06/12/08 Cherries, Rain & Cold Temps

Cherries, Rain & Cold Temps. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. And then the rains came. Cherry growers in the Columbia Basin had their eyes on the sky and on the thermometer over the last several days as rain and cool temperatures continued. It's just about cherry picking time and the last thing that growers needed was a hefty rain that could split the fruit. According to BJ Thurlby with the NW Cherry Growers, it appears growers dodged the bullet. THURLBY: Everyone feels like it stayed cool, the wind came up, I think everyone got hit in that area with some rain but at the same time they are feeling like no big issues. Every one I know is even more worried about this wind and how it has been blowing recently and if it's going to keep up so we can get these things picked. This will be remembered as a very down year. THURLBY: If you figure for the last two years have been right at 15 million boxes; we're looking at 9.5 million boxes and that number could go down again based on what the markets doing and whether a lot of these growers with 2-tons to the acre where on a normal year they would have 6 or 7 tons per acre are going to determine where there break even threshold is and can they pick. The weather forecast is at this point looking good for the next week or so. Some warm temperatures and sunshine would really help. The industry is in a bit of a holding pattern. THURLBY: Retailer are working to get things in place and figure out where the pricing is going to be this year and our guys have their pricing out there and so it's kind of in a quiet holding pattern as these growers wait to start to pick. There have been some reports of picking going in the Columbia Basin. Cherry lovers will hopefully not have long to wait. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.