Buds looking good, growers hopeful for ‘sizable cherry crop’ 

Longtime orchardist Roger Bailey at Kalwood Farms sounds upbeat as he cuts into buds forming this spring on his cherry trees in Lake Country.

Things are looking a lot better than they did at this time last year.

“We knew we were in for a tough year. It was yet to be determined if there would be anything and as it turned out, there was practically no crop at all,” recalls Bailey’s neighbour, Alan Gatzke at Gatzke Orchards.

The industry suffered a major blow last season when an extreme cold snap in January devastated not just cherries but most soft fruits in the valley.

“We’ve had up to four bad seasons in a row with a range of polar vortex and heat domes and such,” notes Sukhpaul Bal, president of the BC Cherry Association.

“It’s been a tough run and thankfully, right now, as we speak, there is a sizable cherry crop out there when you look at the buds that are on the trees,” he adds.

Over at Jealous Fruits in Kelowna, owner David Geen is knocking on wood.

“We do have to get through the spring frost period yet. So, typically up to and including the end of April frost can be an issue,” said Geen. “But that’s something that’s a little more readily mitigated than winter cold.”

He points out that growers can bring in fans or use helicopters to prevent frost damage. Bal says the industry is also investing in research to try to protect buds from cold snaps in the future.

The weather isn’t the only uncertainty looming over cherry orchards. Okanagan producers are closely watching to see if trade tensions with the U.S. and China spill over into their industry.

“We’re fortunate in that the cherry industry as a whole, we export into the U.S. and we export into China but we also export into a lot of other markets and, of course, ship a lot into Canada as well. So, we’ve got a little more flexibility to adapt as required, " said Geen.

Rising 'buy Canadian' sentiment is something they hope to tap into. The BC Cherry Association is putting more money behind a campaign targeting buyers in eastern Canada.

“The campaign is something that’s definitely needed to bring awareness that we do have the cherries. The grocery chains just have to take a little bit of extra effort and find which packing house or which sales agency has got the volume,” said Bal.

Gatzke is planning to open his farm market a few weeks earlier than normal, near the beginning of May. He’s feeling good about what he’s hearing from Canadians who want to support farmers.

Fingers are crossed that Mother Nature cooperates and growers in the valley will have a bumper cherry crop to meet that demand.