OVERVIEW CALIFORNIA:  As Spring approaches, Cherry growers from the Southern end of the San Joaquin Valley of California to the Northern Reaches of the state of Washington anticipate a very successful season.  With the exceptional cold snap in mid-December we have achieved plenty of chill hours to insure a health crop.  The bloom has commenced in the southern districts and the pollination process is in full swing. Bees were working hard at the time of this report, but weather should turn rainy Tuesday night through Wednesday and slow bee activity. The overall timing of the 2010 crop appears to be very similar to that to the 2008 crop.  In 2008 there was a very smooth transition from the Southern Districts into the middle and all of the way through the latest California Districts. 

OVERVIEW WASHINGTON:  First estimates projects the Washington cherry crop is slightly ahead of last season.   Earliest projections, based on all information available, place the crop approx. 7 days earlier than 2009. We will have more information available in our subsequent reports.  It is too early to make any bold predictions about the 2010 Northwest Cherry crop.