Cherry growers in the Northwest are optimistic they could top last year’s record harvest – and provide a long, cherry-filled summer for consumers. It’s good news after a year in which growers couldn’t meet demand. “Last year we had a record crop, and we still couldn’t provide all the cherries we needed,” said B.J. Thurlby, president of Northwest Cherry Growers, a promotional group for growers and shippers.

The group is aiming to increase sales by as much as 30 percent this year, getting more cherries – including new varieties that ripen later in the summer – to consumers both in the U.S. and other countries. The Northwest, along with California, produces the bulk of the nation’s sweet cherries.

Growers in Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Utah harvested a record 117,000 tons of fresh cherries last year. The early estimate for the 2006 four-state fresh crop ranges between 110,000 and 130,000 tons, with much of the harvest in Washington. If the weather stays warm, with no extended heavy rain, growers see potential for the harvest to come in at the higher end of that range, Thurlby said.

Washington state has an estimated 29,000 acres of cherry orchards, up from about 25,000 acres in 2004. That number continues to increase as growers tear out apple orchards and replace them with cherry trees and wine grape vineyards, which have been more profitable in recent years.

Many growers have planted varieties that ripen later in the season, extending the normal June-to-July season into August. Bing cherries make up 60 percent of the Washington state crop, down from 80 percent about 10 years ago. They have been replaced by the later-ripening varieties, such as Sweetheart and Lapin. As a result, the harvest from mid-July to mid-August should grow by about 5 percent, Thurlby said.

Susan Fox, who with her husband operates C&S Orchards on Stemilt Hill near Wenatchee, hopes to contribute to that increase. They don’t usually start picking cherries until mid-July. “Depending on Mother Nature, we should have no trouble setting fruit,” Fox said, noting that the orchard produced about 1,100 tons last year. “It should be larger. We’re hoping it’s more.”

Northwest Cherry Growers is strengthening sales and marketing efforts in Asia – where Taiwan is the biggest offshore market and China is a rapidly growing customer. They are also working to strengthen sales in Mexico, where they had been barred from exporting until late in last year’s season.

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