Cherry growers talk shop
YELLOW BAY — As you ride through Polson, it’s incredibly easy to see all the cherry-themed places the area has to offer. And while cherry season is still a few months away, growers flocked to the Yellow Bay Community Clubhouse on Saturday, March 31 for the 77th Annual Cherry Growers’ Meeting.
Open to the public and members of the Flathead Lake Cherry Growers’ co-op, the meeting featured presentations, door prizes and keynote speaker Norm Gutzwiler, a leading grower in the state of Washington, a crop management consultant and a long-time advisor to Montana growers.
Gutzwiler spoke to roughly 80 people about threats to cherry harvests, how to minimize problems and how to maximize the season.
“We opened it to the public to come have the education,” Ken Edgington, secretary and director of the FLCG, said. “It’s a fun event for the cherry growing community.”
It’s no secret that cherries are a huge attraction in and around Polson during the summer months. Festivals highlight the season, fruit stands are abundant and new events are constantly sprouting up. This year, in an effort to bring awareness to the sweet cherry industry, FLCG and the Polson School District developed an art contest for middle and high school students.
Edgington estimated that there are roughly 150 or so cherry growers in the region but in a sense, it’s bigger than that.
“Even though it’s a small industry, it’s a well-loved industry,” Edgington said. “In my case, people visit our orchard and plan their vacations to come when the cherries are ripe.”
Harvesting begins around mid-July in Montana, but because of the terrain and climate, can extend later than nearby areas.
“That keeps us away from Washington,” Edgington said. “We’ve always had the advantage of saying we grow the latest cherries because of the altitude and everything else.”
Montana’s landscape also gives it an edge over other areas because of its summer temperatures.
“The thing that sets Montana apart is that we have very cool evenings,” Edgington said. “Our cherries will cool down then grow during the day, allowing the cherry to stay on the tree longer. The longer you can keep it on the tree, the more the tree can do to produce a bigger cherry, a sweeter cherry and bring up the sugar content.”
While Montana has those advantages, only care and a little bit of luck give growers the ideal opportunity to capitalize on its potential.
Lots of rain and snow in the fall, winter and spring can be beneficial, but precipitation around harvest time can lead to cracking of the cherry, which can cost growers money and ruin a good portion of a crop. Western fruit flies are also a problem, but one that growers can handle with sprays. If they don’t, the result can be devastating.
“We’ve been able to control the western fruit fly with the proper sprays,” Edgington said. “It can absolutely destroy a crop. Those of us who sell commercially, there’s zero tolerance. If they find a fruit fly in your fruit, you’re closed down for that year.”
Fortunately, the western fruit fly only reproduces once per year. However, a new threat, the spotted-winged drosophila, can reproduce over and over again and only takes 10 days to become pregnant and hatch an egg, though typical sprays are effective against them as well.
“You have to be very careful that the effectiveness of your spray doesn’t wear off,” Edgington said.
Fortunately, with such a large audience at the growers meeting over the weekend, many cherry producers around the area are up to speed on how to care for and manage their crop, which could be sweet for them and for the community in just a matter of months.