California farmer and food marketer spar over who can sell white nectarines - AP News

A California farmer is giving away tons of nectarines that he’s not allowed to sell

California farmer Cesar Mora said he couldn’t bear to see his harvest of nectar fall to the ground and rot for a second year, so he is giving it away. (AP video shot by Jae Hong, AP production by Obed Lamy)

Family members and volunteers bag nectarines during a free giveaway at Cesar Mora’s orchard in Reedley, Calif., Wednesday, July 1, 2026, amid an ongoing contract dispute over the crop. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Cesar Mora stands next to bins filled with nectarines as workers pick fruit at his orchard in Reedley, Calif., Wednesday, July 1, 2026, ahead of a free giveaway amid an ongoing contract dispute over the crop. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A sign directs people to a free nectarine giveaway at Cesar Mora’s orchard in Reedley, Calif., Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

People wait in line to get free nectarines at Cesar Mora’s orchard in Reedley, Calif., Wednesday, July 1, 2026, amid an ongoing contract dispute over the crop. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Family members and volunteers wearing “No Nectarines Wasted” T-shirts bag nectarines at Cesar Mora’s orchard in Reedley, Calif., Wednesday, July 1, 2026, as part of a free giveaway amid an ongoing contract dispute over the crop. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Thousands of visitors have flocked to Cesar Mora’s farm in central California this week to gather free nectarines.

He’s giving his harvest away rather than watching it rot as he’s locked in a legal battle with a company that claims exclusive rights over the variety of white nectarine he grows. He’s shared more than 100,000 pounds (45,359 kilograms) since Monday.

“It was really just a thought of not wasting a perfectly good product,” Mora said. “It does make a grower feel good, being able to share my fruit with people and see their immediate reaction that they love it. It’s a little bit of good in this tough situation that I’ve been dealing with.”

The legal dispute highlights the tension that can emerge between farmers and the plant breeders and large industrial food marketers that create new varieties of plants and obtain the exclusive rights to sell them.

Since 2023, the third-generation farmer in the agricultural community of Reedley in California’s Central Valley has been fighting a lawsuit filed against him by Giumarra Brothers Fruit Co. The suit centers on the company’s claims of exclusivity over a variety of white nectarine and accusations that Mora broke their contract by selling the fruit to other packers. A trial has been scheduled for later this month.