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Michigan’s cherry harvest moving north

Michigan’s tart cherry harvest is halfway complete with production forecasts about 20 percent lower than last year.

Phil Korson with the Cherry Marketing Institute tells Brownfield at this point, fruit in the southern part of the state is a bit smaller from a lack of rain compared to more northern growing regions.  “We expect another week in Southwest Michigan and probably another 10 days in West Central Michigan, in the meantime Northwest Michigan is about ready to get started.”

He says growers are holding their breath that Mother Nature will wrap up the season with ideal harvest conditions. Last year damaging storms came through major production regions just as harvest was winding down.  “To a large extent the cherry industry so far—we haven’t seen a lot of hail or a lot of wind events.  The quality of the fruit is outstanding.”

After dismal prices in 2016, Korson says prices for this year are in the process of being determined and will be finalized after processors know total production numbers. He says Michigan’s latest crop forecast for this week set total tart cherry production at 184 million pounds and sweet cherry production at 21 million.

Michigan is the nation’s largest producer of tart cherries and fourth largest producer of sweet cherries.

AUDIO: Interview with Phil Korson