Reedley Farmer's Free Nectarine Giveaway Shut Down by Cops
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- Reedley, California farmer held a free nectarine giveaway that drew huge crowds, prompting authorities to issue a cease and desist order to shut it down.
- The farmer defied the cease and desist and continued the giveaway, with crowds still showing up despite the order.
- A separate dispute between a California farmer and a food marketer over who can sell white nectarines is playing out alongside the giveaway drama.
Why it matters: A single farmer's free fruit giveaway was large enough to trigger official intervention, highlighting unusual demand-side pressure on direct farm-to-consumer events. The parallel legal fight over white nectarine sales rights could reshape how that fruit reaches buyers in California.
