Cherries

Considerations for hail-damaged cherries after storms

Cherry orchards were impacted by hail on July 8, 2016, and growers should carefully weigh options to determine future management strategies. First, growers should assess the level of damage as the outcome of this assessment... more »

Fruit Crop Guesstimate reflects optimistic outlook

When industry representatives gathered June 22 for the 61st annual Fruit Crop Guesstimate, they came with mostly optimistic outlooks regarding the 2016 crop. Grand Rapids, Michigan was the setting for the event that provided... more »

Stemilt introduces Skylar Rae cherry

Stemilt Growers is introducing a new bi-colored cherry, called Skylar Rae, to produce departments in June. Skylar Rae cherries are both the sweetest and firmest cherry that Stemilt grows, with sugar, or Brix, levels ranging from... more »

Northwest predicts 18.3 million boxes of cherries

Growers in five Northwest states estimated a sweet cherry crop of 18.3 million 20-pound boxes this season, according to James Michael, a vice president of marketing with Northwest Cherry Growers. The estimate, made earlier this... more »

Fruit cracking differs among sweet cherry varieties

Sweet cherries are susceptible to a condition called "cracking", in which the skin of the fruit is strained, causing fractures or "cracks". The condition, which limits marketability of the fruit, may be a result of... more »

Fruit Crop Guesstimate scheduled for June 22

The 61st Annual Fruit Crop Guesstimate, sponsored by the Michigan Frozen Food Packers Association, will be held June 22, 2:30 p.m., at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Guesstimate provides a forum... more »

Northwest Michigan growers planting at higher densities

Northwest Michigan’s fruit industry is in transition. Wine grapes have been booming, but after two brutal winters and two failed crops in a row the region’s tourist-magnet wineries aren’t as certain about the future of their... more »

ReTain increases sweet cherry yields

In recent years, many growers have started to use ReTain in their sweet cherry blocks to increase fruit set and ultimately increase their yields. ReTain is a plant growth regulator that has been shown to... more »