Photo courtesy of USDA ARS.

Overview

California is the dominant producer of plums due to its mild winters, minimal rainfall during the growing season and low humidity, which is ideal for the Japanese varieties. In 2010 the state produced 141,300 tons of plums on 26,200 acres of land. The total value of the crop was $78.4 million (NASS 2011).

Four other states also raise plums commercially: Idaho, Michigan, Oregon and Washington. Oregon is generally the largest producer, followed by Washington, Idaho and Michigan. Together, these states harvested 12,300 tons of plums in 2010, including 7,800 tons of fresh plums. The total value of these fresh plums was $4.3 million (NASS 2011).  January 2011 . . .  Plums

Other Links

• Food Consumption (per capita) Data System, Economic Research Service (ERS), USDA.
• Fresh Market Plums, Sample Costs to Establish and Produce, University of California Cooperative Extension, 2004.
• Fruit and Tree Nuts, ERS, USDA.
• Fruit and Tree Nuts Yearbook, ERS, USDA, 2011.
• Key to delicious tree fruit is keeping it out of the "killing zone," Agriculture and Natural Resources,  University of California - A completely new protocol has been developed for peaches, plums and nectarines as they journey from the farm, to packing sheds, to distribution centers and finally to supermarkets.
• Noncitrus Fruits and Nuts Summary, National Agricultural Statistical Service (NASS), USDA, 2011.
• Plums, Global Ag Trade System, USDA, 2010.
• Plums, Hortiscope, North Dakota State University Extension Service.
• Plums, Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, British Columbia, Canada.
• Plums, Postharvest Technology Research and Information Center, University of California, Davis.
• Plums, University of Georgia.

Links checked January 2011.