Nationwide, California is the leading producer of processing tomatoes. In fact, the higher yields realized in that state is the primary cause for the decline of processed tomatoes in the East. California also was the leader in the development of the mechanical harvest program, which was developed at UC-Davis. These facilities are located at 12 or 13 key locations across the state and are run by the California Department of Agriculture. Each load that pulls into the facility is weighed.
Computerized equipment takes a sample from the load, which is then graded for defects.
The weight and grade information is forwarded electronically to the factory long before the load itself arrives. This service is used by all processing companies and growers. More than 800,000 seasonal migrant laborers, both legal and illegal, provide a constant labor supply. Although hand-harvest of processing tomatoes is a thing of the past, there are plenty of labor needs still associated with the industry, including riding the harvester, driving trucks and working at the plant. Overhead costs, supplies and other inputs are often reduced as a result of competition.