Tomatoes Continued from Page 4
the Sacramento Valley and neighboring San Joaquin County in the past five years ranged from 35 tons per acre to 65 tons per acre, according to the study. While late-winter rains should allow growers to produce more acres and ton- nage that bring a premium this year, the weather brings its own set of challenges, Aegerter said. In addition to increased production costs, Aegerter said growers face “increased
risk of losses due to the weather and pests and diseases.” Growers usually try to stage planting over a period of weeks and months to en- sure they can deliver a steady stream of to- matoes to processors rather than a glut that temporarily overwhelms plant capacity. However, planting was delayed and compacted this year because spring rains made it impossible to get into fields in some areas, Aegerter said.
Avocado seminar set for Aug. 10 in San Diego County An avocado irrigation workshop fea- turing specialists in climate change, water management, soil analysis and rootstock development is scheduled for Aug. 10. The workshop will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. at the AgHub office building of the San Diego County Farm Bureau at 420 S. Broadway, Escondido. Speakers include University of California Cooperative Extension special- ists Ben Faber, subtropical crops advisor for Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, and Ali Montazar, water management ad- visor for San Diego, Imperial and Riverside counties. Others include UC Merced cli- mate adaptation specialist Tapan Pathak and Patricia Manosalva, a plant pathology professor at UC Riverside. To register, visit https://surveys.ucanr. edu/survey.cfm?surveynumber=40798. For more information, email Ali Montazar at amontazar@ucanr.edu. Researchers say the return was calcu- lated based on a record price of $138 a ton for tomatoes that the California Tomato Growers Association negotiated with pro- cessors. That is 31% higher than the 2022 base price of $105 a ton. “When the tomato price was set, there was uncertainty about the continuation of the drought as it was before all the rain” in 2023, Aegerter said. The study was based on interviews with growers and is intended to provide general guidelines for management deci- sions. The reporting counties were Colusa, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano, Sutter and Yolo. (Bob Johnson is a reporter in Monterey County. He may be contacted at bjohn11135@gmail.com.) “We have a lot of uncertainty about how harvest will go this year with too many acres planted at the same time and in a later-than-ideal window,” she said. “Currently, we have a lot of acres that are trying to set fruit in this heat, and then it will be a challenge to harvest all the acres in a timely manner in the fall, with the usual risks of rain and resulting fruit rot,” she added. Despite higher overall costs, study researchers concluded that record prices negotiated with processors should allow growers to earn a profit this year. Growers could net a return of $529 per acre for processing tomatoes in the Sacramento Valley. By compar- ison, a 2017 study showed net returns as negative. “The current prices for processing to- matoes make it possible for operations to make a profit even though costs have increased substantially,” Goodrich said. But she added, “I also understand crop production risks are high for this perish- able crop.”
including harvest, have increased by 34% since 2017. Processing tomato production in California has shifted north in recent years as droughts and regulatory re- strictions have left growers in the San Joaquin Valley without enough water to grow tomatoes. Average annual tomato yields across
2023 Retirement Plan
California’s state retirement plan mandate expanded on January 1 to include those employers with one or more employees. Ensure you are prepared to comply with the new California retirement plan mandate. Join us at one of our webinars presented by Nationwide. For a list of class dates and to register, visit cfbf.com/FBE or call (800) 698-FARM for assistance. You will receive a Zoom link and details two days prior to your selected webinar date. Members, enjoy access to free classes! Register for the upcoming webinars.
16 Ag Alert August 2, 2023
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