420,000 Peach Trees in California to be Destroyed
May 12, 2026 – A bankruptcy filing in California has left hundreds of workers without jobs and fruit growers with no buyer for their harvest season, which runs from May through September. 139-year-old Del Monte fruit and vegetable canning company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last July and has closed their Modesto and Hughson canneries.
Central California peach farmers, many of whom had 20-year contracts with Del Monte, are left without alternative buyers for their crops and are preparing to destroy about 420,000 clingstone peach trees.
Western Growers Board member and Colorado peach grower Bruce Talbott said clingstone is grown primarily for canning, while the freestone variety, like those grown in Colorado, are grown for the fresh market so the surplus peaches and orchard removals aren’t likely to affect Colorado growers.
Last week, lawmakers announced that affected growers could receive up to $9 million in federal aid to remove the 3,000 acres of orchards to allow growers to pivot to a different crop. This will remove 50,000 tons of peaches from production and save farmers an estimated $30 million in additional losses. It’s unclear what crop growers are likely to transition to.
“Right now, agriculture as a whole is struggling,” Talbott said. “In California, the Freestone industry has declined from 500 million pounds down to about 300 million pounds. The canning industry has declined so pears, prunes (though a lot of prunes are dried anymore instead of canned), plums have declined, nectarines have declined, cherries have been planted fairly heavily but cherries are a high-risk crop and I don’t think people will want to expand there really quickly. Table grapes are fairly stable, but wine grapes are declining fairly rapidly, so there’s not a lot of good options right now that I’m aware of. I’m sure there are vegetable crops and other things that can be done, especially if they still have good water rights.”
Pacific Coast Producers purchased Del Monte’s canned fruit business and agreed to purchase about 24,000 tons of peaches, leaving 50,000 tons without a buyer and set for destruction.
Talbott said Mesa County’s Palisade peach crop is at about 80 to 90% good with some hail damage. Delta County and Utah growers all experienced a hard freeze, resulting in no significant crop. Water remains top of mind. He said the canal has never been shut off mid-season, but that has been a part of discussions planning for a potentially dry summer.
Source: Rachel Gabel, The Fence Post Magazine
