Test begins for cherry varieties

After a number of Flathead Lake cherries were left hanging on trees last season because of tough competition from crops in Washington, area growers were ready to try something new.

That's where Pat McGlynn came in. McGlynn, a Montana State University extension agent in Flathead County, took the lead on setting up a project to test other cherry varieties that could be harvested both earlier and later than the currently locally grown Lambert and Lapin cherries to help heighten local growers' competitiveness. She organized a test group of six orchards scattered throughout different microclimates on Flathead Lake and secured initial funding for a five-year sweet cherry variety trial.

"This isn't the finish — it's just the start," McGlynn said. "Nothing like this has ever been done in Montana before."

The study, which began this spring, is the first of its kind in Montana's cherry market. It aims to help cherry growers manage their risk when picking new varieties of trees with later ripening dates to try to fit in windows of opportunity in the market. It will, McGlynn hopes, determine which alternative varieties can grow and be successful around the Lake. The Flathead currently has approximately 1,000 acres of sweet cherries grown at about 150 orchards, she said.

The project's funding so far includes nearly $10,000 from the Growth through Agriculture program and $14,600 from the Cherry Marketing and Research Program, both at the Montana Department of Agriculture.

This money helped fund the planting of 264 trees in late May. Each orchard has 44 trees in the same order. McGlynn has also hired a researcher from Washington State University, Matt Whiting, to do the analysis and act as a consultant for the project.

"It's really exciting," McGlynn said. "It's a great partnership with the state and growers. I feel there are so many things we can do to work with the cherry growers."

Mark St. Sauver of St. Sauver Orchards near Yellow Bay said he was approached last fall to be a part of the study.

"I thought it was a good idea to test out some new varieties," St. Sauver said. "We are all looking for ways to keep growing cherries."

These varieties include Hudson, Regina, Attika, Santina and one variety that's so new it doesn't have a name other than SR500. The trees won't begin producing for three years, but the project will have some results in the first year just by how the trees weather the winter and deal with insects, disease and transplant shock.

"I'm looking forward to it," St. Sauver said. "I hope the trees take off and we get some good information for analysis out of it."

Aside from St. Sauver, other growers participating and donating the use of some of their land to the project are Dick and Bernie Beighle, Louise Swanberg, Gerald and Marilyn Bowman, Barry Hansen and Wade Rediesel. But, the results will be shared and published for all Flathead cherry growers, McGlynn said.

"It's very transparent, open and accessible to other growers," said McGlynn, noting that neighboring growers are able to come view the project and see how it's going.

McGlynn said the hardest part thus far was getting the trees ordered. Most orchards order their trees a year in advance. The project got its funding in March and had to scramble to get the trees it wanted.

"They look wonderful," McGlynn said of how the young trees are looking now that they're in the ground.

The next step is to wait and watch.

"Now we let Mother Nature take over," McGlynn said.