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05/06/13Reporting from AsiaMarkets in Korea and Cherry are looking very favorable for Northwest cherries |
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04/15/13Priority No. 2As the Washington apple production increases and U.S. apple consumption remains flat (if not arguably declining), we all agree increasing fresh apple consumption is priority No. 1. True as this statement is, another potentially devastating issue looms even larger on the immediate horizon—market access. Washington isn’t the only state planting apples: New York and Michigan are anticipating larger future crops, and when these increases are added to Washington’s, it’s very clear to me we need every export market. That makes market access priority No. 2. Mother Nature is unpredictably controlling your destiny through availability and thus influencing economic viability. And as I look out the window today (April 15) as snow... |
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04/15/13A New Cherry Season Brings Hope, Opportunity and Plenty of ChallengesAs the Northwest Cherry season draws closer by the day … for the first time in six or seven years I am thinking that the 2013 crop has the potential to begin harvest during the first days of June. In this business, what appears to be “so” in April might change drastically by the end of May. However, if you are a cherry grower, you have great hopes for the 2013 crop … It’s April and the opportunity for a successful summer harvest is something that keeps all of us at a frenetic pace throughout the spring. If you’ve ever seen the movie “Money Ball” … you know the premise of determining a “winning” recipe in the preseason is about paying attention to the statistics and historical... |
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04/01/13In Times of PlentyI think we can all agree the record Washington apple crop of 2012 couldn’t have happened at a better time. Severely reduced crop volumes in Michigan and New York created unprecedented domestic demand, pushing movement and prices to new heights. However, if our other U.S. apple producing brethren had normal crops, we would be having a much different discussion today. Market access problems in China and Indonesia would have a much larger impact without this increased domestic opportunity. Providing Mother Nature doesn’t show her might this spring, could the 2012 season foreshadow things to come? I’m of the opinion that our 2012 Washington apple crop of 129,000,000 boxes is a clear indicator of recent high-density plantings... |
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02/01/13Optimistic about pearsRecently, I had the pleasure to address a large number of growers at North Central Washington Pear Day in Wenatchee. The title of my talk was “Why I am optimistic about pears,” and I examined some of the trends that lead me to believe the future of the pear business is bright. Currently, my optimism revolves around the fact that we are having an excellent year with shipments well ahead of last year and at good prices. Some of the longer-term trends are as follows: • Moderate supply growth Worldwide production of the European varieties of pears that we grow in the Pacific Northwest is flat. While supply in the Pacific Northwest continues to increase slowly, overall production worldwide is actually slightly below where it was 10 years ago while the world... |
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01/25/13Plan aheadThis week, I had the pleasure of giving presentations at apple meetings in Chelan and Wenatchee focusing on the good fortune Washington apple growers are enjoying this season. Crop failures in New York, Michigan, and Ontario, Canada, have provided unprecedented domestic demand and price support. The 2012-13 Washington apple crop is definitely one for the books, but I think we all need to understand the math when looking ahead to the 2013 and 2014 harvests. Here’s the math: With normal crops in other growing regions, the U.S. domestic market has represented approximately 70 million boxes of Washington apples on average over the last five years. This season, Washington apple growers harvested 20 million more boxes than the previous record crop in 2010. Yes,... |
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12/14/12A Glimpse of Washington State's FutureIn the third week of July 2012, at the Washington Apple Commission’s board of directors meeting, I decided to have a little fun. Around the conference room table were some of the brightest in our industry who dedicate their lives to their business and our industry. I figured they should know. “Take a piece of paper, and, without looking at your neighbor or further discussion, estimate the 2012 Washington apple crop,” I told them. “And at the December board meeting, I’ll present the results, and let’s just see who is really in the know.” Think back … Washington had perfect spring weather—even the fence posts bloomed. Spring and early summer weather was inclement to say the least—ask a cherry grower. July... Posted at 01:11 PM | Permalink | Comments: 1 |
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10/11/12On the Hill in D.C.Last week, I joined 500 produce industry professionals in Washington, D.C., for the United Fresh Public Policy Conference. Two highlights were the march on Capitol Hill and the Fresh Festival. United Fresh briefed all attendees on some of the most pressing topics and concerns to the produce industry in the United States. With these in hand, we were all dispatched to Capitol Hill in groups of 6 or 8 to meet face to face with our representatives and their staffers to share our issues and concerns. Key topics included the need for labor; the importance of passing the Farm Bill with the research and specialty crop provisions that are so useful to our growers; and nutrition issues that help get fresh fruit and vegetables to school kids all across the country. After an... |
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10/11/12Will We Miss It?With 300,000,000 middle-class consumers—and growing—China is Washington State’s fourth-largest export market and has been identified as the number-two growth market for Washington apples in the next five years. But U.S. apple exports to China have been halted since August 9 because no new import permits have been issued that allow direct importation of Washington Red and Golden Delicious into China for the 2012 season. At bilateral talks between China and the United States held in California in September, the Chinese government confirmed no new import permits would be issued until specific concerns are addressed by USDA-APHIS and our industry. This was the first time industry was told our access was closed. Will we miss that market? Maybe... |
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09/20/12Northwest Cherry 2012 Season at a GlanceThe final sweet cherry shipments from the Pacific Northwest left the industry this weekend, bringing an end to a challenging, but record-breaking season. Here at Northwest Cherry Growers, we have been meeting with numerous retailers, growers, and sales-desk personnel across the industry. It appears that no grower, sales agent, marketer, or buyer was immune to the challenges we faced this year. We shipped a record-sized crop of over 23.2 million 20-pound-equivalent boxes in 2012. For a variety of reasons, the industry struggled to gain the sales momentum needed to successfully navigate the entirety of the season. None of us would have dreamed that we would have 16 separate rain events across the growing districts this season. Each rain event caused anxiety in... |
