Frozen Mexican food company Ruiz Foods says they will layoff 176 workers permanently at their Dinuba manufacturing plan in November. The company filed a 60-day state WARN notice Sept. 4 announcing the layoffs. The company is the largest frozen food manufacturer in the United State — founded in Tulare but with headquarters now in Texas.
Diesel prices hit all-time high
Kings County diesel price hits all-time record Sept. 8 says AAA. The Hanford metro area average diesel price is now $7.97 and ramping up every day for the past month. The price is an all-time record according to the American Automobile Association. Diesel moves the world’s goods with 90% of freight tonnage moved by diesel-powered trucks, trains, and cargo ships. Also agriculture depends on the fuel for tractors, combines, and irrigation pumps. Add in construction and mining for excavators, cranes, pavers, and mining haulers that all require the raw strength of diesel.
Tomatoes by the ton
Contracted production for California processing tomatoes this fall is forecast at 10 million tons, averaging 54.9 tons per acre. The current production forecast is 10 percent below last year’s contracted production of 11.1 million tons, and 1 percent above the May forecast. Growers production this year is at a 10-year low in tonnage.
The projected harvested acreage of tomatoes grown under contract is 182,000 acres, down 4 percent from 2025. Farmers are producing more product per acre but the acreage in the past 10 years has dropped nearly 100,000 acres from 2016. The good news — we are producing about the same amount of product on about 1/3 fewer acres.
Dairy still strong despite fewer farms
The trend toward fewer dairy farms continues across the United State. By the end of this year there are likely to be fewer than 20,000 dairy farms in the US as a consolidation to fewer but larger dairies continues. In 1992 there was an estimated 131,500 US dairy farmsm says a report. But that doesn’t mean less milk. The US dairy industry produced 231.7 billion pounds of milk in 2025. That’s 54% more milk than in 1992 with almost 200,000 fewer cows. Even with fewer dairies, the US cow population continues higher year after year.
The latest report shows the number of cows are higher. As of May 2026, the national herd has grown to 9.67 million head, an increase of 184,000 cows compared to May 2025. This 10,000-head jump from just April 2026 underscores the trend of producers retaining cows to capitalize on beef-on-dairy revenue and offset the high cost of replacement heifers. In the past month, a decline in cattle prices of around 7% may change dairy farmer’s strategy.
California remains the No. 1 milk producing state in the US. The dairy cow population is up as of June 2026 says USDA, climbing from 1,710,000 cows in June 2025 to 1,714,000 cows in June 2026.
In 2014, Kings county boasted a population of 184,000 cows compared to 155,000 in 2024.Over that time the county’s milk production has dropped from 44 million cwt to 37 million cwt in 2024.
Heading the other way, Kings County dairy cow population is down from 10 years ago according to the annual crop report. In 2014, the county boasted a population of 184,000 cows compared to 155,000 in 2024.Over that time Kings County milk production has dropped from 44 million cwt to 37 million cwt in 2024.
