California Prune Board Receives Go-Ahead for Next Five Years
July 14, 2020 Endorsed unanimously by the state’s prune growers and processors, the California Prune Board (CPB) received authorization from the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to continue through July 31, 2025, with no need for an industry referendum.
“The CPB continuation is a major win for California prune growers, processors, and handlers,” Joe Turkovich, California prune grower and Chairman of the California Prune Board, said. “The board’s work is vitally important to the success of the prune industry. It has carefully considered strategic priorities that will continue building industry momentum for the next five years and beyond.”
The CDFA hearing occurred amid industry headwinds that face California agriculture in general, such as rising labor costs and increasing regulations. The California prune industry also has specific challenges that include a global market driven by low prices and smaller, inferior-quality imported fruit.
“We have navigated through many challenges and are currently addressing others – such as tariffs that create major impediments to growing markets – all while knowing there are many challenges around the corner. Yet we believe in the values the industry has together set forth,” Donn Zea, Executive Director of the California Prune Board, said. “Our board and committee members are dedicated to the industry’s success and bring integrity and unique perspective to each discussion. The CPB team around the world is both humbled and proud to join them for the hard work that lies ahead.”
California is the world’s largest producer of prunes, providing about 40% of the world’s supply and more than 90% of the U.S. supply. There are more than 40,000 bearing acres of California prune orchards concentrated in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys.
Accomplishments cited by the CPB include:
- Securing more than $50 million in USDA-AMS purchases of California prunes during a three-year time frame (2017-19) for school nutrition programs and food banks.
- Dedicating more than $1.25 million during the past three years to nutrition research to scientifically validate the health benefits of California prunes for gut and bone health, as well as overall wellness.
- Investing more than $1.3 million during the past three years to crop production research, including important findings and advancements related to mechanical pruning, rootstock anchorage, new varietal development, and pest and disease control.
- Securing $11.4 million in federal grant funding for export programs while partnering with the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) each year to defend, grow, and develop international markets.
- Being recognized by FAS as “highly effective” in CPB proposal quality, strategic execution, and financial and regulatory compliance.
- Developing an extensively researched, thoroughly vetted new California prunes brand to unite the global industry under a cohesive banner to communicate the premium nature of California Prunes.
Key priorities for the organization include: nutrition research; trade policy and market support; industry unification; production research; and global visibility expansion for California prunes.
“We have listened intently to California prune growers and handlers to identify these priority areas that will inform our focus, guide our decisions, and ultimately make a positive and sustained difference for the global California prune industry,” Zea said.
Created in 1952, CPB aims to amplify the premium positioning and top-of-mind awareness of California prunes through advertising, public relations, promotion, nutrition research, crop management and sustainability research, and issues management. The board represents approximately 800 prune growers and 28 prune, juice, and ingredient handlers under the authority of the California Secretary of Food and Agriculture.
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