State Rep. Betsy Coffia (D-Traverse City), center, speaks at the roundtable. MDARD Director Tim Boring, left and Isaiah Wunsch, right at the City of Traverse City on Oct.23, 2024.
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich., Oct. 23, 2024 — State Rep. Betsy Coffia (D-Traverse City) and Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) Director Tim Boring hosted a roundtable discussion today with local cherry farmers on the challenges they are facing regarding crop loss and potential solutions. They were also joined by Kelly Lively, regional representative for U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI).
“Agriculture is Michigan’s second-largest economic sector. The Traverse City area is known as the Cherry Capital of the World, and the Grand Traverse region produces 20% of the nation’s sweet cherries. Cherry production is vital to the health of northwestern Michigan’s economy, so we cannot allow this industry to falter,” Coffia said. “I want to thank all of our participants for joining this discussion and sharing their input as I continue my efforts to bring relief to farmers that have been impacted by this disastrous growing season. The work is not over.”
A mild winter was met with a warm, wet and very humid spring and early summer — a perfect storm of conditions that caused an explosion of insects and fungi. Costly and labor-intensive crop protection measures also fell short, particularly when windy conditions further hindered their effectiveness. Mid-to-late growing season estimates of crop loss across the significant sweet cherry growing counties range between 30% and 75%. Coffia and Boring held a press conference in August announcing that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer had submitted a letter to the USDA requesting the federal disaster declaration for northwest Michigan’s sweet cherry industry. The declaration was approved earlier this month, which will unlock low-interest loans for eligible sweet cherry growers in the region.
“The continued viability of specialty crops in Michigan is our highest priority at MDARD,” Boring said. “We’re working to address not just the immediate challenges experienced this year stemming from climate change-induced weather variability, but also the continued labor and import pressure difficulties. There are no simple solutions, making coordinated efforts from local, state and federal levels all the more important. I’m grateful to Representative Coffia for bringing together industry leaders for today’s discussion, as well as her tireless efforts and partnership in Lansing strengthening Michigan agriculture.”
Roundtable participants from left to right: Isaiah Wunsch, Art McManus, Nikki Rothwell, MDARD Director Tim Boring, state Rep. Betsy Coffia, Leisa Eckerle, Jim Bardenhagen, Kelly Lively and Emily Miezio in Traverse City on Oct. 10, 2024