“We are expecting limited cherry volumes coming off the trees in the first week of June,” says Mac Riggan with Chelan Fresh. Promotable volume should be available as of June 12, continuing for the 4th of July ads all the way through July 20th. Then the crop will wind down quickly with very little supply in August.
Total crop volume up from last year
“According to current estimates, this year’s cherry crop is expected to be 17-19 million boxes of dark-sweet cherries and 1.5 million boxes of Rainiers,” mentioned Riggan. The total number of 18.5 – 20.5 million boxes would be a slight increase from last year when the whole crop amounted to 19.3 million boxes.
Warm weather affected pollination
When looking at individual varieties however, production is expected to be down for some. Rainiers are estimated to be down from 1.7 million boxes last year to 1.5 million boxes this year due to warm weather during pollination that dried up pollen. Some of the dark-sweet varieties will also be affected by lower production numbers for the same reason. “Self-pollinating varieties such as Lapins were less affected by the warm weather and should provide normal tonnage per acre,” said Riggan. “Fruit size should be large and quality excellent this year.”
According to Riggan, this year’s crop looks very clean. It was a mild frost season with temperatures remaining above freezing through April and early May. As a result, there are virtually no frost marks on the fruit. “Currently, the weather is favorable and we are hoping for a pleasant summer,” finished Riggan.
For more information:
Mac Riggan
Chelan Fresh
Tel: (+1) 509-682-6074