WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — The dry weather has had an impact on some Michigan farmers, including Westview Orchards and Winery. The orchard grows a variety of fruits and vegetables.
Co-owner Abby Jacobson said strawberries account for about 6 acres.
“Strawberry jam must be the most popular jam that there is. We sell a lot of it, and people pick fresh strawberries just for jam more than any other crop that we sell," Jacobson explained.
“These are the flowers that will make a strawberry. Just starting to form. But this one, the little strawberry is all dried up and it’s brown," she illustrated.
Unfortunately, Jacobson said frost got the best of their strawberry crop this year. But in more recent weeks, she said it's dry weather that's been putting this portion of the business in a jam.
“Our crops are deprived of water right now. So we are irrigating 24/7," she told 7 Action News.
Jacobson explained, “This is quite a dry period. Up until this dry period, we had almost double the rain that we had had in a normal year. (In) March, April, we got quite a bit of moisture, but it doesn't take long when you have warm sunny days to take that out of the plant.”
Crop harvest is very dependent on the weather. Jacobson said last year the orchard lost all of its tart cherries because of cold temperatures.
Two and three years ago, she said the same thing happened to their sweet cherries. In 2012, farms across the state of Michigan lost their apple crop.
Jacobson said, “We’ve seen it in other crops, but this is the first time we’ve really seen it in strawberries. ”
She forecasts losing about 50 percent of this year's strawberry crop. But Jacobson said what’s happening at her farm isn’t necessarily the case for other Michigan strawberry growers.
Theresa Sisung, an industry relations specialist with Michigan Farm Bureau told 7 Action News, “Overall, it looks like a good crop. There’s maybe a few areas that got a little bit with frost early on but right now everybody seems pretty optimistic. Would definitely like to get some rain to help that crop.”
Jacobson said strawberries are typically ready to be picked from June 7 to June 10th. However, the patch is so depleted this year customers won’t be able to come and pick their own. Instead, they'll only be available in the shop for 2023.
“A farmer’s always optimistic person that there’s always next year," she said.
