Whatcom County raspberry harvest down 26 percent in 2015

Raspberry production dropped by 26.3 percent in Whatcom County this year because of dry, hot weather.

Whatcom County’s 87 growers produced a total of 50.7 million pounds, the Washington Red Raspberry Commission reported Nov. 9.

That’s down from 68.7 million pounds harvested last year, which set a record for the county.

“Numbers don’t lie. They’re certainly down more,” said Henry Bierlink, executive director of the commission.

Production also was down in Puget Sound and southwest Washington.

The crop is an important economic driver in Whatcom County, which grew 96 percent of the raspberries in Washington state this year.

The summer heat prevented the fruit from getting enough water to plump out, according to Bierlink, who added that irrigation systems here aren’t designed to keep up with evaporation under such conditions.

“The dramatic news was really the amount of heat and just how difficult it is to grow raspberries in a very warm climate,” he said. “That’s why we have often been one of the best places in the world to grow raspberries, because we have been moderate in our climate. This year was not the case.”

The berries that were harvested were smaller and lighter, though the sugar content was high.

“We get paid on pounds, and pounds were not there,” Bierlink said.

The harvest next year could be a repeat of 2015, when drought conditions across the state affected various crops.

“There’s some factors that we have to consider that say next year may not be all that different,” Bierlink said, adding that he believed the cycle was an aberration.

“But it does occur,” he said. “We have to deal with it. It’s farming.”

The blueberry harvest in 2015 also was down because of the weather, according to preliminary figures from the Washington Blueberry Commission.

Production in Whatcom County, which is a leader in blueberry growing, was expected to be 40 percent of 100 million pounds for the state.

If not for the weather, that would’ve been 44 million to 45 million pounds harvested from the county, according to Alan Schreiber, executive director of the Washington Blueberry Commission.

Final figures for the state’s blueberry yield are expected in December.

This story was originally published November 15, 2015 at 11:00 AM with the headline "Whatcom County raspberry harvest down 26 percent in 2015."