The Commercial Date Industry in the United States

The commercial date industry in the United States is located primarily in the Sonora Desert of southeast California and southwest Arizona.  The industry comprises about 13,500 acres, of which 75% is found in California and the rest in Arizona.  While date palms were introduced to the United States by the Spaniards, small quantities were imported for experimental purposes by the USDA beginning in the late 1800s, and commercial quantities were imported in the early 1900s.  During this period, most imported offshoots originated in Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia, and Iraq.  Important varieties that were imported include ‘Deglet Noor’, ‘Khadrawi’, ‘Zahidi’, ‘Hayany’, and ‘Halawy’.  Of these, 'Deglet Noor' is the most important.  Recently, the ‘Medjool’ from Morocco was introduced.  This variety is becoming increasingly popular because of its large size and high sugar content. Date palm operations are moving from areas that are under pressure from urbanization to more remote locales.  Low volume drip and microjet irrigation is beginning to replace the tradition flood and basin irrigation methods.  Some dates are produced using organic methods because of consumer demand.  Pollination and harvesting operations are becoming increasingly mechanized. Farm operations begin in January when the trees are dethorned.  Operations that occur later in the year include pollination, training the fruit arms, strand thinning, fruit thinning, supporting the arms, spreading the strands, and bagging the developing fruit.  Harvest begins in August for 'Medjool' and October for 'Deglet Noor'.  Some individual growers have formed cooperatives to pack the fruit at a centrally located packinghouse.  At the house, fruit are graded, then packed, and placed in storage until shipment.  Dates from the region are marketed by individual growers, and by the grower cooperatives, and sold to customers around the world.  Palm trees are also sold for landscape purposes to customers across the United States.