INTRODUCTION
The sample costs to produce transplanted processing tomatoes under sub-surface, drip irrigation (SDI), in the
Sacramento Valley and northern Delta are presented in this study. This study is intended as a guide only, and
can be used to make production decisions, determine potential returns, prepare budgets and evaluate
production loans. Practices described are based on production practices considered typical for the crop and
area, but will not apply to every situation. Sample costs for labor, materials, equipment, and custom services
are based on current figures. Blank columns, “Your Costs”, in Tables 1 and 2 are provided to enter actual
costs of an individual farm operation.
The hypothetical farm operations, production practices, overhead, and calculations are described under the
assumptions. For additional information or an explanation of the calculations used in the study, contact the
Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of California, Davis, (530) 752-4651 or
destewart@ucdavis.edu. An additional cost of production study for processing tomatoes grown in this region
under furrow irrigation is also available: (“Sample Costs to Produce Processing Tomatoes, Furrow Irrigated
in the Sacramento Valley & Northern Delta - 2014”). The major differences between the two companion
studies are in cultivation, fertilizer, ground prep, irrigation and yield.