Harvesting of cherries began in Oregon amid wet conditions. But since growers anticipated the rainy weather, the moisture is not expected to significantly affect this year's crop.This year's season, which got underway last week, looks promising, said Tim Polehn of Polehn Farms in The Dalles, Oregon. But just as they started harvesting, they had to contend with rain.
"So far, our season has lasted about three hours before the rain came in," Polehn said on Friday. "But we've used rain guard to protect the cherries, so the rain shouldn't hurt anything." He added that if any of the early fruit is damaged, it's early enough that those quality issues should get cleaned up as harvesting progresses.
The season, which started a little late this year, looks to have fair volume with good-sized fruit. Polehn said their fruit won't reach market until later this week, but he hopes the season will make good on the potential he's seen so far.
"It looks like it's going to be a good year," he said. "We just have to get through this weekend."