The USDA-NASS, Pacific Regional Office has released the cherry production forecast for 2014. The latest survey, which was conducted during the first two weeks of June, had the following results.
California’s 2014 sweet cherry production is forecast at 30,000 tons, down 63 percent from the 2013 crop and the smallest crop since 1998. The forecast is based on 33 thousand bearing acres. The warm and dry winter reduced chilling hours and combined with poor pollination to result in minimal set and record-low yields. Many growers reported crop failures and chose not to harvest.
United States sweet cherry production is forecast at 326,240 tons, down 2 percent from 2013.