California Business Minute™

Hi, I am Tim Johnson and welcome to the California Business Minute.

California produces more than 90 percent of the nation's processed tomatoes
and over 30 percent of the world's total processed tomato tonnage. And even
with weather and water challenges this year, California farmers produced 11.8
million tons of processing tomatoes, the third highest production year on record.
It works out to a record average calculated yield of 43 tons per acre. Total crop
value was $874 million, the highest in terms of the crop for California.  The total
production was at 11.8 million tons and it was produced on 300,000 acres.

Processing tomatoes are used to make a variety of common food products from
tomato sauce to ketchup.

Sacramento Valley Farmers, where the preponderance of the tomatoes are grown,
and now are irrigated with the use of drip irrigation systems for improving yields even
with less water. Between 25 percent and 33 percent of the northern Central Valley
production area is currently irrigated by drip, a practice gaining in popularity. Dry soil
conditions in the Sacramento Valley may have contributed to reduced compaction
and thus helped to achieve high yields. But all was not perfect. Growers had to deal
with what’s being described as the most widespread, severe tomato powdery mildew
ever in the area.

Without California production, the U.S. would have to rely heavily on other countries,
primarily China, for its tomato paste and other products.

I am Tim Johnson and this has been the California Business Minute.