Some Slocomb farmers have already lost nearly half their tomato crops this season to the same disease that caused the Irish potato famine in the 1840s.

This is the earliest and most wide-spread appearance of the disease, "late blight" in United States history.

"You can't control it. It's near about impossible to control it," says tomato farmer, Curist Harris from Slocomb.

The fungal disease "late blight" hasn’t spared Slocomb as it spreads across the eastern United States.

"I'd say around here it cut the tomato crop in half if not more. It's been exceptionally a bad year as far as disease is concerned," says Harris.

The disease is characterized by olive green or brown spots on the leaves, then a white fungus sets in.

Now farmers tell us it starts at the bottom of the plant working its way up eventually killing the entire vine."

The fungus can produce millions of spores during wet weather but doesn't show up until the plant bears fruit.

“We had a lot of water to start with. Right here we got 27 inches at one time. It was just too much on them to start with. We overcame that then the disease just hit us,” says Harris.

This fungal pathogen is well known for its ability to produce millions of spores from infected plants under the wet weather conditions that favor the disease.

Some farmers have had to declare a total loss on their crops.

"Most of them carry a little insurance. Of course I don't carry any. I just try to produce the things and just hope for the best," says Harris, "lots of money has been lost in tomatoes this year."

Of course, since supply is down, farmers whose crops are surviving get the upper hand at the check-out counter.

Experts say home gardeners should destroy infected plants to prevent spores from spreading to commercial farms.