NewsDialy
The short version: Washington is producing far fewer sweet cherries this year, and for self-employed growers, a difficult harvest can do more than cut income.
Net earnings, which is the figure Social Security uses for self-employed workers rather than gross sales, can fall so low in a bad season that a grower loses credit toward retirement benefits.
Department of Agriculture puts Washington's 2026 sweet cherry crop at 200,000 tons, down about 23% from the 261,000 tons produced in 2025. A smaller crop is not automatically a financial disaster.
Growers are hoping tighter supplies support better prices after last season's large harvest squeezed returns. Weather, labor, packing, and freight costs can still leave an individual orchard with very different math.
Keep reading