Central California peach farmers are preparing to destroy approximately 420,000 clingstone peach trees following the closure of Del Monte Foods' canneries earlier this year. The 139-year-old canned fruit and vegetable company permanently shut its facilities in Modesto and Hughson in April after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last July. The closures have left hundreds of workers unemployed and devastated growers, many of whom lost 20-year contracts with Del Monte and have few alternative buyers for their crops.
According to the Sacramento Bee, farmers could face an estimated $550 million in lost revenue. In response, Senator Adam Schiff and Representatives Mike Thompson and David Valadao announced last week that affected growers could receive up to $9 million in federal aid to remove up to 420,000 clingstone peach trees before the upcoming harvest season, which typically runs from late May through September. The approved emergency assistance will help growers remove about 3,000 acres of clingstone peach orchards.
Impact on Production and Losses
Removing about 50,000 tons of peaches from production could reduce oversupply and save farmers an estimated $30 million in additional losses, the officials said. Growers can then pivot to another crop. “For generations, Central Valley family farms have relied on Del Monte’s Modesto facility to process their peaches,” Valadao said in a statement.
In a March letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Schiff, Thompson, Valadao, and 39 other members of Congress noted that many of the impacted California farmers are multigenerational family growers who have spent decades building their orchards. They warned that without federal help, the situation could cause lasting harm to the country’s agricultural system.
Community and Government Response
“When a processing facility closes and 55,000 acres of fruit suddenly have nowhere to go — that’s not something a family farm can just absorb. This funding is a critical step in ensuring these important multi-generational businesses can stay afloat,” Thompson added in his own statement announcing the aid package last week.
After a court allowed Del Monte to sell its assets, Pacific Coast Producers bought Del Monte's canned fruit business. The company agreed to buy about 24,000 tons of peaches from farmers, but that still leaves approximately 50,000 tons without a buyer, meaning a large amount of the crop will not be used, according to the Sacramento Bee.
