Area cherry growers OK checkoff for research, marketing

Northwestern Montana cherry growers have voted by a wide margin to create a commodity research and market-development program funded by grower fees.

The self-imposed fee for producers could generate as much as $69,000 a year, depending on the harvest, and would largely be used to help pay for control measures for fruit flies.

At a hearing last month, cherry growers in the Flathead Lake area agreed that a cooperative effort is needed to help the marketing of Montana cherries, said Joel Clairmont, deputy director and Agriculture Development Division administrator for the Montana Department of Agriculture.

The amount of the fee and decisions regarding projects will be considered by an advisory committee composed of growers.

In 2002, Montana potato growers created a similar program under a state law that enables commodity groups to petition the department and vote to establish self-funded research and marketing programs.

Cherry growers proposed a program of their own two years ago but failed to get enough votes then.