Shored up by a new partnership designed for deeper market penetration, the tide has turned for the Oceanside tomato deal.

When longtime Oceanside grower Harry Singh Jr.'s vine-ripe tomatoes make their return to the market in July, they will be backed by the sales, marketing and distribution expertise of The Oppenheimer Group.

Envision these hypothetical scenarios:

* Cattle from a ranch are feeding in a field and drinking water from a small stream near a farm growing vegetables. The water is seeping bacteria from the cattle elimination through the soil into the farm vicinity.

* An employee in a packingshed sneezes openly several times while handling peppers on a conveyor line. The worker then continues packing them into boxes for shipping.

KATE SISKEL recently joined BrightFarms, a New York City-based company that designs, finances, builds

WEATHER

Daytime temperatures in Yuma, AZ, were expected to reach the low 80s through Feb. 25 before easing into the mid-70s through Feb. 28. Overnight lows were expected to range in the mid-40s to low 50s. Rain was not in the near-term forecast.

In Oxnard, CA, daytime temperatures were forecast to reach the low to mid-70s through Feb. 23 before dipping into the low to mid-60s through Feb. 28. Overnight lows were predicted to be in the upper 40s to low 50s. Rain was not in the near-term forecast.

When she’s not at work, 29-year-old Sarah Seebran chooses to cruise.

Ms. Seebran is the marketing director for Bland Farms LLC in Glennville, GA. During her down time, she might be found riding motorcycles with her husband, Tim.