Posts Tagged “Northwest pear growers”
By Pear Bureau Northwest
PORTLAND, Ore. – Northwest pear growers have released their latest crop estimate for pear shipments in the 2019-20 season. The estimate is based on data reported from Washington’s Wenatchee and Yakima districts and Oregon’s Mid-Columbia and Medford districts.
While the initial season estimate – reported in May – came in at 17.3 million standard box equivalents, the current estimate is around 18.6 million standard box equivalents, or 408,800 US tons. This marks an 8 percent increase from the initial crop estimate, coming in 1 percent higher than the 5-year average and 1 percent less than the 2018 harvest.
“The increase from the initial estimate is due to the fruit sizing up very well in the last two months. Growers are reporting large, beautiful fruit on the trees with sizes that are in demand from retailers in the U.S. and Canada. With ample larger sized pears, there will also be plenty of smaller fruit to fill the demand for bagged pears and for the export markets that prefer smaller fruit,” stated Kevin Moffitt, President and CEO of Pear Bureau Northwest (PBNW).
Picking is just about to begin throughout the four growing regions of the Northwest and will continue throughout August and September. Pick dates for the 2019-20 season are later than last season, but close to the historical average. Starkrimson harvest is beginning this week in most districts, with the Bartlett picking starting this week in Mid-Columbia and next week in the other districts. Later in the month, harvest of Comice, Bosc, Forelle and Seckel will begin along with Anjou harvest, with harvest completed by late September.
Based on the current estimates for this season, Green Anjou will be the leading variety with 9.5 million standard boxes (about 51 percent of total Northwest fresh pear crop), with Green Bartlett following at 4.8 million standard boxes (about 26 percent of the total crop), and Bosc with 2.5 million (about 13 percent of the total crop). There will be 1.1 million standard boxes of Red Anjou, representing about 6 percent of the crop.
Organic pear numbers are included in the overall estimate and their numbers continue to grow with more acres in transition. This year’s organic estimate is 1.9 million standard boxes (42,000 tons), making up 11 percent of the total Northwest crop. Looking at the entire organic crop, growers project 705,350 standard boxes of Green Anjou, with the Green Bartlett and Bosc crops sizes projected at 700,550 and 273,400 standard boxes, respectively.
About Pear Bureau Northwest
Pear Bureau Northwest is a non-profit marketing organization established in 1931 to promote the fresh pears grown in Washington and Oregon, home to 88 percent of the US commercial fresh pear crop. The Bureau represents close to 900 grower families and partners with outlets throughout the world in an effort to increase overall success with the pear category. The organization provides marketing and merchandising expertise that is customized specifically for each retail organization, using its pear consumer research findings as well as individual store analysis using an in-house data system that measures pear category performance nationwide and third-party research to show retailers how they perform versus their competition.
by Pear Bureau Northwest
PORTLAND, Ore. – Northwest pear growers are releasing fresh pear harvest projections following their recent annual meetings in Portland. Collectively, Washington’s Wenatchee and Yakima regions and Oregon’s Mid-Columbia and Medford regions estimate a fresh pear harvest of 18.7 million standard box equivalents, or 414,000 tons of fresh pears. These figures are up 2% from 2015 final harvest figures, but represent a 7% decrease from the five-year average.
Warm spring weather and good pollination led to a full bloom, with no significant weather events to hurt the fruit finish. “Growers are reporting beautiful, clean fruit that is filling out nicely in terms of fruit size,” stated Kevin Moffitt, president and CEO of Pear Bureau Northwest (PBNW).
Harvest is expected slightly earlier than historical average, but similar to the last two years, with Starkrimson expected in the last days of July, Bartlett in the first days of August, and Anjou, Bosc, and Comice in the last two weeks of August, across the four growing regions. Concorde, Forelle, and Seckel will be picked from late August through September.
The top three varieties produced by Northwest growers remain the same as in previous years: Green Anjou pears are anticipated to make up 50% of the total 2016 crop, and Bartlett and Bosc pears are expected to yield 23% and 17%, respectively.
Green Anjou pears are showing a projected crop decrease of 3% compared with 2015, and a 13% drop compared to the five-year average. Growers estimate that the Bartlett pear crop yield will increase by 9% compared with last season’s results, matching the five-year average. The Bosc pear crop increase is expected to be 4% over the 2015 harvest, 3% higher than the five-year average. The size of the Red Anjou pear crop is expected to be 3% higher than last year, but down by 3% compared to the five-year average.
Harvest of certified organic pears in the Northwest is projected to make up about 6% of the crop, with 1,103,600 standard boxes (24,279 tons) for 2016, up 14% compared with 2015. The organic Green Anjou crop is expected to be 430,000 standard boxes, while the Green Bartlett and Bosc crop sizes are estimated at 310,000 and 235,000 standard boxes respectively.
Throughout the season the PBNW team is a resource for retailers, sharing cutting-edge consumer and trade research results and trade best practice techniques on the Trade.usapears.org website. The new trade focused site is rich with tools to support pear category sales as well as a section to train produce personnel on handling and merchandising of fresh pears.
Exports remain a vital part of the success of the industry and typically account for around 40% of the total sales in a given season (including Canada), according to Global Trade Atlas. Export activities for PBNW are spread across nearly 30 countries worldwide, supporting a diverse portfolio of markets for greater grower returns.
About Pear Bureau Northwest
Pear Bureau Northwest is a non-profit marketing organization established in 1931 to promote the fresh USA Pears grown in Washington and Oregon, home to 84% of the US fresh pear crop. The Bureau represents nearly 1,600 growers and develops national and international markets for Northwest pear distribution. “The Pear Bureau Knows Pears.” For more information, visit www.usapears.org or www.trade.usapears.org.
Yakima and Wenatchee Valley apples and soft fruit – grossing about $6000 to New York City.