Assessments continue on California's cherry crop following rainfall in the state earlier this month. "The California cherry industry goes from Kern County to Sacramento County so there can be a big variance of damage in each region," says Rich Sambado of Primavera Marketing.
Here's an early look at what could be happening in the growing regions:
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Kern County: Kern County began harvesting cherries as early as mid-April and harvest could go there until the front part of May.
"It did not rain much in Kern County for the most part in recent days so we're harvesting all this week," says Sambado. "In the last five to six days in Kern County, there's not much damage but overall there are low packouts for various reasons."
Central Valley: The Central Valley has had some rain. It will begin harvesting as early as this week and should continue for 10-12 days. "Unfortunately, there's still some unsettled weather on the horizon. There is some modest damage but we don't know the extent of it yet," says Sambado.
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North: This region, including Modesto, Stockton, Lodi and Linden, saw more serious rains–on Tuesday, it received between 1.5 to 3 inches of rain in a day plus hail.
"Harvesting will begin in the north with the Corals and Chelan varieties mostly this coming week. Unfortunately, the early indicators show a tremendous amount of rain damage on these two varieties," says Sambado. Following that, the Bing variety could start harvesting as early as May 13. "At this point, we are staying optimistic. However, there looks to be plenty of damage on the Bings as well."
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In all, and amidst reports that there was some aggressive picking that was spurred on by the rains, there have been more culls of fruit. "We are excited to keep the momentum going for early next week as we get into May. However, there are also concerns," says Sambado.
The rains follow a challenging growing season in terms of temperatures. A warm winter, which included a particularly warm March, had the crop tracking early. "The latter part of March was too hot. When it's over 82 degrees, the heat dries the pollen out so that's why the crop load is not that heavy," he says, noting there are some size challenges at the moment with some smaller fruit. "Overall, we're hopeful as we get into May and take on this promotable crop."
For more information:
Rich Sambado
Primavera Marketing
Tel: +1 (209) 931-9420
[email protected]
https://primaveramarketing.com/
