Good Grape Harvest But Low Prices

GRANDVIEW, Wash. (AP) — The state's juice grape harvest this year came in nearly even with the five-year average, while growers are facing another year of low prices.

Industry official Trent Ball says the state's harvest was roughly 164,000 tons this year, down from a near-record of 260,000 tons in 2014. But prices remain unchanged at $110 per ton, the lowest point since 2005.

Washington is the country's largest producer of juice grapes, with most growing near Sunnyside, Grandview and Prosser.

Ball told the Washington State Grape Society at the group's annual meeting that low prices are partly due to inventories of juice and juice concentrate and America's declining taste for fruit juice.