Here are fast facts on California's Cling Peach Industry. For breaking crop information, please contact the California Cling Peach Board. If you're looking for more tidbits on items such as peach history, nutritional information or selecting & using canned California peaches, please visit our Quick Peach Facts in the Consumer Section. Thank You. The Cling Peach industry harvests and processes approximately 450,000-550,000 tons of peaches a year California accounts for nearly 100 percent of the commercial production of Cling Peaches in the United States California Cling Peaches are the variety most commonly used for commercial canning as they are exceptional in their ability to retain their flavor and consistency Almost all Cling Peaches are processed and rarely found fresh Butte, Fresno, Kings, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tulare and Yuba counties produce most of the state's Cling Peaches Harvest commences at the end of June in the San Joaquin Valley to the south and comes to an end after Labor Day in the Sacramento Valley to the north There are approximately two dozen varieties of California Cling Peach varieties which are used primarily for two major products: canned peaches and fruit cocktail; other products include frozen peaches, baby food and fruit concentrate When harvested, the Cling Peach crop is estimated at $120 million which increases to over $500 million after processing Peaches contribute $943 million to California's total economy Some of the most significant industry-specific costs include: Raw Product, $120 Million; Transportation, $3 Million; Cannery Workers, $46 Million; Harvest Labor, $18 Million; Cans, $68 Million; Sugar, $18 Million Cling Peach processors include: Del Monte Foods; Signature Fruit, Inc.; Pacific Coast Producers; California Fruit Packing; J.R. Wood; Wawona Frozen Foods and others In most cases, peaches are canned within 24 hours of delivery to the processing plant, which insures that the peaches maintain nutritional value and flavor In 1999-2000 US per capita consumption of canned peaches was 4.4 pounds California Cling Peaches are grown on about 31,000 acres in the San Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys California's climate provides an ideal setting for Cling Peach trees, which require a chilling season followed by warmer days combined with rich soil and adequate water to produce the most flavorful fruit Pruning is usually done in winter; thinning in spring to deliver the premium sized fruit at harvest Peach trees are usually planted with a minimum density of 121 trees per acre, their leaves nearly touching Each acre produces on an average 18 tons of Cling Peaches per year