A gambler’s crop photo: James michael/noRthwest cheRRY gRoweRs
Cherry orchards at mercy of Mother Nature BY LAURA KOSTAD
T
he Northwest saw one of the most perfect cherry crops last year, setting new production and export records. In 86 days, the nation’s leading cherry region shipped 26.4 million, 20-pound boxes of cherries to eager markets around the world. “We had fantastic weather last year,” said Denny Hayden, owner of Hayden Farms in Pasco, which grows cherries and apples and operates a packing house in Yakima. “Lots of warm, humid temperatures. … The flowers lasted a long time, and bees were able to work every day. … (There wasn’t) a lot of wind and rain that inhibited pollination.” He reported most of the Northwest’s cherry orchards had a full crop last year, but this spring’s weather is forecast to adhere to typical regional weather patterns. Despite advances in technolo-
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gy, cherry orchards still are very much at the mercy of Mother Nature, Hayden said. Helicopters to dry cherries on rainy days; wind machines to generate warmer surface temperatures when there’s frost; electronic soil monitoring; real-time weather reports; the application of edible films to protect fruit; fungicides to prevent powdery mildew; and natural compounds to help cherries avoid absorbing excess moisture are some of the defenses orchardists deploy to protect their fruit. “It’s a gambler’s crop,” said James Michael, who, as vice president of marketing at the Washington State Fruit Commission, is devoted to working with his team to find new ways of promoting Northwest cherries domestically and abroad. “It’s an exciting fruit that’s full of risk and occasional reward,” Hayden said. So, what made 2017 a bumper
year? The Northwest in general is well-suited to growing cherries, with an estimated 61,000-plus acres under cultivation—42,198 acres of which are in Washington. “What we have going for us is a more temperate climate and water,” Hayden said. “We have reliable (water) systems … a more stable supply.” Additionally, microclimates throughout the region enable cherries throughout Eastern Washington to ripen at different times, lengthening the season. “The 2017 Northwest cherry harvest was one of extremes – record crop volume, record shipping volume and record dry weather that came with extreme heat from mid-June through July,” said B.J. Thurlby, president of Northwest Cherry Growers and the state fruit commission. Last year was the driest ever in Washington and the greater