The 2023 cherry season in Washington State yielded a substantial harvest, yet industry authorities are urging official recognition of the season as a disaster. Jon DeVaney, head of the Washington State Tree Fruit Association, linked the difficulties to unusual weather conditions that led to an overlap with California's cherry season.
Typically, the cherry harvest in Washington and the Northwest stretches over 90 days. However, synchronous blooming resulted in a dramatically shortened season of approximately 30 days. DeVaney noted the strain this placed on the management of harvest crews and the need for increased overtime pay.
Unlike apples and pears, cherries require immediate marketing post-harvest, as they cannot be stored in cold storage. DeVaney stated that despite the high quality of cherries in 2023, the shortened season led to marketing disruptions, leaving some fruit unharvested.
In 2023, the Washington State Fruit Commission's Northwest Cherries predicted a crop of 22-23 million 20-pound boxes of cherries for Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Utah. However, due to market compression, the actual harvest was around 18 million boxes. This surplus in the market led to a significant drop in cherry prices.
Source: seattletimes.com