06/08/05 Reduced cherry estimate; Lind Field Day

Washington Ag June 8, 2005 The cherry harvest in Washington this year is expected to be eight to nine million 20 pound boxes according to the Washington State Fruit Commission. That's down from an earlier forecast of 12 million boxes a month ago with rainy weather and freezes cited as reasons for the reduction. The new forecast is about 60 to 70 percent of normal but a small cherry harvest in California means higher prices. The Bureau of Reclamation said this week that the June forecast for irrigation water supply in the Yakima Irrigation Project held steady with the mid-May outlook of a rationing level at 38 percent of full supply for junior water right holders. Spring rains allowed the Bureau to increase the rationing level from 34 percent to 38 in mid-May. Tomorrow is Washington State University's Lind Dryland Research Station Field Day. WSU research agronomist Bill Schillinger says registration begins at 8:30 a.m., plot tours at nine. Schillinger: "Scientists from WSU and USDA-ARS will discuss research progress on a number of topics including dryland cropping system studies, spring wheat breeding, winter wheat breeding, club wheat breeding and control of Russian thistle." The retiring James Cook will give a special presentation on his 40 years of cereal root disease research. There's a no-host lunch and the field day is free and open to the public. I'm Bob Hoff.