Source: NCDA&CS MARKETING DIVISION, 7/28/14

North Carolina peach growers approved an assessment that will fund research and marketing efforts. The assessment received a necessary two-thirds majority vote from eligible peach growers during a mail-in referendum in April.

The annual assessment will be based on the total number of peach trees per commercial orchard. Those who grow between 100 and 500 trees will be assessed $100. Growers with 501 to 2,500 trees will be assessed $250. Those who grow more than 2,500 trees will be assessed $350.

The assessment goes into effect January 2015 and remains in effect through December 2020. Funds will be collected by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and distributed to the N.C. Peach Growers Society. The society will determine how to allocate the money to improve peach research and marketing efforts in the state.

North Carolina is the 13th-largest peach producer in the nation. In 2012, the state grew 5,300 tons of peaches. The majority of the state’s peaches are sold directly to consumers at farmers markets and roadside stands.

More information about North Carolina’s peach industry is available on the N.C. Peach Growers Society’s website at www.ncpeachgrowers.com.