Cherry orchards extending as far as the eye can see: it’s not exactly the quintessential prairie image, but it’s becoming increasingly common in Saskatchewan. From 1996 to 2006, the number of prairie cherry operations more than tripled from 47 to 155, and the area being farmed in cherries grew over 600 per cent.
“We could be facing five million pounds of cherries a year in the next two to three years,” said Bruce Hill, president of the Canadian Cherry Producers Inc., a non-profit group made up of prairie cherry growers.
Unfortunately, a lack of processing and marketing infrastructure combined with undeveloped consumer demand for the looming abundance of cherries could leave Saskatchewanians with too much of a good thing. Perfectly good cherries could be left to rot on the tree.
Why so many cherries?
The dramatic leap in cherry production is thanks to decades of breeding cherries at the University of Saskatchewan, the last funded facility in Canada doing cold-hardy fruit research. And we’re not talking pins or chokes – U of S cherries can be the size of a quarter. And though they’re considered a sour or “tart” cherry (the kind used in commercial pie fillings), they’re sweeter than varieties grown elsewhere.
The U of S cherries, which include six varieties released since 1999, were developed to withstand winter temperatures of minus 40. They’re sweet enough to eat fresh; they’re relatively easy to grow organically because the cold prairie climate is less conducive to cherry pests and diseases; their innards are naturally red so don’t require red dye for processing; the bushes are just the right height for picking without bending or climbing; each variety ripens at a different time, ensuring the longest possible harvest; and ripe fruit falls right off with the shake of a branch.
No wonder local producers have jumped at the opportunity to grow these magical fruits. What could possibly be wrong with having heaps of delicious, versatile, hardy cherries growing close to home?
Managing the abundance
Unfortunately, the cherry industry may be about to prove that you can have too much of a good thing – no matter how sweet and delicious.
“It’s growing way faster than we thought, and it’s putting the pressure on the marketing,” said Hill, who has his own 5,000-plant orchard on nine and a half acres near Imperial, Saskatchewan. Because cherry production increases geometrically, if you have one pound per tree this year you can expect 10 to 15 pounds per tree the second year and 25 to 30 pounds per tree the third year. “It ramps up very quickly,” he said.
Producers elsewhere face the same challenges. In August 2009, the Associated Press reported that a food marketing order set by the United States Cherry Industry Administrative Board forced American growers to divert 42 per cent of their harvest away from the domestic market. When supply outweighs demand, the Administrative Board has the power to set limits on how many cherries can be sold.
“They control the amount of cherries going into the market to keep the prices up,” said Hill. Surplus crops are diverted to export markets, food bank donations or perfectly good cherries go to waste.
The Saskatchewan Fruit Growers Association is well aware of this and other challenges inherent in growing a cherry industry. Back in 2006 the organization commissioned a report on the viability of the prairie cherry.
“Without the increase in processing capacity,” the report found, “much of the sour cherry crop will be unharvested or unmarketable.”
Not all cherries are created equal
It’s not the first time that Saskatchewan could wind up with too much of a good-quality product. Gluts of bison clogged up the supply chain when enthusiastic farmers were first getting into the industry, as did saskatoon berries when growers first tried to introduce the previously unknown berry into the marketplace.
Prairie cherry growers hope to learn from the past. Rather than trying to compete in the dyed red, cutthroat international commodity cherry market, the Saskatchewan Fruit Growers Association report encouraged prairie producers to market their unique cherries differently, for example as health foods, “nutraceuticals” or high-end treats.
Hill agrees. “It’s essential to differentiate ourselves from the international sour cherry market,” he said. “One of our tasks in marketing is to convince people that these cherries aren’t worth $0.35 per pound; they’re worth $4.00 per pound.”
Savvy prairie producers are already working this angle. Over the Hill
Orchards in Lumsden, Saskatchewan, markets handsomely packaged chocolate-covered cherries, and swanky restaurants like Edmonton’s Hotel McDonald source local cherries for their dessert menus.
Impact on food security
In this model, Saskatchewan-grown foods must become luxury items in order for growers to survive in the international market. But if all our new cherry
producers focus their best efforts on making high-end cherry liqueurs, chocolates, vinaigrettes, vitamin capsules and salsa, will healthy local food become any more accessible to regular prairie people?
On the other extreme, flooding the market with undervalued cherries or
letting them rot to keep prices high is troubling too. Though it’s crucial for our farmers to be paid a fair price for the food they grow, when it comes to food security, mismanagement of too much food is as bad as not having enough. In the meantime, local communities are left no closer to being able to control their own food supplies.
The way forward
Survival in cherry growing, like any other type of farming, isn’t cheap. The costs of years spent waiting for plants to reach maturity, mechanical pickers, pitters, freezing units and dryers all add up. But even if prairie cherry growers overcome all these obstacles, without the infrastructure and demand in place, our magical prairie cherry is in danger of going the way of the Michigan tart cherry: rotting on the tree.
Saskatchewan cherry producers hope that by working together, they can find a way forward. “No one person can tackle these issues, but a group like Cherry Producers can,” said Hill of the grower-driven group that’s working to establish best practices for production, study the feasibility of regional processing, develop and implement a marketing strategy and seek funding for further research.
“If I can put one of our cherries in your mouth, I know you’ll be back,” promises Hill.
Through the innovative work at the U of S, it would seem that we of cold climates find ourselves with a special prize in the prairie cherry. Now it’s time to see that it doesn’t go to waste.