As the first fresh domestic stone fruit available each summer season, California cherries are eagerly anticipated by consumers and retailers. Unfortunately, 2014 proved difficult for Golden State growers, as an unusually warm, dry winter affected production, drastically reducing yields. Nevertheless, the cherries that were available in early May and June still served to ‘prime the pump’—creating demand for the rest of the growing season and the arrival of cherries from Washington and Oregon.
Production Overview
Cultivation of sweet cherries began in Asia about 2,000 years ago, making their way to Europe probably via wild birds carrying seeds. English colonists brought cherries to North America in the early 1600s and cultivation worked its way west to California, Oregon, and Washington by the mid-1800s (tart cherry varieties, grown primarily in the upper Midwest, are usually destined for canning). Today, the California and Northwest sweet cherry industries combine to make the United States one of the most significant sources in the world, ranking third in production behind the European Union and Turkey.
California cherries are grown in the San Joaquin and Santa Clara Valleys, from Bakersfield in the south to Lodi and Sacramento in the north and Hollister, Morgan Hill, and Gilroy to the west. The California Cherry Board tracks approximately 600 growers cultivating 26,000 acres of cherry orchards, with most orchards 10 to 30 acres in size.
Acreage has increased in recent years as demand for fresh cherries has grown domestically and in export markets. California is normally the second largest sweet cherry producing state behind Washington (at 200,000 tons in 2014) and ahead of Oregon (which produced 65,000 tons that year) according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). But warmer-than-usual winter months reduced production, limiting yields to only 30,000 tons for the entire season (down from 82,000 in 2013 and 92,300 tons in 2012).
The 2014 Season — The Pits!
Conditions during the winter months of 2013 and early 2014 produced just 20 percent of California’s normal yields. Dick Reiman, president of River City Produce Sales in Sacramento, explains, “Cherries require a cold, wet winter with at least 1,000 chilling hours under 50 degrees, then adequate spring rain and none at harvest. This occurs four to six years out of ten.”
Brianna Shales of Stemilt Growers, LLC which has orchards in Washington and California says, “During bloom, we hope for mild weather and little wind so bees can pollinate. Rain is a threat during harvest because it causes cherries to split if followed by warm temperatures.”
