Cherry harvest scrambled by rain

QUINCY - Every year in the agriculture game is a gamble. Weather has to cooperate, crop yield has to be just right, markets - in some cases, worldwide markets - have to be favorable.

It's always a gamble. And as the 2013 cherry harvest heads into full swing, like real estate, what's mattering in cherries this year is location.

Not that it's been an easy year for growing cherries. "The cherries seemed to take it in the neck this year," said Tim Smith, tree fruit specialist for WSU-Chelan County Extension.

Poor pollination weather statewide in April and May reduced crop size, Smith said. That's been followed by episodes of rain around the state this week, as harvest approaches its peak.

As of about June 7, the estimate for the Washington cherry crop was about 17 million boxes, said Dan Kelly of the Washington Growers Clearing House in Wenatchee. By comparison the 2012 crop was about 22 million boxes, Kelly said.

Rain this week is taking its toll in the Royal City and Mattawa areas. "We can see damage already," said Cole Tonnemaker, owner of Tonnemaker Farms in Royal City. Tonnemaker said some growers around Royal City could lose 25 to 30 percent of their crop. Mike Robinson, general manager of Double Diamond Fruit in Quincy, said he's seen a range of damage, more in the Royal City area than Quincy.

The problem with cherries and rain is that rain collects in puddles, even in a little space like the bottom of a cherry stem. The puddle remains when the rain stops, and the cherry absorbs the water. That will split a cherry that's ripe or close to being ripe.

The rain "couldn't have been much worse, timing-wise," Smith said, especially for varieties like Bing (the classic red cherry in the supermarket) that are close to maturity. "It's timed to have the maximum amount of the crop in the most sensitive state. Growers are battling it, and some have lost the battle."

"A lot of Bings are within a week of harvest," Robinson said, and that fruit is at more risk for damage. The good news is that varieties that mature later have come through relatively unscathed, he said. "The later varieties look fine," Robinson said.

Kelly said cold spring weather slowed down maturity in some areas. Cherry harvest traditionally hits its peak about July 4, but this year the peak should come about July 8, he said, and those few days will save some fruit. But, Kelly said, cherries currently being processed are showing a loss of about 30 percent.

Growers who have cherries to sell can make money, Kelly said. "If you've got good fruit in the box, you're going to do okay," he said.

As of Thursday, prices for cherries size 11 (the number of cherries it takes to reach a designated length) and larger ranged from about $2.80 per pound to $4 per pound, said Daniel Gebbers, sales representative for Chelan Fresh, based in Chelan but selling fruit for growers throughout north central Washington. "That is a reflection of a short crop, especially a short crop on the front side," Gebbers said. What happens from here is anybody's guess, he said. "The cherry thing is so volatile," Kelly said.

Marketers have been working to expand the market, and they've met with some success, Kelly said. "We have done a better job there." Better processing techniques have resulted in more salable fruit, he said.