Cranberry Outlook Pt 2
With today’s Fruit Grower Report, I’m Bob Larson. In spite of the warmer than normal temps and the drought conditions across the much of the West, Washington cranberry growers have started their harvest and are liking what they see.
Ilwaco grower Malcom McPhail says two things they’ll be looking for this year will be berry color and water, but the heat wasn’t too bad …
McPHAIL … “Through the growing season when I’m seeing all these high temperatures, even in Portland and Longview and along, you know, the I-5, we feel grateful that we’re overcast and it’s 70 or 75 degrees here.”
In terms of drought, McPhail says it’s not as bad as other parts of the state …
McPHAIL … “It’s, uh, drier than normal. It’s, it’s tolerable. We’re looking forward to this weekends rain, because one to two inches they’re predicting.”
McPhail says they’ll also be checking the cranberry color closely …
McPHAIL … “The top category has to be below 15% white, and if you’re between 15 and 20 then you’re charged a fee.”
Harvest, McPhail says lasts about a month and a half …
McPHAIL … “Last year, I think we were, there might have been one or two other growers that still were harvesting, but typically we’re over the, finished up by the first week of November.”
McPhail says while it might not be quite as good as last year, this year’s cranberries should better than average.
