Cherry Farmers

Spring frosts slashed Michigan's tart cherry harvest by 24 percent. Early blooms and late freezes continue threatening future cherry crops and now, some growers have canceled harvests or considered replacing cherry orchards.

We're talking tourism, tradition, farming and aerial stunts on this special edition of the Up North Lowdown.

The spring weather has put stress on cherry trees and growers across Michigan. Experts say the window for pollination is closing, but growers are hoping for a strong crop.

This week: A new radio station in Elberta aims to connect neighbors, an artist paints the changing cherry landscape, and the Antrim Co. clerk tries a write-in campaign.

This week, we meet the hype man for the Traverse City Pit Spitters, in his final season with the team. Also, cherry farmers try to adapt to a changing marketplace.

As growing tart cherries becomes less viable because of pressures like imports, development and climate change, some farmers have found ways to adapt.

National Cherry Festival is wrapping up this weekend but the cherry harvest is just beginning. A researcher and a grower reflect on this season and the years to come.

Cherry Bay Orchards in Suttons Bay received a $100,000 grant from the state to provide better housing for guest workers during harvest season.

Cherry farmers in northern Michigan have wrestled with erratic weather that damages crops for decades. This year, growers are projected to lose roughly two thirds of their harvest – a bad haul for the second year in a row. Could climate change mean the end of cherry farming Up North?

Cherry farmers in northern Michigan have wrestled with erratic weather that damages crops for decades. This year, growers are projected to lose roughly two thirds of their harvest – a bad haul for the second year in a row. Could climate change mean the end of cherry farming Up North?