Southeast Michigan fruit farmers take massive hit on cherry crop due to spring temperatures

ROCHESTER, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) – Hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses, over half of a cherry crop loss and one Metro Detroit fruit farm is trying to remain optimistic about the future of the fruit growing in Southeast Michigan

A look at the cherry trees at Schramm’s Orchards in Rochester will tell you that it’s been a rough spring.

“That’s the thing about mother nature is that you just don’t get to decide,” says Sarah Schramm, an orchardist at Schramm’s Orchards.

A 70% loss this season in cherries is due to an up-and-down spring when it comes to the forecast.

“Every day, it threatened to dip below freezing since maybe the second week of March. The cherries can withstand a certain temperature down to about 28,” Schramm told CBS News Detroit.

When you dip lower than that, like what Schramm’s Orchards saw, it can make for a devastating loss of cherries that they say will add up to over $100,000 in losses.

“You don’t find a lot of fruit growers at the casino. This is pretty much how we live our lives. We gamble on the weather which is even way worse odds than roulette or blackjack,” said Nels Velliquette, a fruit grower in northwestern Michigan, where cherry farms are in no shortage.

He says economically, the price of cherries and products from them can fluctuate annually depending on how successfully a crop turns out.

“Everything costs more money these days but I would encourage people to look at the root cause of what those costs are. It’s one thing if you’re paying more for paper towel or toilet paper. It’s another thing if you’re paying more for a specialty crop from somebody who you know, who is putting money right back into your community,” Velliquette said

Schramm said the loss will not impact pricing. The meadery announced Friday that one of its most popular meads, “Statement Reserve,” is releasing from what they said was a bountiful harvest of Schaerbeek cherries last season. The same cherries took a massive hit this season.