apples

It’s official: 2012 worst year on record for Michigan cherry growers

Lindsey Smith — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 22:12:33 +0000

You probably know 2012 was just horrible for Michigan’s fruit growers. But new data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows it was officially the worst on record since tracking began – in 1925.

There were only 11.6 million pounds of tart cherries produced in Michigan, usually the nation’s top producer of the fruit. That’s a 92 percent drop from last year’s 157.5 million pounds.

Marty Saffell is a USDA statistician based in the Michigan office in Lansing.

“For some of the fruits like peaches pears plums and cherries there are the majority of the growers had essentially zero crops so there was essentially zero income,” Saffell said.

Saffell says Michigan apple growers had the worst year since 1945.

Stateside: Bad year for apples, good year for grapes

Stateside Staff — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 17:45:02 +0000

2012 will go down as an "annus horribilis" for most fruit-growers in Michigan. Apples, cherries, pears have been hit hard by the big March warm-up followed by a spring frost, then a hot, dry summer.

But if you are a wine producer in Michigan, you might be feeling happier about the weather we've had this year!

Eddie O'Keefe is the President of Chateau Grand Traverse Wines on the beautiful Old Mission Peninsula.

There was a lot of nail biting amongst growers early in the season said Mr. O’Keefe.

Shriveled Michigan apple harvest means fewer jobs, tough year ahead

Noah Adams — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 20:10:39 +0000

An apple a day might keep the doctor away, but what do you do when there are no apples? It's a question western Michigan's apple growers are dealing with this season after strange weather earlier in the year decimated the state's apple cultivation.

Michigan is the third-largest apple producer in the U.S. after New York and Washington, but the state's apples will soon be in short supply.

After tough losses, MI farmers get some federal help

Michigan Radio Newsroom — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 20:11:02 +0000

The federal government has approved financial support for Michigan fruit growers whose crops suffered due to unusual temperature fluctuations.

Almost all of Michigan's counties--72 of 83-- are now considered natural disaster areas and eligible for help.

Some growers say crop losses haven't been this bad in three generations.

Crop insurance now a top priority for many hard hit Michigan farmers

Steve Carmody — Sat, 05 May 2012 20:01:01 +0000

Many Michigan farmers are spending this May focusing on their insurance needs.

The sporadic spring freezes and frosts that followed the unusually mild winter devastated Michigan’s apple, cherry and peach crops. Most farmers have access to some form of crop insurance. But according to the Michigan Farm Bureau, the insurance only covers about 60 to 70 percent of the loss.