July 2019 - 8

USDA researchers indicate greenhouse tomato production has risen steadily in the past 12 years. Photos: Gary Pullano
Ag census: Greenhouse tomato space soars
By Stephen Kloosterman
Associate Editor
Call it the age of the greenhouse
tomato.
The last decade has been good to
that growing technique, according
to the 2017 Census of Agriculture.
Greenhouse space is up across the U.S.
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overall, and vegetable growers remain
in a good position to compete for those
glass houses despite the increase in
hemp and cannabis production. That's
in an age when vegetable growers as
an industry are doing less with more:
Growing more value on fewer acres.
The USDA's agriculture survey,
which is conducted every five years -
provides some statistical snapshots of
the situation.
In May, Brandon Johnson wrote in
an article for the USDA's Economic
Research Service discussing how the
total value of vegetables grew about 16%
between the 2012 and 2017 censuses
- despite a decrease in the number of
acres covered.
" Greenhouse tomato production,
however, has risen steadily since 2007,
recording a 25.6% increase between
2007 and 2012 and a 15.7% increase
between 2012 and 2017, " Johnson
wrote. That's in contrast to fresh fieldgrown
tomatoes, whose acreage counted
by the census dropped by 27% from
2012 to 2017.
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July 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July 2019