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Michigan cherries experiencing onslaught of weather issues

An extension educator says hail, high winds, and rains have pelted this year’s cherry crop.

Nikki Rothwell with Michigan State University Extension tells Brownfield weather challenges of some kind have been persistent across all growing regions.

“It’s just an ongoing onslaught of wet weather,” she shares. “It seems impossible to try to make sure everything’s covered for you to have high quality fruit, to keep insects and diseases down. It just feels like we’ve had so much rain.”

Rothwell is also the coordinator of the Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Center where she says rain totals are trending heavier.

“It’s not unusual to get 2-3 inches of rain now,” she says. “Lots of rain, lots of wash out events, and then just relative humidities are also so high.”

She says the center has only had five days with relative humidities in the 50s since the beginning of April and disease pressure has been widespread.

“This weather has not been kind to us and we want to make sure that we get the highest quality fruit we can,” she says. “My advice is as soon as that cherry is red or ready to go, or you’re working with your processor, try to be ready to make sure you’re getting that fruit off as soon as you can.”

Rothwell says harvest for tart and sweet cherries this year is at least a week ahead of normal and continued rain in the forecast could make it a difficult end to the season.

AUDIO: Nikki Rothwell, Michigan State University Extension

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