Cherry Crop Looking Good

Cherry Crop Looking Good. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

The 2011 cherry harvest is at about the half way point and according to BJ Thurlby with Northwest Cherries, things are looking good.

THURLBY: We’ve shipped right around 9 1/2 million boxes. So far this season has gone off the way we hoped. It’s been one where despite the fact that we missed the 4th of July, we seen really pretty strong demand domestically and then our international programs have generated a tremendous amount of pull and it’s kind of been our ace in the whole up to this point.

Thurlby says the quality of the product has just been great. With the repeat of weather this spring there was some fear how the crop would come off the trees.

THURLBY: There’s definitely a little bit more product this year. We’re still thinking that this crops in the range of 16-million boxes. We’ve shipped about 9 1/2 milion or so we’re on the downward slope although we really need some strong promotion activity here over the 2 to 3 weeks so that’s what we’re shooting for certainly.

Growers started the season with some anxiety but Thurlby says there is a good deal of optimism now.

THURLBY: I’m actually working out of the north part of the state yesterday and today and I’m looking at cherries all over the place and you know there’s a real nice crop of cherries up here and we all say “ ah the first cherries come and their wonderful,” and they were but this crop just seems to keep getting better and that’s the nice part. The weather’s been, for the most part worked well for us. We’ve had a little rain early this week and I know there’s some growers seeing a little bit of cracking in certain areas of the growing districts.

That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.