Fresh Tomato Overview

In  2010, more than 28.9 million cwt of commercial fresh-market tomatoes were produced in the United States. California was the largest producer by far, harvesting nearly 12 million cwt of fresh tomatoes, followed by Florida, which harvested 8.7 million cwt of fresh tomatoes. Tennessee and Ohio are also leading producers of fresh tomatoes.

In this country, the fresh-market tomato industry is distinctly separate from the processing tomato industry. Fresh-market tomatoes are responsible for a larger share of U.S. total crop value than processed tomatoes because they command comparatively higher prices, and they are juicier and harvested when immature. The majority of fresh tomatoes are handpicked and sold on the open market.  January 2011 ...  Fresh Tomatoes
 

Processed Tomato Overview

By 2008, 2 million tons of processing tomatoes were produced. The U.S. tomato processing industry, comprised primarily of tomato pastes, sauces and canned tomato products, is distinctly separate from the fresh-market industry.

Processing tomatoes account for the majority of tomato tonnage, but their lower price makes their total value less than that of fresh-market tomatoes. Processing tomatoes also contain higher percentages of soluble solids, are vine ripened and have a thicker skin than fresh-market tomatoes to survive mechanical harvesting and bulk transport. All processed tomatoes are sold under contract.  April 2011 ...  Processed Tomatoes

Marketing

• EU Support Reductions Would Benefit California Tomato Growers and Processors, Agricultural Issues Center, University of California, 2006 - This article presents simulation model results from a 50 percent reduction in European Union Trade barriers and subsidies.
• Florida Tomato Committee.
• Fresh and Processing Tomatoes: World Markets & Trade, Foreign Ag Service (FAS), USDA, 2008.
• Fresh Tomatoes, Vegetables and Melons Outlook, Economic Research Service (ERS), USDA, 2004.
• Global Agricultural Trade System (GATS), FAS, USDA.
• Greenhouse Tomatoes Change the Dynamics of the North American Greenhouse Tomato Industry, ERS, USDA, 2005 -The North American greenhouse tomato industry has grown rapidly since the early 1990s and now plays a major role in the fresh tomato industry.
• Processing Tomatoes, Vegetables and Melons Outlook, ERS, USDA, 2005.
• Sample Costs to Produce Fresh Market Tomatoes, University of California Cooperative Extension, 2007.
• U.S. per capita food availability, ERS, USDA, 2008.
• Vegetables, National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), USDA - This report, issued five times a year, provides data on tomatoes, including area harvested, prospective area, yield and production for major states.
• Vegetables and Melons Yearbook, ERS, USDA.
• Vegetables and Melons: Tomatoes, ERS, USDA.
• Vegetables Annual Summary, NASS, USDA, 2011.

Processing/Manufacturing

• Effects of Price Premiums for Multiple Product Attributes on Product Quality: California Processing Tomatoes, Agricultural Issues Center, University of California, 2006 - Alexander and others examine how growers respond to price incentives and how these incentives interact for two important processing tomato quality attributes: limited-use tomatoes and material other than tomatoes.
• Fresh Fruit, Vegetable, Nut and Specialty Crop Grade Standards, Ag Marketing Service (AMS), USDA.
• Tomato: Recommendations for Maintaining Postharvest Quality, University of California, Davis, 2006.

Production

• Budget for Greenhouse Tomatoes, Mississippi State University Extension, revised 2007.
• Key Points of Control and Management of Microbial Food Safety: Information for Producers, Processors, and Handlers of Fresh Market Tomatoes, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California - Free download. 
• PlantFacts, Ohio State University - This Web site provides a full-text search engine of all extension and academic department information from all land-grant universities in the United States. Additionally, there are significant image and video databases, a FAQ database and a glossary.
• Processing Tomato Production in California, Vegetable Research and Information Center, University of California, 2008.
• Production of Greenhouse Tomatoes, Florida Greenhouse Vegetable Production Handbook, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, reviewed 2008.
• Watering Tomatoes Drip by Drip, Cornell University - This research-based document provides helpful information on irrigation systems.
• What's Wrong with my Tomatoes?, Cornell University, 2006.

Businesses/Case Studies

• Eatwell Farm, Winters, California - This farm raises between 40 to 50 different organic products. It is known as "Tomato Wonderland" because of its testing of heirloom and modern varieties of tomatoes. Tomatoes are marketed through a farmers market and through the farm's own Community Supported Ag Program.
• Long Wind Farm, Thetford, Vermont - This farm has grown organic tomatoes for more than 10 years. It has a 1.3-acre greenhouse. The farm supplies tomatoes to supermarket chains throughout the Northeastern United States.
• Verrill Farm, Concord, Massachusetts - This farm grows 140 acres of fruits and vegetables, including 30 varieties of heirloom tomatoes. Produce is marketed through a farm stand and to many restaurants in Boston.

 Links checked August 2010.