A tiny bug could skyrocket tomato prices and throw California's tomato farmers into crisis.
The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors earlier in July declared a state of emergency as a virus brought on by the beet leafhopper threatens to ruin the summer’s tomato harvest and wipe out millions of dollars of crops.
Other tomato-growing counties in the San Joaquin Valley—Fresno, Kern, Madera, Merced, and Stanislaus counties—have also declared local emergencies.
Of all commercially grown tomatoes, nearly 30% are grown worldwide in California. In addition, about 95% of tomatoes are processed for food use in California for the country, according to a California Department of Food and Agriculture study.
As harvest season nears its busiest time of the year, some tomato crops in San Joaquin County fields have been infected and show symptoms of beet curly top virus, or BCTV, warning signs of a potential crop blight, the Stockton Record reports.
What is a beet leafhopper?
The tiny insects are about 3 millimeters long and can accumulate the beet curly top virus while feeding on annual and perennial weeds.
Once the beet leafhoppers accumulate the virus, they spread it as they feed on agricultural commodities in search of new host plants, potentially causing severe damage and crop losses.
Beet leafhoppers can infect 300 plant species, including crops and weeds, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
While the virus is known to affect peppers, squash, and pumpkins, it has caused "significant economic damage to tomatoes," according to county officials.
The beet curly top virus is not new to the region. The virus has been a known cause of severe crop damage in the San Joaquin Valley since the early 1900s.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture established a program in 1943 to manage its economic impact.
This year, a reported increase in the population of the beet leafhopper raised concerns about the beet curly top virus in the Central Valley.
How many tomatoes are grown in San Joaquin Valley?
Fresno County is the top tomato-growing county in California and the nation, with 53,000 acres, accounting for 65% of California's total contracted planted acreage for 2024. San Joaquin County grew 787,100 tons of tomatoes, fifth largest in California counties. The board’s emergency declaration recorded county farmers producing approximately $147 million of tomatoes in 2023.
Kings, Merced, Yolo, and Madera counties also grow tomatoes.
The San Joaquin Valley county governments will determine in 60 days whether to continue the local emergency.
Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County.
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