Agriculture’s announcement to make available up to $9 million to fund a clingstone peach tree removal program, providing relief to California growers facing severe economic hardship and uncertainty following the closure of the Del Monte cannery in Modesto.Related: California Farm Bureau: Peach Growers Seek Relief Following Del Monte Cannery Closure in Stanislaus County
Kingsburg Cling credit: Burchell Nursery
The funding will support the removal of up to 420,000 clingstone peach trees—approximately 3,000 acres. The tree removal program aims to address the economic harm facing producers who were left under defunct long-term contracts after Del Monte Foods filed for bankruptcy on July 1, 2025.
“We appreciate our elected officials’ support in securing this funding. It offers a glimmer of hope after a devastating period, ensuring California farmers can transition to new crops and stay on their land”, said Shannon Douglass, president of the California Farm Bureau, which represents more than 23,000 farmers and ranchers statewide.
“We’re grateful for the swift action taken to protect peach growers, the peach industry, their families and the rural communities that depend on this industry,” added Rich Hudgins, CEO of the California Canning Peach Association.
The aid package was made possible thanks the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Representatives Mike Thompson and David Valadao along with 38 other members of California’s House delegation, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff and California Assemblymember James Gallagher. California Farm Bureau and the California Canning Peach Association thank these officials for their efforts in securing this critical support for California’s peach growers.
“This funding gives growers the opportunity to make choices about growing a different commodity,” said Ranjit Davit, a Sutter County peach grower, California Farm Bureau member, and Chair of the California Canning Peach Association. “Without it, we were looking at abandoned orchards and generational farming operations coming to an end. We are deeply grateful to the USDA and our representatives for stepping in when it mattered most,” Davit added.
California Canning Peach Association (CCPA) is the nation’s oldest farm bargaining association. As a nonprofit farm cooperative, the CCPA is owned and directed by its member-growers and dedicated to serving their needs with a variety of services. Most importantly, the CCPA provides leadership that safeguards the profitability and success of California’s peach processing industry.
California Farm Bureau works to protect family farms and ranches as part of a nationwide network representing more than 5 million Farm Bureau members. Learn more at www.cfbf.com or follow @cafarmbureau on Instagram, LinkedIn, X, or Facebook.
Source: California Farm Bureau
