As of May 22, California’s tomato processors reported they have or will have contracts for 14.0 million tons of processing tomatoes for 2014. This production is a 17.6 percent increase from the final contracted production total from last year.
The May contracted acreage of 285,000 is two percent below the January intentions forecast, but 10 percent above from last year’s final contracted acreage.
Fresno County remains the top California County in contracted planted acreage for 2014 with 90,000 acres. Yolo, Kings, San Joaquin, Merced, and Colusa County make up the remaining top five counties for contracted planted acreage, respectively. These counties make up 80 percent of the 2014 total contracted planted acreage for California.
Tomato beds were formed and received pre-plant herbicides in February. Processing tomato transplants were planted in early spring as allowed by weather and soil conditions.
This early processing tomato estimate is funded by the California League of Food Processors, in cooperation with the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
California Processing Tomato Report (Full rerport .pdf)