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Drought Contributing to Extremely Low Numbers of California Tomatoes This Year

California produces more tomatoes than any other state each year, however, this year looked a little different. While you would normally see truckloads of tomatoes being hauled around the state, this year was different due to rising interest rates, inflation, and the drought, there are fewer tomatoes than ever.

Source: CNBC Television/YouTube

The cost of growing tomatoes continues to rise, and consumers may be seeing this reflected in the price of tomatoes.

“Ninety-five percent of the processed tomato products consumed in the United States come right here from California’s Central Valley,” said Mike Montna, president and CEO of the California Tomato Growers Association (CTGA), told CNN.

At the beginning of this year, CTGA estimated that there would be a production of 12.2 million tons of tomatoes. Then, at the end of May, they revised the number down to 11.7 million. But now, with the tomato season coming to an end, Montna believes the number will be even lower.

“We’re going to end up ultimately somewhere around 10.5, 10.4 million tons,” Montna told CNN. “We’re not getting the yields that we expected or that we got historically seven or eight years ago. We’re in a flat to declining yield situation and a lot of it’s due to weather and how intensive it is to grow a tomato.”

Once again, California has had an incredibly dry year which means less freshwater flows down from the mountains into the Sacramento River. The Sacramento River is the largest in the state, and the lack of flow has allowed the saltier water from the ocean to push further into the state’s main water hub, the Delta. The Delta supplies water to two-thirds of California’s 39 million-person population and fruit and vegetable farms.

Cities all over the world, from California to Vietnam, are facing droughts and climate crises. Millions of people are protesting all over the world. Read more about politics and Climate change, including Manchin Restarts Talks about Climate and Social Spending Bill Previously Rejected and Climate Change Protests Take Over With Millions Continuing to Strike Across The Globe! Climate change is a top priority for young voters, and we need to care about the Green New Deal.

Climate change leads to extreme weather like droughts, floods, and fires. The single BEST thing you can do to save water is to stop eating meat and all animal products. Growing animals for livestock takes a massive amount of water. It takes nearly 660 gallons of water to just make one burger, which is equivalent to nearly two months of showering for the average person. On the other hand, it takes 1,000 gallons of water to make just one gallon of cow milk.

Studies have shown that eating more plant-based can add over a decade to your lifespan, it can save the world’s forests, it benefits the environment, and it is significantly better for your health! Nations around the world have urged people to eat more plant-based to curb climate change.

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