California cherry crop looks to be lighter this year
California cherry crop looks to be lighter this year
The 2005 California cherry crop is expected to be "lighter by 10 to 20 percent" compared to 2004, said Jim Culbertson, executive director of the California Cherry Advisory Board in Lodi, CA.
In speaking with The Produce News on April 18, Mr. Culbertson said that the state produced the equivalent of 6 million 18-pound boxes of cherries in 2004. I'm baffled by the crop size, Mr. Culbertson said. Im surprised the crop is as light. The state is on a growth curve with cherry acreage, and the states maximum potential is 8 million boxes of cherries, he said.
The Stockton area is large, Mr. Culbertson said. Bloom conditions here were favorable. Other tree fruit crops are light as well, Mr. Culbertson said.
In chronological order, Californias cherry harvest typically begins with Brooks, followed by Tulare, Bing and Rainier varieties.
The Bing cherry crop is shaping up to be lighter, and the Brooks variety appears heavier than last year, Mr. Culbertson said. The heavy volume in Brooks follows on the heels of 2004, when Brooks had one of the heaviest volume years last year of any year, Mr. Culbertson said.
The Brooks variety the earliest to harvest has already started. Kings and Kern counties are the heaviest in Brooks volume.
Mr. Culbertson described the Rainier crop as looking fine. The early orchards are light, and later-producing orchards look heavier than last year, Mr. Culbertson said. Reduced numbers on a tree mean a larger size of fruit.
The Bing harvest should begin around May 10-15. For California cherries overall, Mr. Culbertson said, We expect fairly good volume prior to Memorial Day the retailer can feature cherries for Memorial Day.
California cherries are in high demand any time, Mr. Culbertson said. Shippers have done a better job, he said, gaining more market share and earning a higher profit. The first week of May through about the end of June is the peak time for retailers, he said.
In speaking with The Produce News on April 18, Mr. Culbertson said that the state produced the equivalent of 6 million 18-pound boxes of cherries in 2004. I'm baffled by the crop size, Mr. Culbertson said. Im surprised the crop is as light. The state is on a growth curve with cherry acreage, and the states maximum potential is 8 million boxes of cherries, he said.
The Stockton area is large, Mr. Culbertson said. Bloom conditions here were favorable. Other tree fruit crops are light as well, Mr. Culbertson said.
In chronological order, Californias cherry harvest typically begins with Brooks, followed by Tulare, Bing and Rainier varieties.
The Bing cherry crop is shaping up to be lighter, and the Brooks variety appears heavier than last year, Mr. Culbertson said. The heavy volume in Brooks follows on the heels of 2004, when Brooks had one of the heaviest volume years last year of any year, Mr. Culbertson said.
The Brooks variety the earliest to harvest has already started. Kings and Kern counties are the heaviest in Brooks volume.
Mr. Culbertson described the Rainier crop as looking fine. The early orchards are light, and later-producing orchards look heavier than last year, Mr. Culbertson said. Reduced numbers on a tree mean a larger size of fruit.
The Bing harvest should begin around May 10-15. For California cherries overall, Mr. Culbertson said, We expect fairly good volume prior to Memorial Day the retailer can feature cherries for Memorial Day.
California cherries are in high demand any time, Mr. Culbertson said. Shippers have done a better job, he said, gaining more market share and earning a higher profit. The first week of May through about the end of June is the peak time for retailers, he said.
