Tomato crops hit hard by flooding, farmers battle fungal disease
Kansas tomato crops were hit hard by flooding
By Rachel Ripp
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OVERLAND PARK, Kansas (KMBC) — Weeks of heavy rain and high humidity this summer have taken a toll on tomato crops across Kansas and Missouri, leaving some farmers short on supply.
“Tomato season for us this year has been a little bit of a roller coaster,” said Jacob Thomas, owner of JET Produce and Meats in Leavenworth.
Thomas said his crews have had to throw out cracked tomatoes.
“My crews are trained. When there are big cracks that come from the stem, we just throw those out immediately,” he said.
The damp, humid weather has also fueled fungal issues.
“So that’s one of the fungal diseases that we’ve been really battling from the high humidity,” Thomas said. “We actually had so much rain that water was coming under the side walls of the high tunnel.”
Kansas State University horticulture professor Cary Rivard said farmers across the region are facing similar challenges.
“In open field tomatoes, we’ve seen a lot of gray leaf spot, which is a fungal disease on tomatoes, and it will just wipe out the plants entirely,” Rivard said.
Thomas said some customers have gone without.
“There have been a few weeks here that we had people show up, and sorry, we don’t have any tomatoes,” he said.
Thomas has sold some of the cracked tomatoes at a discount to canners and leaned on other growers to keep up with demand.
He said he plans to add fans and improve drainage in his high tunnels before next season.
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