National Cherry Day – July 16
Sweet, vibrant and a favorite summertime treat, cherries are a delicious reminder of the dedication and hard work behind California’s diverse agricultural landscape. This National Cherry Day, we’re celebrating the growers, farmers, farmworkers and everyone across the supply chain who helps bring this beloved stone fruit from California orchards to tables across the state and beyond.
In 2025, California sweet cherry growers produced 49,180 tons of sweet cherries valued at $221 million, making California the second-largest sweet cherry-producing state in the nation, behind Washington.
California’s Cherry-Growing Regions
From the Sacramento Valley to the Central Valley and the Central Coast, California’s cherry orchards thrive in regions with the ideal growing conditions needed to produce high-quality fruit. According to the 2022 Census of Agriculture, the top sweet cherry counties by bearing acres are San Joaquin, Fresno, Stanislaus, Tulare, Kern, Sacramento, and Kings. San Joaquin leads with 17,446 sweet cherry bearing acres, followed by Fresno with 4,350 bearing acres.
These communities are home to generations of growers who dedicate their time and expertise to cultivating sustainable California cherries and supporting the agricultural workforce that makes the industry possible.
This National Cherry Day, we thank California’s cherry growers, farmworkers, agricultural partners and all those who play a role in the journey from orchard to table. Your hard work helps make California agriculture one of the most productive and diverse agricultural systems in the world.
So, whether you enjoy them fresh, baked into a favorite recipe or shared with family and friends, please take a moment today to celebrate California cherries and the people who make them possible.