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State Analyses

(The Tart Cherry Industry - continued)

Michigan

The fourth, called the Ridge-Belding area, is primarily an apple-growing region that also produces a few cherries. These four areas are characterized by moderately fertile sandy loam soils that are well-suited to cherry production.

Western Michigan’s advantage in the production of tart cherries and other fruits stem, to a great extent, from the moderating effects of Lake Michigan on the local climate. The water slows the rise in air temperatures during the spring, delaying the onset of bloom. During cold spring nights, the same water has a warming effect on air temperatures, which helps avoid frost damage in nearby orchards. The bulk of the cherry acreage is located in a 10-mile wide band adjacent to the lake, where the water has the greatest moderating effects on air temperatures.

The bulk of Michigan’s tart cherry production relies solely on natural rainfall for moisture. Drip irrigation systems, however, are being installed in some of the newer plantings. One contact estimated that 15-20 percent of the tart cherry acreage in northwest Michigan is irrigated (Nugent). Another contact judged that up to one-half of the tart cherry acreage located in central Michigan benefits from drip irrigation (Danilovich).

Late spring frost occurring in the bloom and pre-bloom periods is the most damaging production peril affecting Michigan tart cherries. Such frosts can virtually destroy the entire crop in affected areas. In 1991, for example, a late frost reduced the harvest in southwest Michigan from an expected 2 million pounds to only 140,000 pounds (Nugent).Tart cherries in the more northern areas were spared that year because they bloom several days later than the cherries in southern Michigan, and the fruit buds were not yet at the vulnerable stage when the freeze occurred.

Orchards in northwest Michigan reportedly are less likely to suffer from widespread freeze damage than those in southwest Michigan. Trees in northwest Michigan develop 7-10 day later than in the southern area, and are not yet in their critical bloom period when freezes damage cherries in southern Michigan.

Wind damage reportedly is the second most serious production peril affecting tart cherries. High winds can scar the cherries as they rub against the branches and leaves. Fruit scars remain visible in the processed product, making the damaged cherries undesirable to processors. Scarred cherries also are more susceptible to brown rot infection than uninjured fruit.

A large proportion of Michigan’s tart cherries are produced on nonirrigated land where the trees are susceptible to drought. Dry conditions cause stunted growth in young trees, which may require several years to overcome. Drought conditions during late summer may weaken some trees to the extent that they die during extremely cold winters.

Droughts are unlikely, however, to cause a tart cherry crop failure in Michigan. Excessively dry weather during May and June can diminish fruit size, resulting in moderate yield losses. But, droughts usually are most severe during July, August, and September, after the cherries are harvested. One contact estimated that losses due to drought would not likely exceed 10 percent of the normal yield (Nugent).

Production is more variable in southwest Michigan than in the central and northern areas, due to the more frequent occurrences of frost damage in the southwest and the alternate bearing tendency of cherry trees. Frosts can virtually wipe-out the cherry crop in southwest Michigan, as happened in 1976 and 1991, and, at the same time, have little or no effect on northwest Michigan.

Yield variability in the southwest area tends to be exacerbated by the cherry trees’ tendency to produce a bountiful crop following small- and moderate-sized crops. When trees bear a light crop, such as may happen following severe frost, they tend to form extra fruit buds and develop abundant energy reserves during the summer, resulting in a bumper crop the subsequent year. The extra-large southwest Michigan crops in 1987 and 1992 both followed seasons with small crops.

Northwest Michigan rarely experiences a total crop failure. Its smallest crop in the past 20 years occurred in 1981 when an unusual storm, accompanied by extreme cold and high winds, froze the fruit buds. Most late spring freezes occur on clear, calm nights when the area is engulfed by a high pressure system and are less severe than the 1981 storm.