Many Washington Cherries Left Unpicked
August 28, 2012 Cherry harvest is nearly complete in Washington, where optimists have been talking up a record crop. It turned out to be too much of a good thing, as a much larger than usual percentage of the crop was either not picked or dumped, according to the most recent bulletin from USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
The problem was brought on by a record crop, a crash in market price, and fruit quality difficulties brought on by extended hotter than normal weather, reports Washington State University Cooperative Extension Agent Tim Smith. “All medium to smaller fruit (anything smaller than a 10½ row) was eliminated from the packing line during most of harvest for all growers,” he says, “and as the later harvest progressed, an increasing number of orchards were by-passed.”
When the size of the crop was initially forecasted, a lot of growers were concerned about having enough pickers on hand. GrowingProduce.com asked Smith if that was a factor. “As for labor, most growers could have used a few more experienced pickers,” he says, “but labor problems were not the cause of these troubles.”
Another industry expert who asked not to be quoted says not only was more fruit being picked than they were shipping, there was just too much small fruit, with the cullage running up to 40%.
There was a big bloom and many blocks overset. However, some growers hand-thinned their blocks, and those growers were able to harvest fruit that sized up nicely.
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