Central Valley Daily

March 5: A Fruit Cannery Closure Shakes Valley Growers

By Elizabeth Arakelian,

Published March 5, 2026 at 4:45 AM PST

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The Del Monte cannery in Modesto is shutting its doors after 140 years. Now, farmers who have contracts to supply fruit to the cannery are left with few options. On today’s episode, Garth Stapley, with our news partner the Modesto Focus, explains the impact of the closure on farmers and the economy.

Plus, the latest news headlines: a Bakersfield family reopens a cold case to the public, and local Iranian Americans react to the war in the Middle East.

Central Valley Daily

Elizabeth Arakelian

A Valley native, Elizabeth earned her bachelor's degree in English Language Literatures from the University of California, Santa Cruz and her master's degree in journalism from New York University. She has covered a range of beats. Her agriculture reporting for the Turlock Journal earned her a first place award from the California Newspaper Publishers Association.

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Jonathan Linden

Jonathan Linden is a podcast producer at KVPR. Born and raised in Riverside, he's a Southern California native. Jonathan's passion for public radio began at a young age when his brother would play NPR while driving him home from middle school. He earned his B.A. in journalism from Biola University in 2019.

See stories by Jonathan Linden