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California Tree Fruit
Agreement
California is the leading producer of fresh peaches,
plums and nectarines in the United States producing 60% of the
peaches, 95% of the plums and 90% of the nectarines. Most of
these fruits are grown within a 50-mile radius of Reedley, a
quiet California Central Valley town near Fresno. Other growing
areas exist near Bakersfield, Modesto and Sacramento. Approximately
1,500 farmers, small and large, grow these three fruits commercially,
hand picking them in the orchards and hauling them to packing
sheds. In the sheds, the fruit is hand sorted, then packed into
boxes, cooled and shipped throughout the United States and around
the world.
The California Tree Fruit Agreement administers marketing order programs on
behalf of all California fresh peach, plum and nectarine farmers. Originally
established in 1933, the California Tree Fruit Agreement now includes the Peach
Commodity Committee, the Nectarine Administrative Committee and the California
Plum Marketing Board. The programs are run by elected grower committees and
operate with oversight of federal and state agricultural departments. Through
California Tree Fruit Agreement programs, growers fund efforts to create a
favorable environment in which to grow and market their products. Activities
include domestic and international promotion, research and quality control.
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