Posted on 05/07/2026 8:19:51 AM PDT by algore
Central California farmers are expected to gain up to $9 million in federal aid to help remove 420,000 clingstone peach trees following the closure of Del Monte Foods’ canneries earlier this year.
Del Monte permanently closed its Modesto and Hughson canneries in April after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last July. The factory closures left hundreds of workers without a job while also leaving farmers in dire straits as they navigated what to do with their crops. In March, the Sacramento Bee reported that many Central California farmers had their 20-year contracts to grow peaches with Del Monte canceled while facing a $550 million loss in revenue.
The impacts pushed a delegation of California lawmakers to ask the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide financial support to the fruit growers. Last week, California Sen. Adam Schiff and Reps. Mike Thompson and David Valadao announced in a news release that the USDA had approved their request to pay California farmers to remove around 3,000 acres of clingstone peach trees before the harvest season. According to the news release, removing 50,000 tons of peaches from production could help growers save about $30 million in losses.
“For generations, Central Valley family farms have relied on Del Monte’s Modesto facility to process their peaches, and its sudden closure left growers with thousands of pounds of fruit and no clear path forward,” Valadao said in the news release.
Schiff, Thompson and Valadao, in addition to 39 other members of Congress, sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins in March, stating that many of the affected California farmers are multigenerational family farmers who have invested in their orchards for decades. They argued that it was necessary to aid these farmers or risk “long-term structured damage to our nation’s agricultural base.”
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
They got you again.
“How many countries have Del Monte?
We operate in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia with products sold in more than 80 countries.”
“North American Footprint: Beyond the now-shuttered California sites, the company’s operational footprint includes six production facilities within the United States.
International Footprint: Del Monte retains two production facilities located in Mexico.
Restructuring: Following the July 2025 bankruptcy, the brand’s assets are being sold to three separate companies: Fresh Del Monte Produce, B&G Foods, and Pacific Coast Producers”
OOPS
(This makes no sense to me.)
Our sick society destroys everything
Who needs food for 330 million people
Democrat Socialists will build Grocery Stores
Food just magically appears
You never ran a business before.
I got a neighbor mechanic shop going to court right now because the customer signed a work order for a repair the mechanic shop recommended against doing because the condition of the motor may be compromised due to overheat condition. Customer wanted it done aware of the potential damage and this is all written up on the copy the customer signed. Lo and behold Motor was toast.
I would have, and usually, do refuse to do work I recommend against for this exact reason, but alas.. They are going to court for this.
For that matter too, sanction the fiduciary team at Del Monte. You know the asshole bean counters got creative with debt instruments and financial shenanigans, its almost impossible to screw up a commodity food producer unless you’re trying to weasel out “value” and pass it off as “shareholder positive” to pad your bonus’...
I was born and raised in the Big Valley.
I retired here about 7 years ago.
Where I am is not nearly as bad and bleak as you describe.
Of note: we have the best winter weather in America. Not too warm like the southwest, just enough rain and fog and cool days for outdoor activities.
Global ID? Mark of the Beast?
No more lost children, seniors with dementia, illegal immigrants. We know where you are.
Just 3 little chips that have antenna in your forehead.
... 6
. 6 - 6
420,000 trees. That’s a lot of peaches. Plus, the orchards are not in population areas and you would have to climb ladders to get them. It costs a lot to water and maintain those trees. I might collect some of the wood for musical instruments. Stone fruit trees make good tone woods.
Aside from that they will just be sold for firewood.
So this is all a Cannery row?..................
...Fresh Del Monte Produce, B&G Foods, and Pacific Coast Producers”...
No one that had a fiduciary responsibility in the BK company should be allowed to have an interest in those companies for 5 or 10 years.
I agree!
Peaches are good! And they are better fresh than canned!
“Unless someone has spent enough time in the Central valley it’s hard to comprehend the scale of the industrial agriculture the goes on.”
From Reading to Bakersfield is about 425 miles. And a width of 40-80 miles for the entire way.
Flat, rich land. Just enough water.
Over 90% of that land is producing something agricultural.
I lived outside of Fresno. The farmers rotated their crops to high density apartments and got out of farming. I went back after nearly 30 years and don’t recognize a single thing. Too bad such a beautiful state is California.
People still eat peaches.
But only us dying old people eat canned peaches.
There’s no giant market like there used to be, and the giant canneries (Tri Valley/Del Monte) are just too damn big for the market.
Peaches come from a can,
They were put there by a man
In a factory downtown
Del Monte, which means “of the Monte”.
See my post number 12. Have direct experience in this. Water and taxes. Farmers end up losing and have to destroy their stone fruit trees.
Remember the delta river smelt? That was pretty much the end of the valley but some held on.
Goes back to my comment about competent management.
Not being trapped by massive debt, short-term thinking, and distant / private-equity management would have ensured they had updated products, a strong brand, and right-sized manufacturing. People still want to eat peaches, and moms will still give their kids peaches
Absolutely true, in fact, I think that was one of the points of the article.
The demand for canned peaches has been dropping. the demand for canned goods across the board has dropped.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.