The cherry is queen of crops grown in Leelanau County. Why not give it an official title for all of Michigan?
A bill was introduced last week by state Sen. John Damoose proclaiming in simple terms that the cherry be named the official state fruit. It’s a title left unfilled by oversight rather than worthiness. Michigan grows more tart cherries than any other state; Leelanau harvests more cherries than any other county in the nation.
And besides, what’s not to love about cherries — that is, unless you’ve relied on them for a living the last few years. It’s no secret that cherry farmers have been beset by setbacks, from unfair competition on a global scale to invasive insect invaders to frosty April and May mornings that can wipe out a crop before flowers bloom.
It’s been a rough road. When cheerleading for cherry recognition as the state fruit I hear some naysaying — nothing too critical — that questions whether such a proclamation might be little more than a political play during an election year. Some of that criticism is negated because Damoose is in the middle of his four-year term; he isn’t running for reelection.
And some is a reflection of growers hearing promises about programs aimed at fixing what ails their economic viability. None have panned out, at least on a scale that makes much of a difference.
In plain terms, the result is waning cherry dominance in county agriculture. And there is no other crop capable of taking its place. Grapes are popular and prolific, but vineyards are measured in acres, not quarter sections. Farmers growing corn that is now selling for $3.75 a bushel are losing money. Only one dairy operation remains in a county where more than a dozen existed a generation or two ago.
Decades ago cherry growers sloughed off difficult years because they were always one crop away from restoring their bank accounts — and then some. Now a good season pays the bills and, hopefully, keeps up with debt.
All that negativity leads to weariness. But there is hope. Orchardists banded to form the Cherry Grower Alliance under the leadership of Leisa Eckerle-Hankins, a retailer who hails from a generational cherry family. In another recent development, two leaders in the industry — the Cherry Marketing Institute and the Cherry Industry Administrative Board — started working collaboratively under one executive director.
So folks are uniting from within to better the bottom lines of growers.
Now it’s time for community and government to get on board.
That’s why I embrace the idea of making the cherry the state fruit. The simple act will shine a spotlight on the industry, promoting the many benefits of cherries while also exposing the vulnerability of its future.
In Leelanau County, we are constantly giving thanks for our bountiful natural resources, and for good reason. But think of hillsides without orchards, filled with McMansions or, as a television commercial espouses, solar panels.
Worse, think of the loss felt by a fifth- or sixthgeneration farm family whose balance sheets tell them to pull trees against their passion to continue looking for a break in the clouds.
I believe there is a reason that cherries have not already been named the state fruit. It’s because today more than ever the industry needs our full attention.
Let’s elevate cherries, and with them our farmers who grow them. Are you listening, Lansing?
