USDA Projecting A Much Smaller Peach Crop

The expectation for the national peach crop is a 15% year-over-year decrease.  Why the drop?

"In California, the top peach producing state, Freestone and Clingstone type peach production are both forecast to decline from the previous year, down 9% and 17% respectively," said USDA economist Catharine Weber.

What do numbers look like outside of the Golden state?

"Peach production in the other six NASS surveyed states is protected to total 139,000 in tons this season," Weber said.  "Excluding California, NASS does not report state-level peach production separately for Freestone and Clingstone categories, but most consist of Freestone-type peaches grown for the fresh market.

"Spring freezes in Georgia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Michigan cause significant crop loss," Weber added.  "South Carolina's peach forecast is estimated to be the largest in over a decade."

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