NASHVILLE, TN (RFD NEWS) — Cherry harvest is now underway across parts of the Pacific Northwest as growers continue evaluating this year’s crop size and fruit quality.
Washington State Fruit Commission representative Eric Patrick says growers across several western states are closely monitoring production estimates as harvest activity ramps up.
“We had our five-state meeting last Wednesday. And that represents the five states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, and Montana. It was kind of a two-fold meeting. We’ve got the growers that are represented there in the warehouses. We come up with a number, so, between that, we also do a crop estimation report pretty much weekly that estimates kind of what we’re seeing.”
Current estimates place this year’s crop between 18.4 and 19.2 million boxes, slightly below the five-year average and well under last year’s 23.6 million-box harvest.
Patrick says the smaller crop could still create advantages for growers and retailers.
“So, we put that crop somewhere in the 18.4 to 19.2 million boxes, slightly below the five-year average, but right there, and it’s really a nice promotable number. It’s big enough for retailers throughout the nation and throughout the world to back it up and do good promotions. Sometimes when the crop is that size, too, we see cherries get a little bit bigger. You know, last year we had 23.6 million boxes, and sometimes when you get a little bit smaller crop, that’s when cherries can grow extra size too, so that we might gain some additional tonnage just on the quality of fruit on the tree.”
Harvest is already underway in several states. In California, warmer weather pushed harvest roughly two weeks ahead of last year’s pace.
However, growers are also dealing with significant crop losses after spring heat and rain impacted orchards during the state’s shortened harvest window.
The California Farm Bureau reports San Joaquin County lost 63 percent of its cherry crop, with estimated losses of $174 million.
The damage started with an early heat wave that hurt fruit set in several orchards. Then April and May storms caused splitting, decay, and shorter shelf life as the fruit matured.
Statewide production is now expected to be below 5 million 18-pound boxes, compared with a recent five-year average of 8 million boxes. California is the nation’s second-largest cherry-producing state behind Washington.
The quality problem is also an export problem. California cherries rely heavily on the fresh market, and premium fruit normally moves to buyers in Canada, South Korea, and Japan.
Several counties are reviewing disaster declarations, while crop insurance may help growers cover some costs.
