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We have had some rather winter like weather over the past days, with wind and heavy rains. Today's, and yesterday's, heavy rains sealed the deal for our first cherry harvest. All is lost, with ready to harvest cherries splitting and bursting under the wet onslaught. Of course, the orchard in only 3 years old, but that investment in time and money was for naught. 35 acres wiped out and no crop insurance because of no established harvest record.
We had removed an orchard of aged and past their prime Bosc pears to try cherries. That's what this business is, though, very weather dependent. it's a good thing that the family did not depend on the cherries to make or break the business, but it is a shock. We'll start planning for next year.
"Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage morale, and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled or hanged"....President Abraham Lincoln
Mike loosing the crop is bad news the cherry growers around flathead lake near kalispell lost 50% of their trees due to the severe cold last October I lost the 2 I had the cold was to early. danny
Sorry to here of your loss sir. Will keep you and yours in my prayers.
RustyJr
Life is a storm, my young friend. You will bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next. What makes you a man is what you do when that storm comes.
That's a shame Mike. As you know, Winter has lingered here in CA from Sacramento on up into Northern CA this year. As I'm typing this, it is snowing here in Alturas and the temperature is hovering around 30º this morning and it's 27 May for craps sake. I was on a ranch down near Likely the other day and the ranchers said that instead of the normal good three cuttings of alphalfa that they normallly get each year, they'd only get two good cuttings this year because of the weather.
We all entered the cherry game with full knowledge that we would be gambling on the weather every year. This year we drew a bad hand, but remain positive that the outcome will change by next season. This is a sideline crop, though, with the majority of the business remaining in pears and grapes, with a smattering of asparagus. The asparagus season ended last Wednesday, when the packing house shut down for the year. Even with competition from Argentina and Chile, "grass" remains a profitable crop. My sister and brother-in-law pulled 55 acres of asparagus this year to do another cherry orchard. Call us crazy, but by the time this little orchard is ready in a few years everyone hopes to have a good harvest. Other Delta growers have been in cherries for 20 yrs with much success, so this is really nothing new for the area. After 100 years of pears, it's time to diversify.
"Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage morale, and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled or hanged"....President Abraham Lincoln
