Pests force Madison farm to scrap tomato crop
An infestation of whiteflies will force Backyard Farms to scrap nearly half a million tomato plants in its Madison greenhouses this season. The farm typically produces over 27 million pounds of tomatoes a year.
The Portland Press Herald reported destruction of the crop could delay tomato-growing operations and deliveries to its primary retail buyers — including Hannaford, Whole Foods and Walmart — for up to 10 weeks.
The company, which has greenhouses covering 42 acres of growing area, claims it is the only year-round tomato grower in New England.
Chuck Green, president and CEO of Backyard Farms, told the paper the company's 200 employees will stay on the payroll through the crop clean-out and replanting process. He declined to say how much the company will lose by destroying its plants or how much the clean-out will cost.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the acreage of Backyard Farms and that the company is an organic tomato grower.
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