So Far, So Good for California Processing Tomatoes

Lower yields than 2024 were expected, but ‘nearly perfect’ weather conditions in the Central Valley with light pest and disease pressure have produced an abundance of fruit.

The mild summer in California’s Central Valley has become the story of the 2025 growing season for myriad crops, and processing tomatoes is no exception.

As growers are gearing up for harvest, tomato crops in the mid-valley region have shown less disease pressure than in previous years, including from such ailments as fusarium wilt, spotted wilt and southern blight, according to Patricia Palazicki, a University of California Cooperative Extension vegetable crop adviser in Woodland.

At Bruce Rominger’s farm in Woodland, tomato vines are holding their own.

“The crop is OK,” Rominger told Farm Press. “Some people have a good crop, some are just OK … The weather’s been pretty cooperative so far, and that’s a good thing. Most of the state has enough water, but markets aren’t very good for a lot of commodities.”

In the San Joaquin Valley, where harvest is underway, spring and early-summer weather was “nearly perfect for tomato growing,” observed Aaron Giampietro of the Los Banos-based Morning Star Packing Co., which grows, packs and ships tomato products.

As of mid-May, California’s tomato processors reported contracts for 10.3 million tons of processing tomatoes this season, according to an updated report from the National Agricultural Statistics Service. That’s slightly above the 10.2 million tons anticipated in a January report and 7% below the final 2024 contracted production, NASS reports.

The May contracted acreage of 205,000 is 3% above the January intensions forecast of 200,000 acres.

Abundant yields

But some farms’ yields are exceeding even the newer expectations as fruit is sizing well, Palazicki told Farm Press.

“Yields are high enough that people are talking about them as being problematic,” she said. “People aren’t going to have a problem filling contracts this year … The discussion that I hear more is on the other side – ‘What do I do with all this excess?’”

The 2024 crop had an average yield of 49.96 tons per acre statewide, according to NASS’ office in Sacramento. Rominger thinks that number is about right for this year, too.

“Every year we think everyone will have 50 tons or better, and we never do,” Rominger said. “The state has about a 48-ton average, and right now it’s probably doing a little better than that.”

Fresno County led contracted planted acreage for 2025 with 53,400 acres, according to NASS. Yolo, Merced, Kings and San Joaquin rounded out the top five, accounting for 68% of plantings.

Price enough to ‘survive’

The California Tomato Growers Association and processors agreed to a base price of $109 per ton for 2025 with premiums added for later-arriving tomatoes. That’s enough to “survive” without making much of a profit, said Rominger, a CTGA board member.

One variable is whether searing summer heat returns in the next month. Weekly temperatures have been averaging more than 5 degrees below normal in much of California, with cooler-than-normal conditions extending into parts of the Southwest and across the Rockies, according to a weekly bulletin compiled by USDA and the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The federal Climate Prediction Center anticipates near-normal temperatures in much of the valley over the next two weeks, but its seasonal forecast favors above-average highs throughout the West through the end of October. Valley temperatures are expected to settle back into the 90s this week after reaching triple digits recently.

If a heat wave comes, growers deal with it by using shade cloth to protect plants, and irrigating and mulching to boost soil moisture, Extension advisers say.

“It’s still early,” Rominger said. “We could get hot heat spells or rain. I’m not making any predictions.”

EDIJTOR’S TAKE:

Canning tomatoes are an important commodity in California and for the nation. Growing conditions for the 2025 crop appear to be near ideal and, barring any last-minute weather problems, yields are at or slightly above “normal”. The negotiated price should provide a decent return for the efforts of Central Valley growers.

Specialty crops, as they are often referred to, are a significant source of production and farm income in those areas where they are grown, i.e. processing tomatoes in California. You might have specialized production of some commodity in your area – maybe it’s potatoes or carrots or asparagus or broccoli – well, you get the idea. Don’t overlook these producers - invite them to visit your dealership. Be sure to point out your outstanding parts and service departments as well. And, by the way, give them a look at the new AGwagon® - another great reason to invite them in….