In the wake of Prima Wawona's Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing on October 13, over 13,000 acres of prime farmland in Fresno and Tulare counties are up for liquidation. The bankruptcy court in Delaware is currently navigating through legal motions to finalize the sale, delaying the process initially expected to conclude by February 28. Prima Wawona, formed through the merger of Gerawan Farming and Wawona Packing in 2019, succumbed to financial distress, accumulating over $600 million in debt. This development has led to significant job losses, impacting over 5,000 workers.
The farmland, renowned for its productivity in tree fruit cultivation, has attracted interest from a wide array of potential buyers, including small-scale farmers and large agricultural firms. Among the notable prospective buyers are Michael Amin of Primex World Inc. with a $40 million offer for 1,102 acres and Brett Britz, representing a lineage of tree fruit, cotton, and citrus growers, with bids totaling over $37.4 million for various parcels. Other interested parties include Sun Valley Packing and dairy operators like Elkhorn Dairy LLC and Garret te Velde, highlighting the diverse agricultural interest in the available land.
Source: aol.com