Tree Fruit Season Coasting


By Patrick Cavanaugh, Editor

Despite some isolated rainstorms that passed through the Central Valley in mid-July, California tree fruit growers are having a great season.

Daniel Jackson with Family Tree Farms in Reedley noted that it rained for nearly a half hour across some of their acreage, which caused some damage on their white peaches in the tops of the trees.  “But all the other tree fruits on the ranch look fine. In fact, that weather issue was a little blip on the screen of a great year,” Jackson said.

“We have had record-breaking pack-out reports, which means a lot of boxes per acre are going to market,” he said. “And depending on the commodity, prices are up too. We did a comparison with last year, another great year, and we are up 10 cents a pound.”

“As an industry, there has been a lot more fruit on the market and there have been some challenges in the yellow peach and nectarine markets,” Jackson noted. “However, all the other commodities including plumcots, apriums, apricots, white peaches, and white nectarines, have seem to run very smoothly through the market this season.”