The California cling peach #1 grade price was set recently at $455 per ton. This is down $35 per ton from the price set in 2016 and $5 per ton less than in 2015. The lower price could also coincide with lower production this year leading to much lower grower returns. With the recent value of the crop in the past few years more acres have been planted than the industry would like to see. If a large amount of acreage is not removed this winter, there could be an excess of fruit in coming years to keep downward pressure on fruit pricing.
