Pear 2019 Forecast Pt 1

Pear 2019 Forecast Pt 1

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
With today's Fruit Grower Report, I'm Bob Larson. The numbers for the 2019-2020 Northwest pear crop are in and things don't look too bad. The estimates are based on data from Washington's Wenatchee and Yakima districts and

Oregon's Mid-Columbia and Medford districts.

Pear Bureau Northwest President Kevin Moffitt says they're always keeping a close eye on the crop ...

MOFFITT ... "Well, yes, the pear crop gets estimated about a few times and the first, earliest estimate is in late May and, quite often, that's a bit early to get an accurate number. So, the second estimate is done in late July and that's a much better predictor of what the fruit on the tree looks like after the June drop and after they get through some of those initial growth months to see how it's timing up."

When it comes to how the pears look, Moffitt says ...

MOFFITT ... "Well, the crop seems to be in a good size. It's very close to a five-year average and just slightly below last year."

But, from region to region, Moffitt says it varies ...

MOFFITT ... "It's a little bit interesting based on the districts. Wenatchee district seems to be looking at a smaller crop, a lot smaller crop than last year in terms of percentage, but the Hood River-Mid-Columbia district seems to be looking at a very good sized crop so overall, the two states combined, it'll be just slightly below last year and really close to a five-year average."

The estimates show about 18.6-million standard boxes or 408,800 tons.

Listen tomorrow for more on the Northwest pear crop.

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