Due to the increasing challenges in the recent years a great number of cherry producers in Michigan are clearing out all their cherry orchards. This came after difficult weather conditions and concerns about foreign competition, that made profits almost unfeasible in recent years
According to USDA's Noncitrus Fruits and Nuts summary, released in May, since 2015 Michigan cherry orchards' acreage has been receding at a fast pace, with a decline from 28,400 acres to 23,000 recorded last year.
Based on Northwest Michigan's avarage 7,733-pound yield, the cost related to cherries production avarages around 40 cents per pound, According to the Michigan Tart Cherry Cost of Production Study for 2022.
Some producers believe to have earne little over around 22 cents for a pound of cherries during last season, further emphasizing how the cherry business model could be turning into a not sustainable one in the future.
Juliette King-McAvoy, vice president of sales and marketing for King Orchards, a retail operation based in Antrim County, said that "when we see so many farmers either selling their land or taking their trees out to plant something else, it's alarming to us. Is this industry going to be able to survive? There's been a lot of consolidation in the processing end of the industry, so there aren't very many options for farmers to go to sell their cherries.”
Read the full article: The Detroit News
20 Oct 2023
The problem is the hours of cold. We speak of temperatures below 7° or 8°; and these temperatures do not occur on the Peruvian coast. Today, with the varieties tested, it is not possible to produce cherries in Peru; you get to flowering, but then the fruit does not set.
Tech management Production Press review
23 Jan 2024
According to Michigan grower White, the cherry industry has become a battle. Not only because of price management, but also because of the climate, which has been unfavourable for years. There is also the federal administration, which has not been able to help the growers.
20 Feb 2026
The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture (Canada) publishes a technical guide on the cultivation and pruning of stone and pome fruit trees. Focus on peach, plum, sweet cherry and pear trees, with guidance on work efficiency, crop load management and disease control.
20 Feb 2026
A Bulgarian study compares the SLECI system with drip irrigation in sweet cherry orchards. Water use reduced up to 14 times with similar yields and higher irrigation water productivity. A sustainable solution for drought-prone areas with limited energy resources.
