Washington fruit crop damage assessments to be released in August
Washington fruit crop damage assessments to be released in August
KENNEWICK, WA -- Dan Kelly, assistant director of the Washington Growers Clearing House Association in Wenatchee, WA, said July 17 that he expects realistic numbers about summer hail damage to the state's crop of apples, pears and cherries will become available the week of Aug. 7.
Mr. Kelly said that preliminary numbers in mid-July were "guestimates," and he indicated that the numbers were most likely on the high side. Estimates were that approximately 1 million boxes of pears will be lost in 2006, and apples are likely to be down somewhere between 10 million to 20 million boxes.
"No one has really come out with a number [for cherries]," he told The Produce News. "The cherry deal should still be close to a record crop."
Mother Nature hit the area hard in June and again in early July 5 with two major hailstorms and a series of smaller weather events in eastern Washington. Apple trees suffered the most damage, with several growers in the Wallula area and Chelan County sustaining significant crop losses. Mr. Kelly said that hailstorms usually do not appear until late July or early August, and orchards in these two locations were in the storms' epicenters.
Pear losses were estimated at 6 percent of the crop. B.J. Thurlby, president of the Washington State Fruit Commission, said earlier in the season that cherries sustained a 1 percent loss, a minimal impact to this year's crop.
Statewide, harvests for all three commodities were looking good in mid-July.
"At the end of the day, [the numbers] add up," Mr. Kelly stated. "We should have good apple and pear crops. The first half of the shipping season [for cherries] outpaced last year by a half-million boxes."
Mr. Kelly said that preliminary numbers in mid-July were "guestimates," and he indicated that the numbers were most likely on the high side. Estimates were that approximately 1 million boxes of pears will be lost in 2006, and apples are likely to be down somewhere between 10 million to 20 million boxes.
"No one has really come out with a number [for cherries]," he told The Produce News. "The cherry deal should still be close to a record crop."
Mother Nature hit the area hard in June and again in early July 5 with two major hailstorms and a series of smaller weather events in eastern Washington. Apple trees suffered the most damage, with several growers in the Wallula area and Chelan County sustaining significant crop losses. Mr. Kelly said that hailstorms usually do not appear until late July or early August, and orchards in these two locations were in the storms' epicenters.
Pear losses were estimated at 6 percent of the crop. B.J. Thurlby, president of the Washington State Fruit Commission, said earlier in the season that cherries sustained a 1 percent loss, a minimal impact to this year's crop.
Statewide, harvests for all three commodities were looking good in mid-July.
"At the end of the day, [the numbers] add up," Mr. Kelly stated. "We should have good apple and pear crops. The first half of the shipping season [for cherries] outpaced last year by a half-million boxes."
