Warm weather accelerated the start of this year's cherry harvest in California. Volume this season has been front-loaded, with the possibility of an early start to the Washington season looming.“The season started about five to seven days earlier than usual,” said Matt Nowak of Delta Packing Company. “We had another warm winter and didn't get much rain, so that pushed most commodities forward.” In addition to an early harvest, production has been strong since the mid-April start. While the state's production schedule usually has southern districts begin first and harvesting progresses north as the weeks pass, this year's volume has come from many districts at once.
“The weather and more earlier varieties have contributed to cherries coming from multiple districts at the same time,” said Nowak. “We'll have another light crop, but it won't be as bad as last year.” The start of the Washington season is expected to come early this year, and that's encouraged California growers to get their volumes out before they have to compete with Washington's fruit. As more fruit is available, prices have come off a little from the levels seen earlier this season.
“The season will be condensed this year,” said Nowak. “It's a challenge because you have a lot of fruit harvested at the same time from all over the state, and that's driven prices down.”
For more information:
Matt Nowak
Delta Packing Company
+1 209 334 1023