Rain might do away need for pickers
»Play Video
YAKIMA, Wa. -- The recent rain has been the enemy for cherry farmers. Some here in the Valley said they’ve lost up to 20 percent of their crop because of it. The rain might do away with the need for more pickers.
“What we've got going right now is we've got wind machines because we've got almost no wind and then we've got sprayers to dry the cherries," said fruit farmer, Jim Doornink.
Yakima's once promising cherry crop could wind up as a huge loss. Farmers already lost up to 20 percent of their cherries from rain earlier this month. Doornink is working to protect what he can.
"See the ring around the top there,” he said pointing to a cherry. “It's beginning to show a little bit of damage."
Some cherries look good, but others are already ruined. Splits in the cherries cause them to rot quickly and distributors won't buy them.
"Once cherries split, you don't pick them,” said Doornink. “So, that would solve the labor problem."
It would solve that problem, but it would cause a lot more. Once a farmer loses more than a quarter of his crop to damage, it's no longer cost efficient to pay pickers. Right now, it's too early to know if the price of cherries will go up. It they do, consumers say it will definitely effect how much they buy.
"I probably wouldn't buy them nearly as often," said Rachel Hamilton-Munn.
Right now, most farmers are only seeing an eight percent loss. They won't know the full extent of the damage until later in the week.
“What we've got going right now is we've got wind machines because we've got almost no wind and then we've got sprayers to dry the cherries," said fruit farmer, Jim Doornink.
Yakima's once promising cherry crop could wind up as a huge loss. Farmers already lost up to 20 percent of their cherries from rain earlier this month. Doornink is working to protect what he can.
"See the ring around the top there,” he said pointing to a cherry. “It's beginning to show a little bit of damage."
Some cherries look good, but others are already ruined. Splits in the cherries cause them to rot quickly and distributors won't buy them.
"Once cherries split, you don't pick them,” said Doornink. “So, that would solve the labor problem."
It would solve that problem, but it would cause a lot more. Once a farmer loses more than a quarter of his crop to damage, it's no longer cost efficient to pay pickers. Right now, it's too early to know if the price of cherries will go up. It they do, consumers say it will definitely effect how much they buy.
"I probably wouldn't buy them nearly as often," said Rachel Hamilton-Munn.
Right now, most farmers are only seeing an eight percent loss. They won't know the full extent of the damage until later in the week.
