California Ag Network

Tag: Stone Fruit

  • Tulare County Sheriffs Arrest Peach Thieves

    On June 29, Sheriff’s detectives assigned to the Agricultural Crimes Task Force have arrested Francisco Lopez, 54, of Reedley and Josue Vargas, 46, of Orange Cove for felony grand theft of farm crops. Lopez has a bail set at $10,000. Vargas, who faces additional charges related to D.U.I. warrants, has a total bail of $50,000.

    On Monday, detectives developed information about a suspect’s vehicle tied to ongoing stone fruit thefts in Fresno and Tulare Counties. Detectives worked with patrol deputies and Reedley Police officers to find the vehicle. Later that night, a deputy stopped a matching pickup truck towing a trailer at Kamm Ave. and Road 56 near Dinuba. The trailer was reportedly loaded with crates containing approximately 2,000 pounds of Pink Moon peaches, valued at $8,500. Detectives responded and determined the peaches were stolen on Sunday from a farm in Tulare County. Lopez and Sanchez were placed under arrest. An additional passenger of the truck, 56-year-old Jesus Chacon of Reedley, was also arrested for outstanding warrants related to drug possession and battery.

    The Tulare County Sheriff’s Office will be pursuing additional criminal charges against Lopez and Vargas due to the theft occurring within its jurisdiction.

    Anyone with further information on this case or a related case is asked to contact Sheriff’s Detective North at (559) 600-8150 or email agcrimes@fresnosheriff.org or contact Crime Stoppers at (559) 498-7867, www.valleycrimestoppers.org. You will remain anonymous and may receive a cash reward. Reference case # 26-7616.

    The Ag Crimes Task force encourages growers to follow these tips to protect themselves against theft.

    Increase Visibility

    • Install cameras overlooking entrances, loading areas and packing facilities.

    • Use trail cameras in remote orchards.

    • Ensure entrances and loading areas are well lit.

    • Trim vegetation around gates and roads to eliminate hiding spots.

    Harvest Management

    • Harvest ripe fruit as soon as practical.

    • Avoid leaving harvested bins in fields overnight.

    • Schedule picking crews so fruit spends the least amount of time unattended.

    • Keep loaded trailers in secured yards whenever possible.

    Secure Fruit Bins

    • Mark bins with permanent farm identifiers.

    • Record the number of bins left in each block.

    • Conduct daily inventory counts during harvest.

    • Store empty bins in secured compounds.

    Clearly Mark Equipment

    • Clearly mark all equipment and fruit bins with your farm name or unique identifier.

    • Record serial numbers and photograph valuable equipment.

    • Use permanent, tamper-resistant markings whenever possible.

    — Story Contributed by the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office

  • Prima Wawona Empowers Stone Fruit Retailers with Key Category Data

    Prima® Wawona (prima.com), the largest stone fruit producer in the U.S., has partnered with a leading fresh produce strategic insight and research company to provide retailers with key stone fruit category data. These insights help retailers identify areas of growth and opportunity within the category and allow Prima® Wawona to develop programs specifically tailored to their retail partners. Leveraging Nielsen data from thousands of grocery stores throughout the United States, this service from Prima® Wawona enables retailers to customize their programs and promotions to achieve higher sales performance.

    “Our goal in everything we do is to help our retail partners provide consumers with the right quantities of the highest-quality stone fruit available,” said Ben Vived, Retail Sales Manager at Prima® Wawona. “Our category management program allows us to monitor national trends and analyze category data on a per-retailer basis to provide recommendations and keenly tailored retail programs. For example, we can see if a retailer isn’t experiencing the expected sales volumes on yellow peaches or if there’s a growth opportunity on white nectarines, and work with them to fill gaps and capitalize on opportunities.”

    Prima® Wawona reviews and analyzes data such as margins, the effect of price on sales volumes over time, retailer performance compared to the industry average, sales promotion performance, price gaps and more, segmented by commodity across the stone fruit category.

    “We’re the only producer offering this strategic data service so it’s a game-changer for retailers looking to serve existing customers and attract those who will buy organic—an increasingly important segment of the category,” added Dan Gerawan, CEO of Prima® Wawona. “We’re giving our retail partners insight on factors that drive success in this category, including how other leading retailers are performing, and that’s giving them a competitive edge in their market.”

    Prima® Wawona offers a full line of organic and conventional stone fruit under the Prima® and Sweet2Eat® brands, allowing retailers to meet demand for this important summer fruit category. For more information or to place an order, please call 559-528-4000 or email b.hammack@gerawan.com.

    About Prima® Wawona:

    Prima® Wawona is the largest producer of stone fruit in the U.S. Based in the heart of California’s central San Joaquin Valley, the company is a category leader both in terms of volume, quality, and the unique data insights and services it provides to retail partners to support them and promote their success. Prima® Wawona offers a full line of premium-quality organic and conventional stone fruit and citrus under the Prima®, Sweet2Eat®, Sweet2Eat® Organic and Sweet Value® brands, with a robust stone fruit season running from May through October. Visit prima.com to learn more.

  • Late Summer Pruning to Avoid Shading Fruitwood in Stone Fruit

    When is the best time to prune/top stone fruit in-season to keep from shading next year’s fruitwood? For conventional orchards? For pedestrian orchards? Watch this brief video interview with UC Farm Advisor Kevin Day as he answers these important questions.

    Sponsored By:

    Calagnet & YARA