For far too long our farmers have been crushed by unfair trade practices that undercut pricing on produce like tomatoes. That ends today.”

– Commerce Sec. Howard Lutnick announcing the termination of the U.S.-Mexico Tomato Suspension Agreement

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