With summer officially here, many of us will be looking to pick some sweet cherries for our July 4th gathering.
The majority of the fruit is grown in the western U.S.
USDA’s Ag Statistics Service explains where production stands right now.
According to Lance Honig, “It’s looking like we’re going to have a bigger sweet cherry crop this year. We’re expecting 369,000 tons this year. That’s up 13.5 percent over what was actually produced last year, in fact, it represents the largest production since 2017.”
Remarkably, the intense drought in the Pacific Northwest did not impact the sweet cherry crop. California and Washington expect gibber crops this year, but Oregon predicts smaller production.
Related:
Lower cherry production could mean higher prices
Little cherry disease hindering harvest season in Washington and Oregon
USDA buys cherries from Michigan farmers to help communities