NW Washington raspberry harvest down 30% due to heat wave
Sun
BELLINGHAM, Wash. - The late June record-breaking heat wave in the Pacific Northwest resulted in a significantly smaller raspberry harvest in northwest Washington.
The 2021 harvest numbers show Whatcom County farmers brought around 44.5 million pounds (20.2 million kilograms), according to the Washington Red Raspberry Commission.
That’s down 30.2% compared to the 2020 harvest and down 40% compared to the peak year in 2018, The Bellingham Herald reported. The second-lowest total this century was 45.9 million pounds (20.1 million kilograms) in 2004.
The extreme heat turned many berries to mush. On June 28, temperatures in Lynden reached 106 degrees Fahrenheit (41 Celsius) and it was hotter at berry farms east and north of Lynden.
Late June is typically when raspberry harvest begins. Before the heat wave, 2021’s harvest was looking like 2020’s, according to Henry Bierlink, executive director at the Washington Red Raspberry Commission.
Early picks amid the heat wave became juice-quality grades. Later, some farmers were able to pick berries that could be frozen.
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