Cherry growers expect late, light harvest

By ALEX STRICKLAND / Bigfork Eagle

The long winter and last year's bumper crop are expected to conspire to create a lighter-than-usual crop of Flathead Lake cherries this year, according the growers association.

Dale Nelson, head of the Flathead Lake Cherry Growers' Association, said a March frost nipped some buds and trees often produce less fruit the year following a bumper crop.

"Other than a mild heart attack everything looks fine," Nelson quipped about the threat of late-season cold.

"We were at 4 million pounds last year," he said. "This year will probably be a little over two million."

But a light crop in no way spells bad news for orchards, as the long winter will also cause one of the latest cherry harvests anyone can remember.

"In all commodities anytime you're the first or last you make more money," Nelson said.

Also playing in to the equation are late cold snaps that decimated some Washington orchards, slimming cherry production from that area this year.

The earliest orchards — those on Finley Point — are expected to harvest around July 25, he said. That should make the Flathead cherries among the last in North America.

And being last in many ways is helping Montana orchards come first.

This year, Nelson said, Wal-Mart's 11 large Montana stores will feature large displays featuring Flathead Lake cherries and the association will continue a relationship with some Midwest grocers that puts local cherries on Indiana and Ohio shelves. If the promotions with Wal-Mart go well, the chain could expand the displays to Idaho and the Dakotas.

"In some areas they just love anything from Montana," Nelson said. "The grocery owners liked the program last year and wanted to do it again."

The association's Web site has been at least partially responsible for the expanded sales and interest. Nelson said the site, www.montanacherries.com, is averaging 70,000 hits per month.

"It's amazing how big the interest is," he said.

The efficacy of the site was on display last year when growers sent their first semi-truck load of cherries to North Dakota.

"We got a hit on our Web site and a North Dakota grocer wanted some fruit," Nelson said. "We're semi-famous, I guess."