Hail pelts Washington pears and apples
Hail pelts Washington pears and apples
KENNEWICK, WA -- Multiple hailstorms passed through the prime pear-growing regions of Washington state twice during Independence Day week, and early damage assessments indicated that losses could be substantial.
In addition, securing enough labor to thin damaged orchards could also be problematic.
Dan Kelly, assistant manager of the Washington Growers Clearing House Association in Wenatchee, said that the first storm came early in the week and affected mainly pear orchards in the areas of Cashmere, Leavenworth, Peshastin and Chelan. A second storm later in the week damaged trees in Manson and Orville.
On Monday, July 10, Mr. Kelly said, "So far this morning, there's the potential that between 1,000 and 1,500 acres have been affected." Mr. Kelly said that damage ranges in severity, with some acreage sustaining near-total losses and others far less.
"Multiple storms have been barraging the state for a month," he said. "It started with cherries [in June], and there have been shots all over the state on the east side of the Cascades."
Mr. Kelly said that the two major storms during the week of July 2 came "really close" as far as timing, but damage has been difficult to tally because the orchards are in such remote locales.
"It's hard to get a grasp on it," he said. "It's almost like a shotgun blast."
While the news can affect individual growers in varying degrees, Mr. Kelly said that the thinning of the apple crop is not bad for an industry that had anticipated another record crop earlier in the season. The second storm in the double-header hit the apple areas of Manson and Orville.
"The apple crop has been cut way back," he said, noting that initial crop projections will come out in August.
Pear numbers will be revised, and Mr. Kelly said there will be "some guys who won't be able to pick this season."
He added, "The industry as a whole should be OK, but the wild card in all of this is labor. There's a shortage of workers now for cherries, which is critical, and we need workers to thin the hail damage. Labor is definitely an issue that will affect the whole thing."
In addition, securing enough labor to thin damaged orchards could also be problematic.
Dan Kelly, assistant manager of the Washington Growers Clearing House Association in Wenatchee, said that the first storm came early in the week and affected mainly pear orchards in the areas of Cashmere, Leavenworth, Peshastin and Chelan. A second storm later in the week damaged trees in Manson and Orville.
On Monday, July 10, Mr. Kelly said, "So far this morning, there's the potential that between 1,000 and 1,500 acres have been affected." Mr. Kelly said that damage ranges in severity, with some acreage sustaining near-total losses and others far less.
"Multiple storms have been barraging the state for a month," he said. "It started with cherries [in June], and there have been shots all over the state on the east side of the Cascades."
Mr. Kelly said that the two major storms during the week of July 2 came "really close" as far as timing, but damage has been difficult to tally because the orchards are in such remote locales.
"It's hard to get a grasp on it," he said. "It's almost like a shotgun blast."
While the news can affect individual growers in varying degrees, Mr. Kelly said that the thinning of the apple crop is not bad for an industry that had anticipated another record crop earlier in the season. The second storm in the double-header hit the apple areas of Manson and Orville.
"The apple crop has been cut way back," he said, noting that initial crop projections will come out in August.
Pear numbers will be revised, and Mr. Kelly said there will be "some guys who won't be able to pick this season."
He added, "The industry as a whole should be OK, but the wild card in all of this is labor. There's a shortage of workers now for cherries, which is critical, and we need workers to thin the hail damage. Labor is definitely an issue that will affect the whole thing."
