June 2020 - 1

Navigating U-picks
in the COVID-19
pandemic
Blueberry irrigators look
for exact combinations
6
12
22
Growers strive for safe
workplaces during
COVID-19
June 2020 | Volume 59 |
Issue 6
The 2019 harvest season at Cherry
Ke Inc. and Cherries R Us Inc.
Photos: Nels Veliquette
BRIGHT SPOTS
Montmorency cherry growers upbeat on future
By Stephen Kloosterman
Associate Editor
Michigan's tart cherry growers in
the last 12 months faced bad prices,
retaliatory tariffs in the international
markets and a disappointing decision
from the U.S. International Trade
Commission (ITC) regarding cheap
imports from Turkey.
And yet, the group is focused on the
future, savoring bright spots that again
show the value the small, red fruits
represent to
consumers: A
big government
purchase of tart
cherries, an
expanding new
foreign market
and a sustained
focus on reaching
domestic
consumers.
Nels Veliquette
NELS
VELIQUETTE
represents northern
Michigan and is secretary of of the Cherry
Industry Association Board (CIAB). Based
in northwest Michigan, the Veliquette
family of growers does business through
Cherry Ke Inc. and Cherries R Us Inc.,
marketing its fruit with other growers in
the area through Shoreline Fruit.
" We're not the only tasty, highantioxidant
superfruit out there, " he said of
the Montmorency tart cherry commodity.
" It seems like everybody's a superfruit, or a
superfood, or a whatever these days. You've
got to taste good, you've got to look good,
and you've got to have a good program to
reach consumers. "
Big buys
Two-thirds of U.S. Montmorency
cherries are grown in Michigan. The
state cultivated 34,100 acres in 2019,
according to a report from the USDA's
National Agricultural Statistics Service
(NASS). Other productive states are Utah,
Washington, New York and Wisconsin.
In the Great Lakes state, last year was a
rough one. The 2019 marketing year average
price, at $0.143 per pound, was the lowest
since 1998, according to NASS' report. Tart
cherry production was down 15% from
2018. At the farm level, Michigan's value of
utilized production was $22.5 million.
The industry faced a number of
challenges from outside, including
retaliatory tariffs in the international
markets, but government purchases helped,
including two $15-million buys in 2019.
Petitions from the Dried Tart Cherry
Trade Committee, which included
Shoreline Fruit LLC, alleged cheap imports
from Turkey were being unfairly dumped
in the U.S. market. After an investigation,
the U.S. Department of Commerce
announced in September 2019 that Turkey
" exporters sold dried tart cherries at less
than fair value. " But the ITC in January
2020 declined to impose any antidumping
and countervailing duty orders, writing
that " imports from Turkey held only a
small presence in the U.S. market, " not
enough to harm the domestic industry.
The petitioners decided not to pursue any
additional legal action.
But time has been kind to the
industry - imports were cut off due to
the pandemic of the new coronavirus,
COVID-19. The industry leaders didn't
miss a beat, keeping up their work to
prepare for another buy. And in early
May, elected officials announced a
See CHERRIES, page 5

June 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2020

June 2020 - 1
June 2020 - 2
June 2020 - 3
June 2020 - 4
June 2020 - 5
June 2020 - 6
June 2020 - 7
June 2020 - 8
June 2020 - 9
June 2020 - 10
June 2020 - 11
June 2020 - 12
June 2020 - 13
June 2020 - 14
June 2020 - 15
June 2020 - 16
June 2020 - 17
June 2020 - 18
June 2020 - 19
June 2020 - 20
June 2020 - 21
June 2020 - 22
June 2020 - 23
June 2020 - 24
June 2020 - 25
June 2020 - 26
June 2020 - 27
June 2020 - 28
June 2020 - 29
June 2020 - 30
June 2020 - 31
June 2020 - 32
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/april-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/march-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/february-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/january-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/december-fgn
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/fgn-vgn-40-under-40-class-of-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/buyers-guide-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/november-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/october-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/september-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/august-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/july-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/june-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/may-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/april-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/march-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/february-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/january-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/december-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/november-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/buyers-guide
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/october-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/september-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/august-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/july-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/june-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/may-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/april-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/march-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/february-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/buyersguide-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/january-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/december-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/november-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/october-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/september-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/august-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/july-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/june-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/may-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/april-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/march-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/february-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/buyersguide-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/january-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/december-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/november-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/october-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/september-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/august-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/july-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/june-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/may-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/april-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/march-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/february-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/buyersguide-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/january-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/december-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/november-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/october-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/september-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/august-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/july-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/june-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/may-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/april-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/march-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/february-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/FGN/january-2019
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com