Colorado is facing a significant reduction in peach crop size following freezes in April, with reports from Delta County indicating there may be no commercial fruit at all in some growing areas this season. The cold arrived after an unusually warm March, which had accelerated bud development and left the crop especially vulnerable when temperatures dropped.
Colorado is a meaningful domestic peach producer, and this damage adds to an already compressed national peach supply picture. Freeze losses have been reported across multiple states this spring — from Texas to North Carolina to New Jersey — making domestic peach availability increasingly tight heading into the peak summer season.
Category managers building summer stone fruit programs should factor in limited Colorado volume when forecasting availability and pricing — sourcing flexibility across origins will be key over the next several weeks.