Northwest pear orchards were affected by low temperatures this year, leading to a decrease in production. FreshFruitPortal.com spoke with Jim Morris, Pear Bureau Northwest Marketing Communications Manager, about this year's frosts and how they impacted output, and the varieties that suffered the most.

This year, the United States northwest pear industry saw a substantial drop in harvest volumes of 31%, compared to the five-year average. In the past five years, the average output has been closer to 15 million 40-pound boxes, this year's output is a little over 10 million boxes. 

Morris explained that this decline was due to adverse weather hitting most northern regions of the country, especially around the Wenatchee area of Washington. 

The Pear Bureau Northwest represents 11 pear varieties grown in Oregon and Washington in Wenatchee, Yakima, Mid-Columbia Valley, and Medford.

"There are growers that go as far north as almost the Canadian border," Morris explained. "They've had a few years, especially this year, of freezing temperatures that they've had to deal with." 

This year's decrease is not only attributed to this blossoming season's weather since pear trees enjoy cold weather, but pear growers had already seen a few years of colder-than-normal temperatures, which led to stressed trees and fewer blossoms.

So, when you factor in this year's frosts happening during blossom, around April-May, which led to a decrease in bee pollination, and fewer blossoms initially especially in Wenatchee, this year was particularly hard for pear growers. 

Morris said that out of all pear varieties, the Bosc variety and the Green Anjou were the two most impacted by adverse weather.

"The Bosc was a really large crop last year, so it's not surprising to see a drop this year, but it was still a steep drop even if you consider last year's larger crop," Morris explained. "And the other variety most impacted from a volume standpoint was the Green Anjou, which was down 36% from the five-year average."

The Green Anjou variety decrease is pretty significant, he said, since this is the crop most planted out of all varieties. "There will be pears available all year round but not as many as we typically would have had," he added.

Photo courtesy of Jim Morris, Pear Bureau Northwest Marketing Communications Manager

Morris hopes that retail prices will offset the losses, but said that growers are currently calm since they're just winding down after the harvesting process, "their sights are onto next year, and it is our job to work with the shippers to move that crop." 

Don't fret if you see a frost ring on your pears this year. The blemish, caused by the freezing events in the northern region, is a ring around the pear that doesn't affect the tasty fruit's flavor and texture. 

Morris said that part of this year's communication with consumers will be to allay any fears that there's something wrong with the pears that have a frost ring. 

"The positive thing is it doesn't change the nutritional value of the pear, it doesn't change the taste, the texture, it's superficial, it's just the skin, and the pear is still very good," Morris explained. "Some consumers tend to buy with their eyes and if they see an imperfection they're less likely to buy it, but it's just visual." 

Photo courtesy of Jonathan Mast