Search
Better Farming OntarioBetter PorkBetter Farming Prairies

Better Farming Ontario Featured Articles

Better Farming Ontario magazine is published 11 times per year. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


Price crash on cherries

Thursday, August 13, 2009

by SUSAN MANN

Consumers were the only winner from this year’s oversupply of the sweet cherry market as Americans harvested a monster-sized crop that was up 60 per cent compared to last year.

 Len Troup, chair of the Ontario Tender Fruit Producers’ Marketing Board, says consumers got deals on cherries while growers took a price hit. There were cherry prices in supermarkets that were “way below the cost of production.”

Troup says the huge American crop was “out of control” this year. “They never did sell all their cherries” He thinks American cherry growers just gave up and stopped harvesting because the whole market was just so oversupplied. The American crop was sold all over North American and probably across the Pacific.

Adrian Huisman, board general manager, says the U.S. crop estimate for sweet cherries was 680 million pounds, while Ontario usually produces one to two million pounds.

The cherry harvest in the Untied States lasts for at least two months and starts way before Ontario’s. “By the time we came into production the market was already loaded up with cherries,” says Troup, adding the market oversupply was predicted because too many cherry trees were planted during the past few years. “They all came into bearing with a good crop this year.” The oversupply drove all the prices down.

Ontario prices were “too low to begin with and then it just deteriorated,” Troup says, noting he didn’t want to give figures. Provincial cherry growers faced a number of additional problems, including declining quality due to frequent rain during harvest.

Federal NDP agriculture critic Alex Atamanenko has called on Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz to do something even it means risking trade action. In an email to Better Farming, Ritz called the NDP proposal “short-sighted and ridiculous.” Farmers want to make their money in the marketplace “so we will continue to create opportunities for them that work with our international trade agreements.” BF

Current Issue

March 2025

Better Farming Magazine

Farms.com Breaking News

Farmer Planting Decisions for 2025 Taking Shape

Thursday, March 13, 2025

As farmers across Canada prepare for the 2025 crop year, Statistics Canada says their planting decisions reflect a complex mix of factors including moisture conditions, crop rotation considerations, and market prices. Nationally, farmers are expected to plant more wheat, corn for... Read this article online

International Women’s Day – Angela Cammaert

Wednesday, March 5, 2025

As International Women’s Day approaches on March 8, Farms.com is asking women in ag about what they’d tell their younger selves about being a farmer, to give a piece of advice to young women entering the ag sector, and to highlight a woman in agriculture they consider a mentor or... Read this article online

Keep Yours Toes Warm in Every Season with the Agro 897

Friday, February 28, 2025

BY: Zahra Sadiq Say goodbye to leaky boots that don’t keep you warm, the Lemigo Agro 897 offers durable waterproof protection, insulation for all-day comfort, and a sturdy design perfect for tackling tough farm tasks in any weather. Lemigo is a family business, 26 years strong, that... Read this article online

BF logo

It's farming. And it's better.

 

a Farms.com Company

Subscriptions

Subscriber inquiries, change of address, or USA and international orders, please email: subscriptions@betterfarming.com or call 888-248-4893 x 281.


Article Ideas & Media Releases

Have a story idea or media release? If you want coverage of an ag issue, trend, or company news, please email us.

Follow us on Social Media

 

Sign up to a Farms.com Newsletter

 

DisclaimerPrivacy Policy2025 ©AgMedia Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Back To Top