Officials say cutting 50,000 tons of peaches from production could prevent $30m in losses for farmers

I hate this capitalist shit-hole.

Ah yes. What a wonderfully efficient system capitalism is. So very good at utilizing resources.

The works of the roots of the vines, of the trees, must be destroyed to keep up the price, and this is the saddest, bitterest thing of all. Carloads of oranges dumped on the ground. The people came for miles to take the fruit, but this could not be. How would they buy oranges at twenty cents a dozen if they could drive out and pick them up? And men with hoses squirt kerosene on the oranges, and they are angry at the crime, angry at the people who have come to take the fruit. A million people hungry, needing the fruit- and kerosene sprayed over the golden mountains. And the smell of rot fills the country. Burn coffee for fuel in the ships. Burn corn to keep warm, it makes a hot fire. Dump potatoes in the rivers and place guards along the banks to keep the hungry people from fishing them out. Slaughter the pigs and bury them, and let the putrescence drip down into the earth.

There is a crime here that goes beyond denunciation. There is a sorrow here that weeping cannot symbolize. There is a failure here that topples all our success. The fertile earth, the straight tree rows, the sturdy trunks, and the ripe fruit. And children dying of pellagra must die because a profit cannot be taken from an orange. And coroners must fill in the certificate- died of malnutrition- because the food must rot, must be forced to rot. The people come with nets to fish for potatoes in the river, and the guards hold them back; they come in rattling cars to get the dumped oranges, but the kerosene is sprayed. And they stand still and watch the potatoes float by, listen to the screaming pigs being killed in a ditch and covered with quick-lime, watch the mountains of oranges slop down to a putrefying ooze; and in the eyes of the people there is the failure; and in the eyes of the hungry there is a growing wrath. In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage.

Capitalism would prefer people to starve if it is the surest way to protect profits.

Meanwhile rent is going up? Oil is more expensive? What an absolute shit show. Imagine getting paid to destroy production to keep profit margins up, god forbid anyone got a cheap peach.

Peaches of wrath

Why not give them away to homeless people? Homeless people are often hungry, and would certainly not regret eating 30 to 40 peaches.

Never put all your peaches in one basket.

We can't predict the future but I'm in the camp that if we collectively get our shit together food will stop being a "everything I want now and always" to "eat what is local and in season first"

I heard in the original post that these peaches suck and that's why del monte is having problems. I'm all for saving trees, but if we're going to replace them with trees people want I'm all for that.

Might want to wait until after the global supply chain breaks down again before making this decision.

Millions of peaches? Peaches for free?

Grapes of Wrath 2 has been moved to Mexico

Damn. I love peaches*. Peaches and cream ice cream is mad delicious. Had a dessert once, ages ago, where the peaches were set on fire for a short bit. Also crazy good.

Peaches lovers unite. Let’s go score some delicious peaches before they are burned away!

• even canned peaches

Serious question, how does cutting the trees save money vs not harvesting them? Aside from the handout money.

In the words of a favorite skit of mine: Let’s Pickle em!

Ah! I hadn't heard about Del Monte. That's a loss. I may only be buying store brands these days, but still, they've been a staple during my lifetime. I hope this is not the harbinger to further damage to our food chain - food is already expensive right now.