Description
2020 COST ESTIMATES OF PRODUCING BARTLETT PEARS FOR CANNING IN WASHINGTON STATE
Preface
The results presented in this WSU publication serve as a general guide for evaluating the feasibility of producing Bartlett pears for canning in Washington State as of 2020. This publication is not intended to be a definitive guide to production practices, but it is helpful in estimating the physical and financial requirements of comparable plantings.
Specific budget assumptions were adopted for this study, but these assumptions may not fit every situation since production costs and returns vary across orchard operations, depending on the following factors:
- Capital, labor, and natural resources
- Crop yields
- Type and size of machinery, irrigation, and frost control systems
- Input prices
- Cultural practices
- Pear prices
- Orchard size
- Management skills
Cost estimations in the enterprise budget also vary depending on its intended use. To avoid drawing unwarranted conclusions for any orchard, readers must closely examine the assumptions made in this guide, and then adjust the costs, returns, or both as appropriate for their own orchard operation.
Bartlett Pears for Canning in Washington State
As of 2019, the three largest producers of processed pears in the United States are California with 91,930 tons, followed by Washington with 66,990 tons, then Oregon with 42,010 tons. Washington 2019 production is lower compared to 2018 production at 99,500 tons and 2017 production at 85,900 tons, but it represents 33% to 41% of the total US production of processed pears over the three-year period (USDA NASS 2020). Also, as of 2019, the price of processed pears in Washington is $356 per ton and the total value of production is $23.8 million. According to the latest Agricultural Census, there are 8,437 bearing acres of Bartlett pears, representing 42% of Washington State’s total pear-bearing acreage (USDA NASS 2017). The present study assumes that all these processed pears are for canning, noting that the exact wording in the latest Agricultural Census is “processed pears”.
Study Objectives
This publication is designed to enable owner-operators to estimate: (1) the costs of equipment, materials, supplies, and labor required to produce canning pears and (2) the ranges of price and yields at which canning pear production would be a profitable enterprise. The primary use of this publication is in identifying inputs, costs, and yields considered to be typical of well-managed Bartlett pear orchards. This publication does not necessarily represent any orchard operation and is not intended to be a definitive guide to production practices, but it describes current industry trends and, as such, can be helpful in estimating the physical and financial requirements of comparable plantings.
Information Sources
The data used in this study were gathered from a group of experienced owner-operators of Bartlett pear orchards in Washington State. Their production practices and input requirements form the baseline assumptions that were used to develop the enterprise budget. Additionally, the data represent what these owner-operators anticipate over an orchard’s life if no unforeseen failures occur. Given that many factors affect production costs, grades, and returns, individual owner-operators can use the Excel Workbook provided to estimate their own costs and returns.
Budget Assumptions
- The area of the total farm operation is 300 acres. Bearing acres include 225 acres of apples (75% of total area), 48 acres of sweet cherries (16%), and 27 acres of pears (9%). Of the 27 acres of pears, 11 acres are dedicated to pears for canning.
- This budget is based on an 11-acre Bartlett pear block within a 300-acre orchard. It is assumed that 10% of this block is dedicated to roads, pond, loading area, buildings, etc., rather than to fruit production. Therefore, the total productive area for this block is ten acres, composed of nine acres of Bartlett pear trees and one acre of Anjou pear trees (as pollinizers).
- The pear block is already established. Therefore, this enterprise budget presents the estimated costs and returns during a representative full production year.
- The total value of land (including water rights) is $18,000 per acre with annual property taxes of $160 per acre.
- The irrigation system consists of under-tree sprinklers. Water is provided through a public irrigation district.
- The pond, mainline, and pump already exist, and
