The Ag Information Network report on today's fruit growers. Sweet cherry production in the United States for this year is expected to reach 355,000 tons, a slight increase from last year.
Starting from the south, Lance Honig of USDA says things are looking quite good.
"Looking at California specifically, it's still a very abundant harvest. Last season was nearly a record, so even though California is down, the harvest is still very plentiful. In Washington, the harvest is slightly below average but still of good size."
Honig notes that the estimates are accompanied by a clarification. "The total national figure of 355,000 tons, technically one could say it's increased by three-tenths of a percentage point compared to last year's production. But excluding Michigan, which wasn't counted in last year's total, there's a 5.9% decline compared to last year for the remaining three states we measured, across both seasons."
So, Honig says overall it's not bad. "And this is largely because we've seen a smaller crop, or expect a smaller crop, both in California and Washington, which are by far the dominant sweet cherry producers here in the United States."
Regarding consumers, Honig continues, "So, with a slight decline nationally, we still expect a medium to above-average harvest size. Therefore, availability shouldn't be a problem this year for sweet cherries."
Washington and Oregon together are estimated at 228,000 tons, with a decrease of about 3.4% from last year... but the quality this year is exceptional.
Source: AG Info
Image: Fresh Collective
11 Mar 2024
Cherry Growers Australia Inc demonstrates the innovative pergola training system. The system promotes early fruit production, optimal fruit quality and a host of other benefits, potentially achieving impressive yields of up to 300 kg per day.
24 Nov 2025
A field trial in Piedmont (Italy) confirms that Prohexadione-Ca reduces vegetative growth in Tip Top cherry trees and significantly increases fruit set, commercial yield, red skin coloration, and antioxidant content, improving orchard efficiency with Gisela 6 rootstock.
02 Oct 2026
In Coquimbo, Chile, the cherry harvest could begin between October 10 and 15, one of the earliest dates ever recorded in the region. Production is expected to fall by 50%, while larger fruit, higher sugar levels and access to new markets could support growers this season.
02 Oct 2026
In New Zealand, real-time monitoring with IoT sensors helps cherry growers track temperature and humidity during transport, prevent spoilage, reduce food waste and preserve quality and freshness from the orchard to the market throughout the entire cold-chain journey.
