Fruit Crop Update

Fruit Crop Update. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

It’s hard to believe that we are coming up on the Labor Day weekend, school is back in session and before long we will be into the holidays. The 2012 cherry harvest is finalizing as well as soft fruits and according to Lacy Gray it won’t be long before the apple harvest will be in full swing. Lacy...

GRAY: In fact, Greg, producers in the warmest pockets of Yakima County have started harvesting Gala apples. As you mentioned the cherry harvest is mostly complete and there is a much larger than usual percentage of the crop was either not picked or dumped. Prices received by many cherry growers were well below the cost of production. On the west side of the state the blueberry harvest has peaked and the raspberry harvest has completed. Late maturing varieties of peaches, nectarines, and Bartlett pears have been harvested. A lot of fresh northwest fruit is finding its way to farmer’s markets. Temperatures have also moderated so pickers are having a much easier time coping.

Thanks Lacy. Pacific County has reported that the 2012 cranberry crop has seen reduced sizes. It will be interesting to see the final figures here in the next few weeks on some of the northwests fruit crops.

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