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
12 Feb 2024
Research in Moldova evaluated the impact of pruning date on fructification in cv. Kordia and Regina grafted on MaxMa 14. In Regina, 6.1% and 12.2% higher production was found when pruning was performed in July and early September.
17 Sep 2024
According to the recent report from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the 2024/25 season will see an increase in production in some fruit-growing regions due to above-average rainfall. Cherry production is expected to increase by 8% and exports by 25%.
28 Aug 2026
In Alicante, pre-harvest 24-BL treatments reduced sweet cherry cracking by up to 50% while improving fruit size, firmness, red color and anthocyanin content. Tests on ‘Sunburst’ and ‘Skeena’ suggest a promising strategy to protect orchards from extreme rainfall events.
28 Aug 2026
In Nishikawa, Yamagata Prefecture, robots, drones and sensors promise to support winter sakura growers. Yet an aging workforce, depopulation and mistrust of technology reveal how uncertain the future of Japanese agriculture remains despite smart farming investments.
