The Northwest Michigan Horticulture Research Center, is a research centre responsible for a cherry orchard of well over 130 hectares with a production of over 2000 tonnes of cherries per year. This number constitutes 83% of the cherry production of the entire state of Michigan.
In addition to the fresh product, the research centre also produces cherry tarts, supplying the entire US market and accounting for about half of the country's production of between 54,000 and 68,000 tonnes of pies each year.
Founded by the Northwest Michigan fruit industry, the centre is the leading research site for integrated pest management, horticultural production and management. Added to this is expertise in value-added processing, marketing and farm financial management practices for sweet and sour cherries, not to mention wine grapes, apples, plums and hops.
The work of the research centre also supports outreach, creating and expanding knowledge through research on cherries and other fruits and disseminating cutting-edge information to the Michigan fruit industry and the general public.
Last month, the TV station 9&10 News showed the live to the state of Michigan a tour of the research center to explain to the public what the research centre consists of and what kind of work this important centre does not only for Michigan but for the whole country.
To watch the 9&10 News interviews:
13 Jan 2025
A two-year study conducted in the United States on two sweet cherry cultivars, “Emperor Francis” and “Ulster,” analyzed six different soil treatment strategies to identify the best solutions for improving tree growth and managing nematodes.
20 Aug 2024
‘Different packaging companies are at different stages of digitisation,’ said Jon Cox, vice-president of Double Diamond, a packaging company in Quincy, Washington. ‘They have caught up with us where we were and are taking us to the next stage.’
14 Sep 2026
In Spain’s Jerte Valley, genomic selection is speeding up cherry breeding: Cicytex and Agrupación de Cooperativas Valle del Jerte will work through 2030 on 1,000 trees and around 110 varieties to identify fruit quality, ripening and market suitability earlier using DNA.
14 Sep 2026
Effective cherry blossom management improves pollination, fruit set and size. From beehives, Bombus colonies and pollen to auxin, cytokinin and fungicide applications, these key strategies help support yield, fruit quality and crop health throughout flowering season.
