05/22/2026
Takes a special breed to grow cherries here in California…
Fortunes went from bad to worse this year for California cherry growers. An early heat wave impacted fruit set in many orchards.
Then, rainstorms in April and May battered the crop. “It was like getting knocked down and then getting kicked,” said Bill Stokes, who grows cherries in San Joaquin County. Growers in the county, which leads California in cherry production, lost 63% of their crop and suffered financial losses of $174 million, according to the county’s request for a disaster declaration, which would make growers eligible for low-interest federal loans and other assistance.
California’s other cherry growing regions were also affected. Tony Guerrero, grower relations and farm manager at Lodi-based packer M&R Co., which sources cherries from across California, said this year’s crop was the worst he had seen in three decades working with cherries in the state. “It’s pretty devastating,” Guerrero said. “There was just nowhere that was unscathed.”
Read more in Ag Alert: bit.ly/42JMEOg
