A recent U.S. Department of Agriculture forecast has this year's sweet cherry production higher than last year's. Tart cherry production is expected to be much lower than 2011's national total.National sweet cherry production is expected to top out at 382,150 tons, an 11 percent jump from 2011's production. That's on the back of good growing seasons in Washington, California, Idaho and Oregon, where the bloom season and pollination were reported as good.
Tart cherry production, on the other hand, is expected to be significantly less than it was last year. At 73.1 million pounds, the forecast for this year's national crop is 68% less than 2011's national numbers. A large reason for the drop has to do with adverse weather in Michigan, the nation's largest producer of tart cherries. High temperatures in Spring there led to premature development of trees. That was followed by a frost that resulted in the loss of most of the state's crop. New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin also experienced adverse weather which will affect their production.
With 235,000 tons, Washington is expected to be the leading producer of sweet cherries in 2012. The second and third-largest producers of sweet cherries are expected to be California and Oregon with 85,000 tons and 53,000 tons, respectively.
Utah will be the leading producer of tart cherries with 34 million pounds in 2012. With 27 million pounds, the second-largest producer is forecast to be Washington.