Outlook good for late July cherry harvest

The Flathead Valley has contended with some unfavorable weather throughout the spring and summer, but conditions reportedly are looking good for Flathead cherries, according to Bruce Johnson with the Flathead Lake Cherry Growers.

While the wet, cold conditions made outdoor recreation miserable for a few weeks, those factors seem to be helping this year’s cherry crop, Johnson said. “What we’ve had has been really good,” he reported.

The cold weather has slightly delayed the harvest, and Johnson said a later harvest usually means better cherries. Cherries typically start hitting stands in mid-July, but Johnson said it looks like they’ll be ready to eat closer to the last week of July or the beginning of August this year.

“It varies each year, pretty much depending on the pollination period and the type of weather after,” Johnson explained. The pollination period has traditionally occurred around Mother’s Day, but in recent years Johnson said it has been arriving earlier and earlier. This year, though, it was a few days late, taking place soon after the Mother’s Day holiday. Later is “generally better,” Johnson said.

“The hot weather is what really brings the cherries on,” Johnson explained. The recent warmer temperatures are therefore getting the orchards ready for picking in the next few weeks.

He noted the unseasonably cold weather around Easter damaged some of the buds, but he’s confident “it’s still going to be a nice-sized crop.”

Last summer, Flathead Lake Cherry Growers produced around 2 million pounds of cherries. Johnson predicted this year’s harvest will have “a little bit less volume than last year,” although he added he can’t be exactly sure about the crop size yet.

Johnson expects the fruit this year to be “lighter and bigger” due to the colder weather, which he said is good for the growers.

All of the recent rain has helped the harvest, too. Johnson pointed out orchard owners like himself have not needed to water their trees this year.

But not all precipitation is good for the cherries. Hailstorms during June were a potential threat to the cherries, but since many of the storms have been small, isolated and sporadic, the cherries seem to be spared. “We have not seen any damage from hail,” Johnson said.

He pointed out the cherries are at a point right now where they are firm and yellow-to-orange in color, so they are more resilient to hail than they would be closer to the harvest.

Another big concern for Johnson and the 70 growers of the Flathead Lake Cherry Growers cooperative is the impact of COVID-19. Johnson explained the pandemic has repercussions for every stage in the cherry-growing process, from picking the cherries to selling them in stores.

“That’s a question we’re dealing with right now,” Johnson said. So far, he is hopeful the virus won’t cut into cherry sales too much.

He pointed out harvesting the cherries is a natural social-distancing activity, since trees are usually spaced about 12 feet apart and rows are planted about 16 feet apart. One individual picker usually works on a single row, and the pickers usually travel in contained family units, in Johnson’s experience. “That gives them separation when they’re working for us out in the field,” he said.

Shifting trends in shopping and eating out present another potential challenge for this year’s cherry sales. But as long as shoppers are still going grocery shopping, Johnson feels cherries will remain a popular item. “We still believe cherries will be in high demand like they always are,” he said.

Flathead cherries are in a somewhat privileged position because they are the last of the U.S.-grown sweet cherries to arrive on the market. Flathead Lake cherry growers have therefore been able to keep an eye on the harvest in places like Washington state to get a preview of what might be to come.

While plenty of unknowns remain, Johnson is confident.

“There are going to be cherries this year. There are going to be good cherries. We’ll have plenty of those this year,” he said.

Reporter Bret Anne Serbin may be reached at (406)-758-4459 or bserbin@dailyinterlake.com.