Big Cherry Crop

The cherry season is quickly winding down but there is good news, it is now officially the second largest crop on record. According to the latest crop update the totals have crossed over 22 million on cherries and another 200,000 boxes were shipped over the weekend. An industry poll is assuming there will be another 600,000 boxes of cherries to wrap up. Most of the growing regions have finished with only a few cherries coming out of northern Washington and Montana. So when all is said and done, the 2014 cherry crop will jump into the #2 position of all-time crops. According to the industry newsletter this crop is all the more impressive when you realize that through Monday, July 28th, they shipped 5 million boxes more this year than 2009 or 2012, the two other 20-million-plus box crops.  When compared side-by-side and not on a calendar, the 2009 crop had an even quicker start to the season, but didn’t sustain the same number of large shipment days as our industry produced this year. As for the overall national marketing messaging has fully transitioned into the “Buy Now, Freeze Now” and Get Them While You Can messages. Well done growers.

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