Published 8:37 am Tuesday, June 10, 2025
Frosty weather in 2024 resulted in the smallest U.S. pear harvest in nearly 60 years, according to USDA data.
Experts expect a rebound this season as Pacific Northwest pear orchards looked promising two months from harvest.
Ed Weathers, president of Duckwall Fruit Co. in Hood River, Ore., said the harvest appears normal-sized after multiple down years.
“We’ve had fantastic growing weather and we expect a full crop of all varieties and expect it to be really high quality,” Weathers said.
Pear grower Lesley Tamura, Columbia Gorge Fruit Growers board chairwoman, said the crop is looking big.
She hoped for a decent fruit drop in June to make harvest more manageable.
Experts said prices in 2024 were excellent — as long as farmers had pears to sell.
Jon DeVaney, president of the Washington State Tree Fruit Association, said the Wenatchee, Wash., area was particularly hard hit by poor weather in 2024.
Some growers didn’t have a crop or had such little fruit that they didn’t pay crews to pick pears, he said.
Other orchards had cosmetic damage on pears that limited potential markets.
Experts expect some impact on prices from the greater supply this season.
“The coming year is going to be a different story just because of the high volume. We’ll be watching carefully,” said Tamura, president of Tamura Orchards in Odell, Ore.
Weathers focused on the upside of a larger harvest.
“We have promotable volume again so we can work with retailers,” he said.
Small production can pose dangers such as lost access to markets.
“It’s a very competitive environment to keep grocery store space,” DeVaney said.
Pear Bureau Northwest, anticipating higher volumes, is working to build consumer demand both domestically and abroad.
The organization has invested in programs that promote ripeness education and highlight the versatility of pears in kitchens. It’s also expanding its digital marketing efforts to reach new consumer segments.
“Strategic export promotions, particularly in key markets like Mexico and Canada, are also part of our 2025 plan to maintain price stability,” said Jenna Tobin, Pear Bureau Northwest communications coordinator, in an email.
Canned pears got a big boost with the announcement of a $14 million USDA purchase in May.
“That’s a very big positive for the growers, and we’re really proud of the work we did on that,” said B.J. Thurlby, Pacific Northwest Canned Pear Service business manager.
Thurlby said his side of the pear industry currently has an extra 10,000 tons, leading farmers to train orchards for the fresh market and processors to cancel contracts.
Del Monte Foods recently announced it would close its plant and two warehouses in Yakima, Wash. The company didn’t respond to a request for comment.
The USDA purchase — a “bonus buy” above and beyond regular amounts — should help take care of much of that oversupply, Thurlby said. Every year, the USDA spends about $50 million to purchase 25,000 tons, he said.
Annual canned pear production for this year and the future will be about 50,000 tons.
Oregon, with a milder winter, led the nation in pear production in 2024, surpassing Washington, typically the top state for the fruit.
Those pear powerhouses combined for 77% of America’s utilized pear production and 75% of its value in 2024, according to the USDA.
USDA pear data
2024 compared to previous year
Oregon
Production — 200,000 tons (down 15%)
Value — $120 million (up 3%)
Bearing acreage — 14,600 (up 5%)
Price per ton — $603 (up 21%)
Washington
Production — 192,000 tons (down 35%)
Value — $106 million (down 27%)
Bearing acreage — 18,100 (up 1%)
Price per ton — $551 per ton (up 12%)
California
Production — 117,500 tons (down 27%)
Value — $76 million (down 37%)
Bearing acreage — 8,300 (down 2%)
Price per ton — $635 (down 13%)
U.S.
Production — 510,500 tons (down 26%)
Value — $301 million (down 21%)
Bearing acreage — 41,000 (up 2%)
Price per ton — $591 (up 8%)
