Looking Toward 2021, LCD Remains Top Concern For Cherry Growers

As many Northwest producers look ahead to the fall and winter and eventually the 2021 growing season, what are some of the biggest concerns?

B.J. Thurlby, president of Northwest Cherry Growers said the biggest challenge for independent cherry growers, remains Little Cherry Disease.

“Whether we’re talking Little Cherry Virus, or Western X, both of those things are showing up all over the growing district.  There’s no area that been free of that problem.”

Thurlby noted that the entire industry is looking into Little Cherry Disease. He added they’re intently studying it, and most of the research efforts right now are aimed at overcoming LCD.

“We think we’ve lost probably 2-2.5 million boxes of fresh produce that we would normally sell to this disease, and so, it’s a major issue.  That’s what we’re looking at and it’s going to be a lot of discussion over the winter on how we’re going to attack it.  Because, our industry, again, we’re not going to sit on our hands, we’re going to move forward aggressively and let’s hope that we have this thing under control in another couple of years.”

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