Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you.
Posted on 06/04/2026 6:07:35 AM PDT by thecodont
Karell Reader’s heart sank when she saw acres of apple trees piled up on her neighbor’s Watsonville farm last month. Her neighbor used to sell apples to California cider empire S. Martinelli & Company, but he was forced to bulldoze dozens of apple trees after the company canceled his contracts.
For farmers in Pajaro Valley, a fertile region between Monterey and Santa Cruz, growing and selling Newtown pippin apples to Martinelli’s had been a lifeline for over a century. But now, apple farmers like Reader’s neighbor are scrambling to find solutions after the 158-year-old company blindsided them by canceling their apple contracts, according to Lookout Santa Cruz. The fallout includes razing their apple orchards so they can lease their land to berry farmers as one way to survive.
[...]
This isn’t the first time an iconic brand’s boardroom decision has rippled across California’s farmland. The recent news comes on the heels of Central California farmers seeking $9 million of federal aid to remove 420,000 clingstone peach trees after Del Monte permanently closed its processing plants in April. In March, many Central California farmers had their 20-year contracts with Del Monte canceled while collectively facing a $550 million revenue loss.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
|
|
Click here: to donate by Credit Card Or here: to donate by PayPal Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794 Thank you very much and God bless you. |
So where are the apples coming from now?
L
Good question.
I have noticed a steep decline in the quality of Martinelli apple cider over the past decade. Now it’s nothing more than carbonated cheap apple juice. Probably from concentrate.
At the very end of the article, there is a quick note.....local apples are $400......Those from Washington, $135
I have no idea why apples would be that more expensive in California. /s
I demand that nothing ever change!
California has to get rid of farms to free up water for illegals.
You can bet on California regulations and taxes being the culprit.
A quick search shows dozens of apple and fruit regulations. Two years ago I traveled from Oregon into California while vacationing. At the border was a checkpoint with a large drive through building and uniformed people ready to pounce on anyone bringing citrus products etc into the state. The infrastructure and people were obviously funded by taxes.
Why destroy an entire orchard of heritage apple trees .... unless ... this farmer is attempting to get a federal tax dollar bail out?
More info, from AI ...
S. Martinelli & Co. is transitioning to sourcing a significant portion of its apples from Washington state, as local fruit is much cheaper. While the cidermaker is keeping some local Pajaro Valley trees and its owned or leased orchards in Watsonville, CA, it has ended contracts with many multi-generational California apple farmers.
The shift in sourcing marks a major milestone for the century-old brand:Northwest Sourcing: Industry reports indicate Martinelli’s has been quietly increasing deliveries from Washington, where farmers grow heavily for the fresh grocery market and sell off less-than-perfect discards for juice.
California Changes: Many local growers who historically relied on Martinelli’s as their primary buyer—such as Peter Knego in Watsonville—are removing apple trees and transitioning their land to more profitable berry crops.
Corporate-Owned Orchards: To protect the unique “Newtown Pippin” heritage, Martinelli’s also relies on its own portfolio of company-owned and leased orchards in the Pajaro Valley.
Official Stance: While Martinelli’s has stated a continuous long-term commitment to Pajaro Valley growing, they maintain a policy of not discussing their exact sourcing strategy or internal operations.
They’ll plant something else. We are surrounded by orchards and farmland in Northern Commiefornia. Farmers are constantly rotating and replacing crops. The trees are replaced every few years as they become less productive. Cutting off the water supply is a totally different thing.
The value of the apples should be driven by the market. If the CA growers would lower their price, they could sell the apples. Evidently the issue is they can make more money raising berries than selling apples less than $400.
Just another California dem disaster.
“Her neighbor used to sell apples to California cider empire S. Martinelli & Company, but he was forced to bulldoze dozens of apple trees after the company canceled his contracts.” So where is S. Martinelli & Company going to get their apples, or are they not making cider anymore?
The infrastructure and people were obviously funded by taxes.
**********
Gotta spend that tax money some where. Keep them dollars
flowing, round’em up, ride’em in rawhide.
At the border was a checkpoint with a large drive through building and uniformed people
You are likely correct. But the border checkpoints are not some massive bureaucracy. There are all kinds of agricultural diseases and pests out there that could devastate swaths of our huge agricultural economy. Importing ininspected fruits and vegetables into the state is illegal and border inspections are an appropriate way to enforce the law, though I’m not sure how effective they are. I’ve been through the station on Donner Summit on I-80 countless times, and the process takes less than 60 seconds
We California farmers could utilize some of the horse manure exhibited in the above posts
The facts
Regulatory compliance costs for California farmers have surged, with expenses exceeding $1,600 per acre for commodities like Salinas Valley lettuce and ranging between $1,100 and $1,700 per acre for Napa County winegrape growers. This represents a staggering 1,366% increase for some growers since 2006, often eclipsing profit margins.
Labor & Worker Health: New labor laws, overtime thresholds, and mandatory health insurance requirements have drastically increased employment expenses. Workers’ compensation and safety training compliance account for major line-item increases (e.g., rising to over $425 per acre for some leafy green growers).
Water Quality & Management: Implementing the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) and strict reporting for the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program impose heavy fees, monitoring costs, and expensive water usage reductions.
Air Quality & Emissions: Strict California Air Resources Board (CARB) rules—particularly mandates on tractor/equipment upgrades and diesel emissions—add heavy upfront capital costs for modern machinery.
Food Safety & Crop Protection: Extensive reporting, Endangered Species Act pesticide restrictions, and rigorous food safety audits require continuous documentation and specialized staffing.
>>Why destroy an entire orchard of heritage apple trees
On a farm everything has to earn its keep. You don’t keep non-productive assets purely out of sentiment.
Everything is becoming cheaper disposable junk, low quality but glitzy and flashy new. Cheap materials, cheaply put together, lacking quality control.
Customer service has become a joke, a bad joke! The push for automation and offshoring, and saving a buck has created “trash” service. AI is the latest trend in this “Cheapening down of America.”
—
Hotels: they don't clean your room every night, breakfast is missing or not even worth waking up for, bathtubs are being replaced by showers only, no more balcony on all new builds, no more phone in the room, no courtesy toothpaste and brush if you needs it (they will sell you this), and reception is some Indian dude on that can barely speak English that's understood...
Call CarFax to see if they can help you correct a vehicle record.
Look at the absolute abysmal quality in clothing sold today, often using cheap materials and made in third world sweat shops but charging $100 for a dress shirt.
A pair of plastic shoes (nylon, foam, literally plastic) and they charge $250 for these Nike shoes.
Instead of moving up, America has been moving backwards. Quality down, service down, warranties down, reliability down, longevity down.
Buy a new home appliance. It's junk that you're lucky if it lasts 10 years. But then we talk about “environmentalism” LOL. It looks pretty new, it's loaded with gadgets you'll never use, but it won't last long.
Buy a bathtub, it's plastic junk. You need to look long and hard to find a steel tub that's porcelain coated “standard” in the 60s or 70s...
Junk, junk, junk.
Just another way democrats hurt republicans.
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.