Roughly 90% of all processed tomatoes grown in the U.S. come from California — but this year’s crop is being threatened by a tiny bug in the San Joaquin Valley.
The beet leafhopper transmits a disease called curly top virus as it feeds on a variety of crops including melons, cucumbers and squash, but the main concern is tomatoes.
Emergency proclamations have been declared in Kings, Kern, Fresno, Madera and Merced counties. And last week, Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors declared an emergency in their jurisdiction as well.
Stanislaus County Agriculture Commissioner Linda Pinfold appeared before the county Board of Supervisors last week and said the crop — which covers 10,000 acres of Stanislaus County and netted $55 million in 2022 — is at risk.
“Symptoms include small, twisted leaves of purple veins, yellowing, and death of mature leaves, small fruits that ripen prematurely, reduced fruit and quality of yield in stunted growth,” she said.
The emergency proclamation would allow growers to use neonicotinoid pesticides, which target an insect’s nervous system, during the tomato bloom season.
But Bianca Lopez with Valley Improvement Projects, an organization which advocates for social and environmentally conscious projects in the Central Valley, argued against using pesticides as it could cause birth defects and negatively affect pregnant people.
“We want to make sure farmers can thrive, but if we keep using pesticides, they’re going to have to keep looking for other stronger pesticides to use while still contaminating our water and our soil,” she said.
Daniel Bays farms tomatoes in the Westley area. He said the leafhopper is not a threat every year, but rainy days followed by dry weather have caused their numbers to climb.
“[Tomatoes are a] very important crop, especially for the west side of Stanislaus County,” he added. “Allow us to have the tools in our toolbox, so that we can use them if we need them.”
Supervisors passed the emergency proclamation unanimously.
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