Drought, freeze kill most of Wis. tart cherry crop

Tag : fresh sweet cherries

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The heart of Wisconsin's cherry industry isa glum place these days: There's little to harvest after a droughtand cold winter.
Some orchard owners in Door County are forgoing the harvestaltogether, saying the money they'd earn wouldn't cover the cost ofpicking the fruit.
"I was out counting the other day, and I don't even think I havemaybe a couple pounds on each tree," said Tom Sayer, who ownsCherry Lane Orchards in Forestville. "It's really bad."
Wisconsin is expected to produce only 200,000 pounds of tartcherries this year, down from 10.4 million last year, according toa new U.S. Department of Agriculture report.
Several other cherry-producing states also expect a smaller cropdue to bad weather. Industry leader Michigan is expected to produce135 million pounds this year, down from 193 million last year.
In all, the top seven tart cherry states are expected to harvest177.3 million pounds this year, down 30 percent from last year's251.9 million pounds.
Although farmers will feel the pinch, consumers won't. It'sunlikely there will be a shortage or price increase because aportion of the harvest in good years is put into reserve for badyears, like this one, said Perry Hedin, executive director of theCherry Industry Administrative Board in DeWitt, Mich.
"The tart cherry industry is one of the most volatile in terms ofproduction in the United States," Hedin said. "Historically, we'veseen large crops, small crops, large crops, small crops."
Sweet cherries are grown primarily for eating fresh. The tartcherry, also called "red tart" or "sour cherry" is widely used forcanning and processing to make jams, preserves and pies.
Growers in Door County had a bountiful harvest last year. Sayer's12 acres of cherry trees produced 120,000 pounds. "Last year wasthe best year we've had at the orchard, and this year will probablybe the worst," he said.
The big harvest stressed the trees at the same time a drought hitthe northeastern Wisconsin peninsula. Then, in January it warmed upto about 40 degrees just long enough for buds to emerge before thetemperature plummeted to 10 degrees below zero.
"They just couldn't take that, and the buds were in effect killedin that time," said Steve Wood, whose family runs Wood OrchardMarket in Egg Harbor.
They grow sweet cherries, which also fared poorly. Wood said hewill have to supplement whatever he can pick with cherries fromMichigan to have enough to sell at his family's market.
Bad weather hurt other states as well this year. Michigan hadmultiple spring freezes, and wet weather hampered pollination inwestern portions of the state, the USDA said. Utah's crop was hurtby a late freeze and cold spring.
New York's harvest was expected to be 9.2 million pounds this year,down from 13 million last year because of frost and cold weatherduring bloom. But Jim Allen, president of the New York CherryGrowers Association, said that could be further reduced afterrecent hail in the state's top cherry growing county damaged moreof the crop.
Jim Seaquist, whose family has about half of the tart cherryacreage in Door County, said he thinks the USDA estimate for hisregion is high. There may be a few cherries on the trees, butpicking them would cost more than farmers could earn, he said.
His family has farmed in Door County for more than 100 years andhas seen losses of half or even 70 percent of the cherries. Butthere's been nothing like this.
"This is as close to a total wipeout as you can get," Seaquistsaid.
Growers are hoping the governor will declare an agriculturaldisaster and convince the federal government to do so, allowingfarmers to apply for disaster aid, he said.
Loretta Robertoy, who owns Hyline Orchard in Fish Creek, said shealso doesn't expect to pick cherries this year. But as acontributor to the national cherry reserve, she should be able towithdraw some fruit.
"It's not going to be easy, but we'll get through," she said.
Since most growers don't process their fruit, they are in a toughposition. Sayer won't have any income from his orchard this yearbut still must replant trees that died and maintain others.
"As we speak, I'm painting a house," he said. "You've got to findsomething else."