California Bartlett pear tonnage will be down in 2008 versus 2007 based on the estimate released by the California Pear Advisory Board in their meeting last week. The drop in tonnage is mostly due to the frost that occurred in California earlier this year. They expect to pack 58,000 tons of fresh Bartlett pears in 2008 versus 64,000 tons packed in 2007. Cannery demand for California pears may be down as much as 20% from 2007 levels due to a reduced cling peach crop in the state. Tons of pears for other uses may be up with greater frost damage amounts in Lake and Mendocino counties.

The California Canning Peach Association has reached a price agreement with Del Monte Foods for #1 grade peaches delivered to them for canning in 2008. The price of $321 is a 12% increase over the price paid in 2007. It represents an interest on the part of the cannery to keep growers from removing more trees from production in California. The grade standard has been relaxed in 2008 from where it was in 2007. The tolerance standards are now set to allow growers more room to place damaged fruit into a bin without an economic penalty. There will be less interest on the growers part to sort their peaches for juice in 2008.