Harvests coming in late

This year’ s late metformin weight loss harvests could force a labor crunch for area growers as multiple crops ripen all at once and workers race to pick before freezing weather arrives.

Industry insiders say pear and apple harvests, running two weeks later than normal, could severely challenge the local labor force in getting near-record crops off the trees. Lesser-quality fruit could be left hanging if a worker shortage and freezing weather coincide.

“Labor is tight in most areas across the region,” said Kirk Mayer, manager of the Washington Growers Clearing House Association, a Wenatchee-based group representing more than 2,200 growers in Central Washington.

“We expect we’ll have about 80 percent of the work force we normally have,” he said. “And that means they might only be able to handle about 80 percent of the fruit. It all depends on the weather.”

A cool, wet spring and mild summer have delayed crop maturation by eight to 14 days, depending on orchard elevations and local climate differences, according to Tim Smith, WSU extension agent for North Central Washington.

“The cooler weather has pushed harvests later into the year and compressed labor needs — the workers to pick the fruit — into a smaller time window,” he said.

“This can mean that everyone will be competing for workers to get their fruit in.”

Most growers expect to have their crops in by the end of October, he said.

Mayer and Smith said the usual group of seasonal workers who drive from orchard to orchard in September looking for work has disappeared this year. “Anyone wanting work can most likely find it,” said Mayer.

This year, the estimated apple harvest of 106 million boxes — the third-largest crop in history — will require just under 44,000 workers statewide during October’s peak picking season, said Mayer. In North Central Washington, growers will need a work force of about 13,500 to get in the crop.

Those estimates are based on the 2010 labor force, which harvested a record crop of 109.2 million boxes.

Last week, workers were finishing bringing in the Gala crop, said Mayer, and moving soon into harvesting Goldens, Red Delicious and Honeycrisp. Later, they’ll turn to Granny Smiths and Fujis.

Workers were also finishing picking the pear crop last week, he said.

With a smaller harvest window and scattered labor pool, some growers could be forced to leave fruit on trees. “The weather will determine that fruit’s end quality,” said Mayer. “We’ll need to evaluate the hanging crop and see if processors can use it. Sometimes a crop like that is perfect for other uses; sometimes it turns to mush and falls apart.”

All in all, the fruit quality this year has been excellent, said Mayer. “Fruit size is down slightly because of the cooler weather,” he said, “but color has been exceptional. We’re thinking it’ll turn out to be a very good year.”

Fruit crops looking good

This year, some fruit crops, cherries for instance, have benefited from the longer season caused by a cool spring and mild summer. That weather has allowed growers to extend sales from two to three weeks beyond the regular season’s end.

Other crops — such as late apple varieties — might not fare so well as their harvest is pushed into cooler, maybe even freezing, weather.
The season so far:

Cherries: The Washington State Fruit Commission has estimated a harvest of 18 million boxes, the second-largest crop on record. About 1.8 million of those boxes are Rainiers.

Pears: Bartletts show good fruit quality with yields trending lower than norm. Anjous producing an exceptional crop with big fruit and heavy yields. Boscs delivering a moderate crop with nice but not exceptional fruit.

Apples: A near-record crop shows good color and, in some varieties, a trend toward smaller fruit due to cooler weather.

Source: Tim Smith, WSU extension agent for North Central Washington; Kirk Mayer, Manager of the Washington Growers Clearing House Association