Harvest started the first week of July in the Southern growing regions and was completed through the middle of October.  The 2015 crop year had a low disease and pest pressures with cooperative weather.  As in 2014, the primary issue affecting the yield has been the availability of water.  The ongoing, extreme drought in California has forced growers to fallow land and cut back on acreage for many crops. However, despite the water concerns, the acreage devoted to processing tomatoes has increased from last year.  The estimated harvest acreage of tomatoes was 293,000 acres, a 3% increase from 2014.  The 2015 field price for tomatoes was settled with the California Tomato Growers Association at $80.00 per short ton compared to $83.00 in 2014.