Tart cherry production to drop by 36 percent, USDA says

A harsh spring freeze has taken a significant bite out of this year’s tart cherry crop. As a result, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is forecasting production at 91 million pounds, a 36 percent drop year-on-year.

According to the USDA’s Fruit and Tree Nuts Outlook: July 2026, freeze events during critical bloom stages severely damaged orchards in Michigan and Utah, the nation's leading producing states. 

The smaller harvest is expected to tighten supplies for processors and food manufacturers that rely on tart cherries for juice concentrate, frozen fruit, dried products and canned pie filling.

“Tart cherry harvest is highly seasonal, and almost 99 percent of production is destined for processing,” the report states.

A tart marketing season ahead

The reduced harvest comes as processors also enter the 2026 marketing season with lower carry-in inventories than in recent years, further limiting available supplies.

“This year’s May ripe tart pitted volume in cold storage is the lowest since 2013, which followed the short 2012 crop. Smaller than average carry-in, coupled with a small crop in 2026, is expected to put upward pressure on grower prices and result in tight raw supplies for domestic processors,” the assessment warns.

Michigan, the largest tart cherry-producing state, is forecast at 83.1 million pounds, down nearly 27 million pounds from last season and the smallest crop in six years.

“While cool spring weather delayed crop development, a late-April freeze event damaged vulnerable buds in some orchards, resulting in lower yields,” the document notes.

In Utah, severe late-spring freeze events caused widespread orchard damage. If realized, the state’s tart cherry crop would be the smallest since 1972, when yields reached 1.3 million pounds after another year noted for damaging spring freezes.

*All photos are referential via Unsplash.

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