Growers vote on cherry check-off

Cherry producers in the Flathead Valley are facing a decision on whether to continue a collaborative program that pooled money from growers to provide market research, educational symposiums and pest-control funds for the last 15 years.

Ballots were mailed Nov. 16 to every cherry producer in the valley in a referendum on whether the program should continue or wither and die before next year. The ballots are due back Dec. 1, at which point they will be counted and a verdict will be issued by the state Department of Agriculture, said Zach Coccoli, an attorney in the marketing and development bureau of the agriculture department.

The state sent out about 100 ballots and the results should take a day or two to tabulate, Coccoli said. He also said the results would be binding, and the majority decision would be honored regardless of voter turnout.

The program in question, also known as the “cherry check-off,” was first started to help growers combat an infestation of cherry fruit flies. Pooling resources allowed growers to conduct research on the best methods to control the pest, and the methods were then applied to other problems as well. The idea was to have a way to conduct research specific to small growers here rather than rely on data funded by bigger growers from outside the state.

Decisions on how to invest the resources from the cherry check-off are made by the Department of Agriculture with guidance from the Cherry Advisory Committee, which is made up primarily of growers in the valley.

Lise Rousseau, owner of Fat Robin Orchard & Farm, is the outgoing chair of that committee. She says its membership is fairly evenly split on the referendum, though she is in favor of keeping it alive.

“I think it’s very important for Montana cherry growers to facilitate research and marketing that’s specifically for Montana cherries,” Rousseau said. “I think there is a tendency for us to rely on data and research from other states that have different climates and resources than we have.”

Since the program’s inception, growers in the valley have been mandated to chip in half a percent of proceeds from their first point of sale to the common pool, usually from a roadside stand or to a wholesaler. Growers that are members of the Flathead Lake Cherry Grower’s Co-op pay their fee through that organization. The first 300 pounds a grower sells aren’t taxed for the program, Rousseau said.

Rousseau said the total number can fluctuate wildly from year to year depending on the size and quality of the harvest, but the fund has an annual income of between $10,000 and $30,000. With that money they conduct market research and variety trials and have put on a symposium each of the last two years where growers can learn new techniques and skills from outside experts.

“The cherry check-off was, for me, something that gathered funds for things that could benefit the entire cherry industry,” Rousseau said. “We are mostly small growers.”

The program isn’t without its problems, and neither is the decision by the Department of Agriculture to conduct the survey to decide its fate.

Rousseau said that despite the fact that it is technically required that every grower contributes to the fund, there is no history of the state taking action against orchards that don’t chip in their fair share. Some growers freeload off those paying their fees while others feel put upon by the parasitic relationship, she added.

She also said this is a weird time of year to have a mail-in survey with a quick turnaround. Growers have only about two weeks to receive the ballot and mail it back to the state Department of Agriculture, and this time of year many of the growers aren’t in town.

“We have snowbirds that have orchards, and that letter has to find them wherever they are,” Rousseau said. “I’m hoping we get enough responses that it will be reflective of wishes of the community.”

Jan Tusick is the center director for Mission Mountain Food Enterprise, and has been involved with the cherry check-off program since its inception. She is convinced of its utility, but thinks its future is no foregone conclusion. She said it is not unlikely that 2017 could have been its final growing season.

“There are probably some members of the co-op that don’t support this program at all because they don’t like having money taken out of their pockets,” Tusick said. “I’m sure that it’s hard for an individual person to see the big picture.”

Jana Mertens, an employee with the Department of Agriculture, organized the symposiums that took place each of the last two years. She said the results of the survey were unpredictable, and either side has an equal chance at winning.

“I will be surprised either way,” Mertens said. “I don’t know.”

Reporter Peregrine Frissell can be reached at (406) 758-4438 or pfrissell@dailyinterlake.com.