national watch
by county, washington’s top producers are:
a longer season
One of the good things about the state’s
cherry crop is that many growers now have
Chelan 18%
several varieties to offer to the increas
Benton 15%
ing number of export markets like South
Korea, Columbia and Panama. The result
Grant 12%
is a lengthening of the cherry season.
Douglas 10%
Back when only Bing cherries were
Franklin 9%
grown in Washington, there was one big
Okanogan 9%
annual spike in supply that varied only by
a few days depending on the subtleties of
the microclimate operating on an orchard
in any given area.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Integrated Pest Management Report 2003
Now however, with six major varieties to offer, the cherry season’s production
profile is getting flatter and longer “which
is real healthy if you look at a supply graph,” according to Stemilt’s Pepperl.
“We’re starting to get three peaks in the cherries — which means there are
Northwest Cherries:
www.nwcherries.com
multiple times with high production.”
Some of the new dwarf varieties are said to be “precocious,” meaning
Stemilt Growers:
trees produce only two or three years after planting.
www.stemilt.com
“Newer varieties are spreading out our marketing time,” said Dorsing.
“It’s given us another month-and- a-half or two months of marketing.”
Washington State Department of Agriculture:
www.agr.wa.gov
Washington State Fruit Commission:
www.wastatefruit.com
Washington State Horticultural Association:
www.wahort.org
health benefits:
Citing several recent medical studies, the
Washington State Fruit Commission says the
chemical compounds found in cherries are
thought to prevent or help moderate:
•
•
•
•
•
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Alzheimer’s Disease
Cancer
Cardiovascular Disease
Diabetes
General Inflammation
Hypertension and Stroke
28 association of washington business
Yakima 28%
the big picture
Washington apple, potato, and beef producers among others are
also expected to reap major benefits when combining the impact of the
new agreements with South Korea, Columbia and Panama. Early estimates place the value of increased exports to the three countries at about
$53 million.
Nationwide, the U.S. International Trade Commission estimates the
South Korean deal alone could create as many as 280,000 American jobs
and boost all exports by more than $12 billion.
In South America, the complete elimination of several key Columbian
tariffs will particularly help Washington growers compete against fruit
and vegetable-growing powerhouse Chile, which has enjoyed unfettered
access to the Columbian market.
With a new record for set in 2011, the export of U.S. agricultural
products is among the few bright spots in the American economy. The
U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s numbers for Washington state show a similar
trend with an almost 10 percent increase in exports from 2009 to 2010
totaling $8.25 billion.
From a policy perspective, combining a continued push for the elimination of trade barriers at the national and international levels with
effective rulemaking at home will likely prove crucial in keeping a good
trend going strong.