While his neighbors probably will not begin harvesting their corn for several weeks, Chris Bass has been busy picking his crop of tomatoes.

Lots of tomatoes.

“We grow tons of tomatoes — at least a couple of thousand plants,” Bass said. “Tomatoes can be a profitable crop depending on your yield.”

Bass and his wife, Brenna, own and operate Bass Farms in Mount Vernon.

On a given morning from August and into late September — as soon as the tomatoes begin to “turn” — Chris and a field worker who is paid by the hour can be found bent down, on their knees, moving along the rows of plants, picking and depositing tomatoes in a cloth bag that goes over their shoulder and across their body.

Plastic crates or boxes are used sometimes to improve efficiency. Bass also uses a pallet on a tractor to minimize the number of trips to empty the picking bags.

Tomatoes, Bass said, is important for horticulture farmers from an economic standpoint.

Read the full article on the Cedar Rapids Gazette website.