Washington's Cherry Crop Drops by 23%, Raising Concerns for Self-Employed Growers' Social Security Benefits
The U.S. Department of Agriculture forecasts Washington’s sweet cherry crop at 200,000 tons in 2026—a decline of about 23% from the previous year's record high of 261,000 tons. While a smaller harvest could lead to higher prices due to tighter supply, growers still face challenges such as weather and rising costs that can affect profitability. For self-employed farmers like those in Yakima Valley, financial performance directly impacts Social Security benefits. The program calculates credits based on net earnings after expenses rather than hours worked or gross sales. A loss-making year could result in no Social Security credits being earned despite a full season of labor and effort. To address this volatility, eligible farmers can use the farm optional method to report earnings using gross income instead of net profit. This approach preserves Social Security credits but increases self-employment tax liability.
