California's Central Valley has initiated the harvesting of processing tomatoes, with the recent heat waves affecting both pollination and harvest phases, leading to expectations of average yields. Mitchell Yerxa, a grower in Sutter and Colusa counties, noted the year's production aligns closely with average expectations, albeit slightly lower. This year's contracted acreage for tomato processing saw a reduction of 40,000 acres, as processors aimed to reduce tonnage by about 10% due to surplus inventory from the previous year's high yield, as reported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Reductions in grower contracts were widespread, as stated by Mike Montna, president and CEO of the California Tomato Growers Association (CTGA). Fresno County topped the charts in planted acreage, with Yolo, Kings, Merced, and San Joaquin counties following. Approximately a quarter of the state's crop had been harvested by last week, with industry reports indicating the progress.
Lauren Caldas of Stanislaus Food Products remarked on the slightly lighter crop from Kern County, yet highlighted some areas of good quality. Don Cameron from Terranova Ranch in Fresno County mentioned a reduced yield in his organic crop due to a mid-July heat wave. The early June heat wave also posed challenges during the fruit set phase, potentially impacting fertilization, as observed by Tommy Bottoms of Tremont Farms.
Concerns over pest and disease have led to local emergencies in several San Joaquin Valley counties, enabling access to stronger insecticides to combat beet leafhoppers, carriers of the curly top virus. Despite these challenges, losses to the virus have remained minimal. Stanislaus Food Products anticipates the overall processing tomato crop to be slightly below average, but not significantly so.
Source: westsideconnect.com