Document text
Relentless triple-digit weather and warm nights have pushed the beginning of the Rogue Valley’s pear harvest into July this year. Naumes Inc. began picking Starkrimson pears Monday — a week earlier than last year’s early harvest — in two blocks off South Stage Road and off Carpenter Hill Road. “The pears were maturing a little faster than we assumed,” said Mike Naumes, president of Naumes Inc. “We could see the fruit was getting to a fairly good size.” When the usual first-to-harvest red pears were pressure tested, they were right at the peak of picking range, Naumes said. “We don’t have many pickers yet, so we decided to get started,” he said. Once the world’s largest pear-growing organization, Naumes has cut back operations in California and Washington in recent years, but it still works 1,500 acres of orchards in Jackson and Josephine counties. For the past four years, Naumes has contracted foreign workers through the federal government’s H-2A temporary agricultural employment program. Workers’ stints can be as short as a month or two or as long as 10 months, although there are some special procedures that allow workers to stay longer than 10 months. However, most of the contracted workers are presently picking in the Sacramento River area. “They’re usually done by the time we get started here, so their contract doesn’t start until Aug. 10,” Naumes said. “Some of the H-2A workers will start arriving Aug. 7 to get trained and take care of all the paperwork.” The brilliant crimson red Starkrimson fruit, with a thick, stocky stem, is a leading-edge variety, followed by Bartlett. Winter varieties such as D’Anjou, Bosc, Comice, Concorde, Forelle and Seckel will more than likely be picked earlier, as well. Naumes said Starkrimson accounts for a small percentage of the anticipated 25,000 tons his company will harvest. But California’s red pear crop is on the light side this year, which means the 1,500 bins of Starkrimson will be readily distributed to retail outlets throughout the country. “Packing will start a little early, which is an advantage with red pears,” he said. “I know there is a short crop down in California, so we should be able to market some of the red pears fairly early, and at good prices.” There won’t be such an advantage when it comes to Bartletts grown in the Sacramento Valley as well as California’s Mendocino and Lake counties. Relative to the Rogue Valley, Hood River Valley, and Washington, California’s pear production is small. Northwest orchards yield 4.5 million 44-pound boxes annually, while California produces 1.8 million 36-pound boxes. Doug Lowry at Associated Fruit said the few red pears he grows will be picked later in the week, with the harvest of his organization’s 500 acres beginning in earnest Aug. 10. Talent orchardist Ron Meyer said he will begin picking Bartletts on his 100 acres late next week. Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 541-776-4463 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GregMTBusiness or www.facebook.com/greg.stiles.31.