Northern California peach growers concerned over Del Monte’s planned closure of Modesto plant

By Nina Burns

Del Monte’s planned closure of its Modesto fruit cannery next month is raising concerns not just for workers, but for peach growers across Northern California who relied on the facility to process their crops.

The company says the plant will shut down on April 7, eliminating about 600 full-time jobs and roughly 1,200 seasonal positions.

For many farmers, the closure also means losing a longtime buyer for cling peaches grown throughout the Central Valley.

According to the California Canning Peach Association, growers who supply Del Monte typically operate under contracts that can last a decade or more, providing stability for crops that take years to establish.

But those long-term agreements will no longer be an option once the Modesto plant closes.

The association says the nearest cannery, Pacific Coast Producers, plans to rely instead on one-year cash contracts to maximize production at its existing facilities.

Stanislaus County peach farmer Bill Loritelli said he had a contract with Del Monte decades ago, but many growers saw the industry shifting long before the plant announced it would close.

“The few farmers that I know that still have them, it will definitely impact them, especially several of them have got younger trees,” Loritelli said. “Now they really have a dilemma whether they continue growing them up to maturity with no market or pulling them, and they spend a lot of money on planting them.”

County agricultural officials say the ripple effects are already being felt beyond Stanislaus County.

Stanislaus County Agricultural Commissioner Linda Pinfold said growers in Northern California counties such as Yuba and Sutter, where many cling peaches are now grown, are particularly concerned about losing a major processing facility.

For farmers who planted orchards years ago expecting a buyer at harvest, the closure adds new uncertainty to an already risky business.

Loritelli said that uncertainty is part of farming, but losing a major processor can make those risks even greater.