The extreme drought covering much of the state is taking a major toll on many Indiana crops, but not all.
There's some good news in Elwood, where a bumper crop of tomatoes is expected.
Colt Reichart's family has been farming Red Gold tomatoes for four generations since 1942. They've seen it all.
"We know the tragedies you can have and the successes," Reichart explains.
This summer, the strategy of staggering the planting, planting more acres than needed, and having growers from southern Indiana to northern Michigan is paying off. They also irrigate about 40 percent of their crops.
"The first half of our crop was a little spotty, but the second half is promising. It's going to be, if the weather continues, exceptional," Reichart said.
That's because unlike corn and soybeans, tomatoes hold up well when it's dry.
Reichart touches the tomato plants in one Elwood field, which is full of tomatoes just waiting to get red.
"They say this soil is the best soil on earth. It's a loaming clay soil, so it holds the water well, so even with the drought, tomatoes are very good," he said.
In addition to their tolerance to the drought, tomatoes in Elwood have been doing well because temperatures have been getting just cool enough at night to deal with the excessive heat, meaning plenty of supply at the grocery store.
At the Marsh Supermarket in Elwood, shoppers are glad there's no shortage of tomatoes.
"Between me and my family, we go through a lot of tomatoes," said Patricia Gonzalez.
"Eat them almost every day," said shopper Eric Horn.
In Red Gold's hometown, folks know a good tomato crop helps the local economy.
"They employ a lot of people here in town. A lot of people depend on them," Horn said.
But one success among many other crop failures does weigh on shoppers' wallets.
"You are afraid that stuff will go up. You know, it is a concern," said Gonzalez.
Reichart wishes he could ease those concerns.
"I can't determine the market, but as far as supply goes, we'll have more than enough for everyone," he said.
Another effect of our hot, dry summer is that the tomatoes are ripening a couple weeks ahead of schedule. That means Red Gold will start harvesting this week and pack tomatoes 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the next three months.
Reichart says the reason most home gardeners have trouble growing tomatoes is because they water them too much.
Red Gold is the largest tomato supplier in the state. Its growers plant about 14,000 acres each year. About 11,000 plants cover each acre and each tomato plant yields around 90 tomatoes. That means about 30-40 tons of tomatoes per acre.
