Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/675334
36 MAY 15, 2016 Good Fruit Grower www.goodfruit.com Growers predict 1.9 million boxes of that variety, up more than one-third from last year's record of 1.3 million boxes. A broad category of other niche varieties, most of them newer trademarked strains from private California breeders, such as Sequoia, Glen and Royal varieties, could reach 600,000 boxes, well above last year's count. Plenty of companies are investing in expansion. O-G Packing of Stockton, one of the state's largest cherry shippers, installed a 32-lane packing line in 2013 and a 40-lane line the next year in spite of California's growing struggles, said Tom Gotelli, one of the family owners. The company lost "a couple hundred" acres over the past two years but replanted right back to cherries. "We're having to replant a lot of cher- ries in Bakersfield because we have what we call dirty water, which is bad water," said Gotelli, a fourth-generation grower, referring to ground water with a high saline and boron content, a problem more pronounced in the Bakersfield area as growers turned more to wells in recent years that lower the water table as reservoirs run dry. Cherries are more susceptible to that than nuts or citrus. O-G Packing also owns an orchard in Washington near Tieton. In Kingsburg, just south of Fresno, KingFresh Produce installed a new cherry line worth nearly $2 million in 2015, the year after one of the cherry industry's worst seasons. "You know, it's the old theory, if every- body is moving to the left, it's always smart to move to the right," said Keith Wilson, company president. Wilson figured KingFresh could cap- italize on geography and new Southern California acreage coming into produc- tion in Kern and Tulare counties, some of the earliest ripening areas. KingFresh is one of just a few packers near Fresno, midway between Bakersfield and Stockton. Wilson suspects he can get cherries to market more quickly with improved packouts. In California's cherry market, growers rely on the seasonal excitement of fresh fruit. Prices start at their peak and go down as cooler, more abundant growers from Washington and Oregon fill the market. "The name of the game is to pick early and get the hell out of the way because everybody up north is coming on top of us," Frost said. For example, on May 5 last year, 16-pound boxes of 10-row Brooks cherries fetched between $65-$75 f.o.b. prices, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture Market News Reports. That range dropped by $20 the next week. Keith and Lisa Wilson of KingFresh Produce installed a cherry packing facility in CALIFORNIA 509-840-1828 WALLA WALLA 509-525-4550 PASCO 509-544-6678 SUNNYSIDE 509-839-2066 GEORGE 509-785-2595 MATTAWA 509-932-4001 UNION GAP 509-248-8411 FEATURES. . . • Wireless Remote Control of Transmission and Steering • • 150 Foot Range • Versatile - Tows the Blueline OPW "Orchard Platform Wagon" and in 20 Minutes converts to Conventional Tractor Operation • Auto Steering Row Finder keeps tractor on course See Your Nearest Blueline Equipment Dealer Today. . . See Your Nearest Blueline Equipment Dealer Today. . . Blueline Manufacturing Introduces . . . Its New REMOTE OPERATED TRACTOR Wireless Remote Control Wireless Remote Control Intorductor y Priced $ 39,800 00 Intorductor y Priced $ 39,800 00 Includes Kubota L3901 Tractor with Hydrostatic Transmission, Wireless Control System, and the New Blueline OPW "Orchard Platform Wagon" with 4 Wheel Steering & Brakes. Auto Steering Row Finder Auto Steering Row Finder Blueline's New Remote Operated Trac tor and OPW "Orchard Platform Wagon" Pays for itself quickly - Replaces an operator and all their costs! Blueline's New Remote Operated Trac tor and OPW "Orchard Platform Wagon" Pays for itself quickly - Replaces an operator and all their costs!