YAKIMA — This year’s cherry season had a lot riding on it. B.J. Thurlby, president of Northwest Cherry Growers, said in June that the industry was “in trepidation” at the thought of another bad harvest year.
Luckily, those fears were mostly assuaged, minus one blisteringly hot week that damaged some fruit.
“Demand was outstanding, and the crop was outstanding,” Thurlby said.
Northwest Cherry Growers represents farmers across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah and Montana. By far the largest crop comes from Washington, Thurlby said.
Of the 19.2 million 20-pound boxes of cherries harvested this year in the Northwest, 17.7 million came from Washington. That’s in line with the better years, and more than Thurlby initially expected in June.
“The best part is the overall demand exceed supply from start to finish,” he said.
Much of that might have been due to the size and juiciness of the fruit.
“It was really good fruit this year,” he said. “Our growers absolutely hit it out of the park in terms of quality.”
Cherry growers in the Northwest harvested 18.7 million 20-pound boxes of cherries in 2023 and 13.3 million boxes in 2022.
Kevin Knight, owner of the 260-acre Knight Orchards near Naches, said in June that he felt he was due for a good harvest after two bad years.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a formal disaster declaration for cherries in 11 Washington counties in 2023. Excessive heat caused economic losses, and a late California harvest season that year added competition, making things worse. The 2022 harvest saw low production due to snowfall on the cherry blossoms in the spring.
Knight said Friday that he hasn’t calculated his tonnage per acre for this harvest, but he thinks that the numbers are within range of where he was hoping.
Knight said his cullage, the percentage of cherries not suitable for consumers, is usually around 15 percent. After the July heatwave, it doubled to about 30 percent, he said.
Cherry harvesting on Knight Orchards wrapped up on July 29, he said.
“All in all, there’s not anything to complain about,” Knight said.
