Cling Peach Season Brings Sweet Quality, Sour Uncertainty
It’s cling peach season in California’s Central Valley, and growers are praising the mild summer temps. The balmy weather helped early fruit size up and stay blemish-free—good news for quality. But yields? That’s a different story.
According to Ag Alert from the California Farm Bureau, early harvests are coming in lighter than expected—down about 12% from initial projections. Sutter County farmer Ranjit Davit said some of his Stanislaus peaches are down 70% from peak production. Weather last year could be to blame, including a hot summer and a warm January that disrupted dormancy.
Despite strong fruit quality, growers are also feeling pressure from rising labor costs, stalled price negotiations with canneries, and competition from cheaper foreign imports. California’s cling peach acreage has dropped by more than half over the past two decades.
Meanwhile, canner Del Monte—responsible for about a third of the state’s crop—filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this month. Though deliveries continue for now, growers are left uncertain about next year’s market.
As Davit put it, “You’re never sure what you have until the last bin’s out of the field.”
You can read the full article at https://www.agalert.com/california-ag-news/archives/july-30-2025/peach-growers-praise-quality-as-yields-dip/
