A superior cherry crop is expected for The Dalles, Ore.-based Polehn Farms, says Shelly Sylvester, managing partner for distributor L.A. Karma Produce, Los Angeles.
Polehn Farms has been producing cherries in The Dalles since the mid-1950s and currently harvests approximately 385 acres for fresh sales, Sylvester said. The grower produces conventional fruit and has focused for the last 15-plus years on introducing newer varieties that grow much larger and stronger than the bing variety, which was the prominent cherry in production there and in most of the Northwest for many years.
“As always, our priority is to provide the finest fruit we can grow,” she said. “Having one grower at the helm is a tremendous advantage for us, and Ken Polehn continues to prove to all that he cares about his orchards and takes pride in what is put into the Polehn box and sent out to the world.”
While Polehn Farms is smaller than some of its multimillion-box neighbors, Sylvester said most of the firm’s marketing focus is reinforcing longtime relationships with regional retailers, exporters, wholesalers and other outlets nationwide.
“As we grow in tonnage, we will continue to add to that stable of end-users, and of course, we look forward to making the Polehn name and the quality it provides more well known throughout the nation and across the world,” Sylvester said.
2024 is an important year for the cherry industry, she said.
“Last year was a losing one for many of us, with an extremely late start date and fruit that peaked poorly in terms of sizing,” Sylvester said. “This year, we will be starting at a much more attractive time (meaning there will be some volume to offer out for July 4 ads). The growth on the trees up to this point is looking far superior to last year.”
The cherry set on the trees this year was much more uniform than what growers saw with last season’s “popcorn bloom,” she said.
“The cherries have plenty of room to grow in size and maturity,” Sylvester said. “Our production will definitely increase this year. We are into our ‘fifth leaf’ harvest of our ‘early’ cherry varieties, the chelans and coral champagne, and we are into our 10th year of production on the extremely popular pearl varieties (black, ebony, and burgundy). We still have a large percentage of bing acres and the later varieties, skeenas, reginas, sweethearts and sunset bings.
“Polehn was the first to bring the pearl varieties into The Dalles area, and every year Ken Polehn continues to fine-tune the best way to get the most out of the pearls we harvest in size and firmness,” she added.
Exports and packaging
In years past, Polehn Farms relied on export sales for as much as 80% of its packout, with the marketer packing a 5-kilogram (11-pound) and 20-pound bulk pack for air and boat shipments.
“However, with the addition of our high-graphic pouch bag four years ago, we have been able to sell a much larger percentage of our crop domestically,” Sylvester said. The company packs an eight-count 2.25-pound bag box.
The export market features strong demand for the Polehn label, she said.
“We do have some strong export partners, and the Polehn label is well known throughout the world,” she said. “Hopefully, the fruit will continue to grow in size and strength in the next five weeks so we can meet the high standards expected by so many of the overseas markets. The fact that the ‘late deal’ out of Brewster North suffered a tremendous loss in volume could be a good opportunity for ‘container’ shipments by boat later in July.”
