Pear Bureau Northwest estimates this season’s pear harvest for Oregon and Washington will be down 31% in volume from the five-year average.

The crop is anticipated to reach 10.6 million standard box equivalents.

“Despite this year’s shorter crop and some regional differences in overall appearance, this year’s harvest will continue to deliver a great eating experience for the consumer,” said CarrieAnn Arias, Pear Bureau Northwest President and CEO, in a news release.

The cumulative impacts of intense freezes for the last few years are driving the decline. The Wenatchee area was particularly hard hit.

The Medford, Ore., Yakima, Wash., and Mid-Columbia regions all are below the five-year production average, said Jim Morris, marketing and communications manager for Pear Bureau Northwest.

The Mid-Columbia, which includes the Hood River Valley in Oregon and orchards on the north side of the Columbia River in Washington, seems to be faring better than the other growing regions.

“Everyone is still in harvest, so not all fruit has been delivered to packing houses. Our hope is that what we’re seeing today in Hood River continues to hold true,” Morris said.

Researchers are studying how to make pears — and apples — more resilient to extreme temperatures and prevent crop losses. Washington State University was recently given a $6.7 million USDA grant for a four-year project that includes other research institutions.

“We’re certainly seeing recent weather events that can have an effect on our crop, whether it’s a heat dome like we experienced in 2021 or freezes during the blossom period. Being able to understand climatic changes can only help the industry better deal with them,” Morris said.

Estimate details

Pear Bureau Northwest released its first harvest projection for the 2024-25 season on Sept. 17.

Bosc pears saw the steepest decline in the estimate, dropping 62% from the past year.

Green Anjou is expected to be down 36% from the five-year average.

The organic pear estimate is 1.4 million boxes, or about 13% of the total projected Northwest crop.

Pear harvest started in early August for Starkrimson and Bartlett pears, with growers beginning to pick Bosc, green and red Anjou by late August. Harvest for specialty varieties such as Comice, Seckel, Forelle and Concorde will be completed by late September.

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An August USDA prediction had Washington’s pear crop at 185,000 tons, down 31% from 2023-24, and Oregon’s harvest dropping to 200,000 tons, a decline of 15% from the previous season.

Pear promotions

For domestic promotions, Pear Bureau Northwest will continue its consumer advertising campaign with a deeper dive into the personalities of different varieties.

The industry also will provide consumers with bold and approachable recipes that showcase the versatility of pears.

An early season promotion, for example, will include a partnership with Tajin seasoning in October, to observe National Pizza Month.

Due to the size of the crop, Mexico and Canada will receive the bulk of export volume this season, said Jeff Correa, Pear Bureau Northwest director of international marketing. Those countries historically have been the top international markets for Pear Bureau Northwest.

International promotional programs will focus on in-store activities as well as movie tie-ins and TV advertising in Mexico.

The pear industry plans to use digital marketing with the leading retailers in Mexico, Canada and Central America.

Pear Bureau Northwest also plans an in-store and social media campaign to establish the red Anjou pear in more export markets this season.

“Red Anjou is one of our larger crops, so its availability lasts longer into the season. It’s also a variety not as well-known, so a shorter crop year is a great time to emphasize this lesser-known variety,” Morris said.