Michigan grown and processed apple, cherry and asparagus products are expected to help fill the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) national grocery cart as the government stocks up for its domestic feeding program.

The fruits and vegetables will likely be offered through the national school lunch program, and nutrition program for the elderly.

“We’re excited the government is buying apple-cherry juice to put into their program,” said Suttons Bay fruit grower Don Gregory.

For the first time, USDA plans to buy apple-cherry juice blended from 80 percent apples and 20 percent cherries. The juice blend is a new product that the Michigan Processing Apple Growers Division of the Michigan Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Association (MACMA) and the Cherry Marketing Institute jointly marketed to the USDA.

“We’ve worked for quite a while to come up with the specs (for bidding) so they could get our product into their program,” Gregory said.

USDA buys several different juices, but historically the only other apple juice blend purchased by the government agency has been one made with cranberries.

In pitching the product to USDA buyers, the MACMA apple division and CMI said apple-cherry juice would make good use of excess inventories of Michigan apples and cherries, and provide a healthy and nutritious beverage for recipients of the agency’s food assistance programs.

Originally, Michigan’s 2006 apple harvest was forecast at 17 million bushels, which apple processors based their marketing decisions on. But rainy weather in the fall gave the crop a growth burst that resulted in a total of nearly 21 million bushels. In the cherry sector, the number of severe weather events made tart cherries less desirable for the fresh market and pushed more of the crop into the juice market.

Mixing apples and cherries into a juice combination helps alleviate the two surplus commodities and is a “win-win” for both growers and processors, as many apple producers also grow cherries, said Dawn Drake, manager of MACMA’s apple division. The USDA intends to buy 119,000 cases of apple-cherry juice in 46-ounce cans.

“It’s a great new opportunity and we’re delighted USDA will try it,” Drake said.

Both Drake and Korson expect the juice will be popular among children who benefit from the national school lunch program, and they say the USDA’s willingness to buy the new product illustrates the agency’s more modern approach in providing youth with food choices that are healthy, nutritious and commercially appealing.

“USDA wants to give kids the more current types of products that they can get at stores or restaurants, so apple-cherry juice is a great addition to the school lunch menu,” Drake said.

The agency is also accepting bids for frozen apple slices — another product that the MACMA apple division urged USDA to buy. The agency plans to buy 96,360 cases of frozen apple slices in 30-pound quantities.

In addition, the organization’s apple division had requested the USDA buy canned applesauce. Drake expects the agency to announce its buying intentions soon.

Meanwhile, USDA plans to purchase additional apple juice, which could further benefit Michigan apple growers and processors. The agency recently announced its intention to buy 309,400 cases of apple juice in 46-ounce cans. The decision comes on the heels of a May 29 purchase of 147,560 cases of apple juice in 12- and 46-ounce cans at a cost of $1.675 million. Michigan processors were awarded 74 percent of the contracts.