WHATCOM COUNTY, Wash. – This summer’s record-breaking heat wave resulted in a significantly smaller raspberry harvest.
Henry Bierlink with the Washington Red Raspberry Commission reports the number of pounds harvested was over 30% lower than in 2020.
“Normally we’re in the 70 million (pounds), higher 60 to 70 million range,” says Bierlink. “And we did not even break 45 million this year statewide.”
That was 40% below the peak year in 2018.
The second-lowest total was just under 46 million pounds in 2004.
Bierlink says some local farmers were hit harder than others.
“I think it tended to really be farther east, close to the mountains,” says Bierlink. “Sumas, that area. Just the heat there was so dramatic. Another five to ten degrees higher than the western part of the county and it just fried those berries.”
Berry farmers can get compensation for some of their losses from a $10 billion relief package recently passed by congress.