When West Michigan fruit growers braced for two nights of hard frost in late April, many in the industry feared a repeat of a disastrous 2012 season. And no one can really blame growers for having that notorious year stuck in the back of their mind. In 2012, an unusual weather pattern that started with 80 degree temperatures in late March was followed by a damaging frost that decimated the crop for fruit growers across the state. The weather wiped out 85 percent of Michigan’s apple crop and 90 percent of its tart cherries. Some West Michigan growers lost their entire crop that year.
Jamie Kober, enhancement director at Sparta Township-based Riveridge Produce Marketing Inc., said: “That’s what’s in the back of everyone’s mind, though, because it’s just recent memory. Compared to that, though, we’re in great shape.” Kober, whose company manages 860 acres of apple orchards on West Michigan’s fruit ridge, said that the industry hadn’t seen an event anywhere similar to that in the 70 years prior.
This year, West Michigan fruit growers faced a similar dynamic, but not nearly of the same scope. They had to grapple with two days of potentially devastating frost, leading to a couple sleepless nights spent out in the orchards to administer frost mitigation.
However, the industry is now creeping out of the danger zone as growers assess the damage to their current crop. While Kober said that the true effects of the two mornings of hard frost won’t be completely in focus for a month yet, he has not seen any indicators that would raise major concerns.
As explained on mibiz.com, Michigan is the third-largest apple producer in the country behind Washington and New York. The state is home to 14.9 million apple trees spread across 34,500 acres of orchards. As such a large player in the national and international fruit industry, the rest of the country takes note when Michigan faces conditions that might compromise the condition and quantity of its crop.