By Clint Thompson
Tomato harvests are under way for one Alabama producer. Chad Smith, in St. Clair County, said the intense heat felt this summer, which followed steady rainfall in the spring, contributed to what is expected to be an “average crop” this season.
“This year, we had a lot of rain early, and it turned off hot and dry. So, it’s kind of an average crop, below average,” Smith said. “It’s not anything that’s very great, as far as the yield. The quality is pretty decent. It’s just the yield is down a little bit.”
Smith started harvesting at the beginning of July and will continue through the end of October. The extreme of having too much rain leading into summer and temperatures nearing or eclipsing 100 degrees Fahrenheit in June stressed the crop.
“When you go from one extreme to the other it makes it hard, but when it’s kind of consistent, it’s easier to handle,” Smith said. “The heat is stressful on the crop, but all of the rain is definitely going to increase your disease and all of that.
“For us, it’s certain timing on certain parts of the year. That (pest) pressure is always there. As it gets hotter, there are certain pests that get worse. Usually, the hotter and drier it is the more you fight pests. The wetter it is, the more you fight bacteria and diseases.”