The industry for an annual statistical report
Washington is the nation's largest producer of juice grapes, contributing about half the annual tonnage.
"It's very unusual to see this, like quite this heavy," said Mary Ann Bliesner, owner and president of Sunnyside's Valley Processing.
Most of the juice grapes in the state are grown around Sunnyside, Grandview and Prosser. The juice is processed at Yakima Valley plants into concentrates used for jams, juice, syrups and fruit snacks. Welch's contracts for nearly half the region's grapes.
Growers and industry officials held the annual meeting of the Washington Grape Society on Thursday and Friday in Grandview.
Processors averaged 12.3 tons per acre for Concords, well above the 10-year average of 8 or so, said Trent Ball, a Yakima Valley Community College viticulture professor contracted by the industry for an annual statistical report.
About 90 percent of the state's juice grapes are Concords, which are purple. The rest are white Niagaras, which are marketed separately. The Niagara harvest is about 26,000 tons this year, the highest since 2006, Ball said.
Prices are down to about $110 per ton, partly because of cheaper imports and inventories left over from large 2013 harvests in New York and Pennsylvania, Ball said. Last year, Washington growers received $225 per ton following record prices of $280 per ton in 2012.