NW Cherries Over Half Way Finished and Benefit Golf Tournament

With the Fruit Grower Report, I'm Susan Allen. Get your NW cherries while you can as they won't be here much longer. The crop that was two to three weeks early due to warm spring weather is expected to be finished by mid-August. Basically, the August crop has moved into July. In past years they have even been picking cherries into September. Oregon and Washington grow nearly 90 percent of the nation's sweet cherries; the USDA is reporting that the Washington crop will be down 7 percent, while the sweet cherry crop nationally is down 6 percent due to heavy rains in California. We might have fewer cherries, but we will be picking more apples. Packer is reporting that The 2016 U.S. apple crop could be 8% larger than last year, projecting that 263 million bushels will be produced in 2016.

Put this on your calendar. Here's a fun event and aginfo's Matt Rice to tell you all about it.

RICE: ATree Fruit event you don't want to miss. The Washington State Tree Fruit Association will be hosting its 23rd Annual Scholarship Golf Tournament on August 2nd at the Highlander Golf Course in East Wenatchee. Shotgun start is at 1:30 pm, followed by a BBQ banquet, awards ceremony, and raffle. Proceeds go to fund scholarships for local students in memory of tree fruit industry leaders: Gerald Nolen, Melvin Crowder, Jim Matson, and Delmar Smith. More information and registration information can be found on WSTFA's website.

Thanks, Matt, a great cause and always a great time as well again August 2nd at the Highlander Golf Course in East Wenatchee.