2016 Cherry Crop In Good Shape

At the unofficial half way point of the 2016 cherry harvest, this year’s crop appears to be in very good shape.  BJ Thurlby, President of Cherries Northwest said growers have harvested 8.7 million 20-pound boxes, which is slightly off par for the 18-19 million boxes forecast at the start of the season.  Thurlby said while the numbers for some growers have decreased slightly due to weather, the fruit that is being pulled is “premium quality”.

“Certain areas, I think got hit a little harder like the northern part of the state got a little more rain but, you know, when I’m talking to people about  the growers that are picking seemed to be actually be doing a great job of picking the right fruit.”

Thurlby added, if you could take away four days this growing season, two that were too hot, two that were wet and cold, this would be a top crop.  He says while producers won’t hit the expected number this season, those figures must be put in perspective.

“But when we originally set our estimates, this crop was the 5^th largest crop of all time whih make it significant.  What we’re seeing now is very much an ‘average crop’, but in 2000 we picked a record crop 16 years ago of nine million boxes.”

Thurlby said the main focus for many growers now is the big push to the 4^th of July weekend, to ensure Northwest cherries are available for consumers nationwide.

If you have a story idea for the Washington Ag Network, call (590) 547-1618, or e-mail gvaagen@cherrycreekradio.com