At the national level, the production forecast for this year is 222,000,000 pounds (100,697 tonnes). Lance Honing from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA/NASS) says that a large portion of this figure is due to Michigan.
“Of these 222,000,000 pounds, they represent 182 million pounds of the total. In Michigan, in particular, we are seeing the largest harvest since 2018,” said Honing. In fact, Michigan grows about 75% of tart cherries and has seen an increase of 37.7% compared to last year's harvest.
“We had freezing issues that limited the harvest. So, with this large increase, it is still a historically very large harvest, and we are in great shape for tart cherries this season.”
This year, Michigan is not only leading in cherry production, but it also has the task of keeping the number of sweet cherries high nationally, while other states producing sweet cherries are in decline.
“The national total, 355,000 tonnes, technically you could say it has increased by 3/10 of a percent compared to last year’s production. But if you exclude Michigan, which was not counted in last year’s total, there is a 5.9% decrease compared to last year for the other three states we measured in both seasons,” he explained.
“This is largely due to the fact that we have seen a smaller harvest or are expecting a smaller harvest in both California and Washington. They are by far the dominant producers of sweet cherries in the United States.” In recent years, Michigan has not been included in the sweet cherry production estimates due to low production numbers. Now that the numbers have increased, the USDA has once again included the state in the estimates.
Source: AgNetWest
Image: SL Fruit Service
17 Dec 2024
The working group led by engineer Andrés Olivos (Olivos Spa) and Dr Arturo Calderón (Agronomía UdeC) provides guidelines on how to use stem water potential measurement to accurately plan the frequency of irrigation in cherry trees.
15 Oct 2024
In studies of investigating the mechanism by which leaf development affects the onset of leaf senescence, reverse genetic approaches offer the mechanistic understanding of genes and proteins that link leaf development to senescence.
11 Feb 2026
A Chinese study shows the effectiveness of 5-aminolevulinic acid hydrochloride against sweet cherry black rot, inhibiting Alternaria alternata and improving postharvest fruit quality. An innovative strategy for food safety and sustainable crop protection.
11 Feb 2026
Post-harvest sweet cherry management is a key phase for reserve accumulation, flower bud differentiation and future yield. In Chile, summer pruning, irrigation, nutrition and stress control influence vegetative balance, fruit quality and long-term orchard performance.
