California farmers began harvesting processing tomatoes across the Central Valley during the past few weeks. With searing heat waves impacting pollination for some plantings and harvest for others, growers said they were anticipating average yields at best.
"Everyone says it's about an average year, maybe off a little bit," said Mitchell Yerxa, who grows tomatoes in Sutter and Colusa counties for his family's River Vista Farms and serves on the board of the California Tomato Growers Association.
The crop was already set to be a light one. Tomato processors contracted 40,000 fewer acres from farmers this year due to bolstered inventory from last year's bumper crop, aiming to process about 10% less tonnage, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
"Every grower for the most part has been reduced," Mike Montna, president and CEO of the CTGA, said in the spring. Fresno County led the state in planted tomato acreage, followed by Yolo, Kings, Merced and San Joaquin counties. As of last week, about a quarter of the state's crop was harvested, according to industry reports that analyze data from processors.
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