May 5, 2026 – The California Canning Peach Association and the California Farm Bureau welcomed the U.S. Department of
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.
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…