BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) — The late June record-breaking heat wave in the Pacific Northwest resulted in a significantly smaller raspberry harvest in northwest Washington.
The 2021 harvest numbers show Whatcom County farmers brought in almost 44.5 million pounds, but that’s down 30% compared to last year’s harvest and down 40% compared to the peak year in 2018.
Some growers say the extreme heat turned their berries to mush just as harvest typically begins.