News

Weather creating challenges for tomato crop

Tomato plants like hot and drier conditions and this year’s wet weather has the tomato crop lagging in the Eastern Corn Belt.

Steve Smith, director of agriculture for Indiana-based Red Gold tomatoes, says like the state’s corn and soybean fields, the condition within tomato fields are variable.  “There’s no one single answer for how the tomato crop is looking because you can drive two miles and you can find where a weather pattern has been not so beneficial,” he says.  “Then go again and find some really, really good looking tomato crops.”

He tells Brownfield some crops have been drowned out and the saturated ground can reduce yield.

But, that isn’t the only challenge.  “Disease is becomes more prevalent when tomatoes are wet for too long and have leaf wetness at a constant level,” he says.

Smith says the crop is really far behind its usual pace.  “We’re hopeful for a later frost this year so we can get the crop in,” he says.

Indiana ranks second nationally in production of processing tomatoes.

Ohio ranks third nationally in production of processing tomatoes.

Michigan ranks fourth nationally in production of processing tomatoes.

AUDIO: Steve Smith, Red Gold