Nebraska Big in Greenhouse Tomatoes

Most Nebraskans realize the state is near the top in the nation in the production of corn, soybeans, beef, and hay. But most Nebraskans probably don’t know Nebraska is also near the top in the nation in production of greenhouse tomatoes. Nebraska’s production of greenhouse tomatoes tops 10 million pounds each year according to the USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) which ranks the state, along with California, Minnesota, and New York, as a leading producer in the country. The growth of greenhouse tomato production in the country has been a recent phenomenon. Greenhouse production did not register on a USDA survey of tomato shipments in 2000. However, in the most recent survey in 2017, greenhouse tomato shipments accounted for more than 5 percent of all tomato shipments.