For a year with such inconsistent and irregular weather, it may come as a surprise that, overall, cherry harvest has been going fairly well, though not without its own quirks.
“It has been another strange year in the cherry world but most growers in Wasco County seem pleased with harvest this year,” said Ashley Thompson, Oregon State University extension tree fruit horticulturalist for Wasco and Hood River Counties.
Cherry harvests got off to a slow start this year due to weather, according to the Northwest Cherry Growers’ July 19 crop update. The cool temperatures and rain caused what is called a “slow down effect,” resulting in a late-starting and late-running harvest, compared to typical years. The weather also caused a longer, more spread out harvest, Thompson said.
As of July 26, cherry harvests were still ongoing in Dufur and Mosier, mostly for later varieties of cherry, Thompson said.
“I would expect harvest to last about another week,” she said on July 26. “[It’s] going later than it has been the past five years.”
One major concern with the wet weather this year was the potential for cherries to split, which Thompson said is always an issue for specific varieties, such as ‘Santina’ and ‘Tieton.’ However, many farmers use products that make it more difficult for rain to enter through the skin of the fruit. These products have significantly reduced cracking over the past several years, she said.
At this point in the harvest, the weather is once again a concern, but for the opposite reason than in June. The heat wave currently affecting the Gorge could be dangerous for farm workers, which limits the hours in which pickers can be in the orchards, harvesting.
“I spoke to one grower at a higher elevation in White Salmon who will be harvesting in the evening using lights,” Thompson said.
Despite difficulties, as the harvest is beginning to wrap up, things look good. As of July 18, the Northwest cherry industry had shipped nearly 7.7 million 20-pound equivalent boxes of cherries, according to the crop update, a number which has only grown.
So far, customer feedback for cherries have also been good.
“We’re not sure if we’ve ever received so much unprompted, positive consumer feedback about the eating experience of a cherry than we have with Rainiers this season,” Northwest Cherry Growers wrote in the crop update.
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