10/12/2026
🚨 ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! PLEASE SHARE!! Facebook work your magic and help us out!
We never thought we would have to make a post like this, but what happened at our farm this evening is absolutely unacceptable.
This evening, we confronted two individuals who were taking tomatoes and picking bell peppers from our farm without permission or payment. When confronted, they dumped the bell peppers they had picked rather than paying for them. And drove off with part of the tomatoes we never received payment for! What’s sad is this woman and man are regulars here so there’s no telling how many times they’ve gotten away with this.
But here’s what makes this situation even more upsetting…
We gave these individuals SEVERAL opportunities to do the right thing.
We weren’t trying to embarrass anyone. We simply asked them to pay for what they had taken.
They told us they would come to the shed to settle up. Instead, they got into their vehicle, drove away, and made obscene gestures toward the women who had confronted them.
Not only that, but they threatened us and claimed that WE would all be going to jail — all while they were on OUR PRIVATE PROPERTY, in our bell pepper patch, without a pass or permission to be there!
Let that sink in.
We are FARMERS. We work long, exhausting hours in the heat, rain, and unpredictable weather to grow the food that ends up on your family’s table. Every tomato and every bell pepper represents time, money, labor, and sacrifice.
We open our farm to the public because we LOVE sharing what we grow with our community. Our U-Pick is something we take pride in, and we want families to continue enjoying that experience.
But OUR KINDNESS SHOULD NEVER BE MISTAKEN FOR WEAKNESS.
We believe in fairness. We believe in treating people with respect. And most importantly, we believe in giving people the opportunity to make things right.
These individuals were given that opportunity multiple times and chose threats, disrespect, and driving away instead.
This isn’t just about a few tomatoes or bell peppers. It’s about PRINCIPLE. It’s about RESPECT. And it’s about protecting the livelihood our family works so hard to maintain.
We hate having to bring something like this to social media, but we also refuse to stand by while people take advantage of our farm, our employees, and our generosity.
📢 If anyone witnessed this incident or has information that could help us identify those involved, please send us a PRIVATE MESSAGE.
To the individuals involved: You know what happened, and you were given every opportunity to make it right. That opportunity was met with disrespect.
To our wonderful customers and community: THANK YOU for supporting local farmers, respecting our property, and understanding the hard work that goes into every harvest.
We are a family farm trying to make an honest living, provide for our families, and give back to the community we love. We deserve the same respect we extend to everyone who visits us.
🍅 SMITH TOMATO FARM
Hardworking farmers. Honest values. Respect is not optional.
U-Pick doesn’t mean pick without paying! Our signs at the end of our driveways clearly state that, there’s no excuse. And disrespect will NOT be tolerated.
Update** Police was notified and a report was filed immediately on our behalf.
We have seen the statement made regarding today’s incident, and we want to make one thing very clear: WE STAND BY OUR TRUTH, AND WE STAND BY WHAT TOOK PLACE ON OUR PROPERTY TODAY.
The version of events being shared is NOT consistent with what happened.
These individuals were given MULTIPLE opportunities to make things right. Rather than resolving the situation, they chose to become confrontational, make snarky remarks , use obscene gestures toward the women involved, and drive away.
Let’s be very clear: If they truly felt threatened or believed they had done nothing wrong, they had every opportunity to drive straight to the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office and report the incident. Instead, they chose to take to their social media and share a version of events that we strongly dispute.
People can say whatever they feel is necessary to save face, protect their reputation, or justify their actions. But that does not change what happened.
We are hardworking farmers. Our family puts countless hours, money, sweat, and sacrifice into growing the produce that we proudly offer our community. We have always believed in treating people fairly, extending grace, and giving others the opportunity to do the right thing. That is exactly what we attempted to do today.
Supporting local farmers means respecting their property, their crops, their rules, and their livelihood.
We will not be intimidated, threatened, or pressured into remaining silent about what we experienced on our farm.
We have nothing to gain by misrepresenting this situation. Our concern has always been protecting our farm, our employees, our family, and the integrity of the U-Pick experience we work so hard to provide.
We know what happened. We know what was said. And we know the opportunities that were given to make things right.
Our story has not changed, and it will not change.
WE STAND BY OUR TRUTH. PERIOD.
Smith Tomato Farm 🍅
