Growers consider cherry checkoff

Northwestern Montana cherry growers will vote this month on a proposed checkoff program that would pay for market development and pest control.

Flathead Valley cherry growers petitioned the state Department of Agriculture to create the checkoff as a way to help fund control measures for fruit flies.

A self-imposed fee for producers at the first point of sale would generate as much as $69,000 annually, depending on the harvest, according to state rural development bureau chief Lee Boyer.

The state conducted a hearing Monday at Yellow Bay as part of the petition process to gauge the level of support for the checkoff.

A similar proposal two years ago failed by one vote, but this time around there's more support, said Dick Wilson, a board member of the Flathead Lake Cherry Growers Association.

"There's definitely more support," Wilson said. "We had a good turnout."

Ballots will be sent out next week to all Montana cherry growers who produce more than 200 pounds of cherries a year. They will have about two weeks to return the ballot, and if the measure passes, an advisory committee of industry representatives would set the checkoff rate somewhere between a half cent and two cents per pound.

The growers' proposal includes developing a two-mile pest-management area around Flathead Lake, where the majority of the state's cherries are produced.

This checkoff "is an equitable way to support a pest-control program in this area," Wilson said. "Everyone benefits from control. We've worked diligently over the years to maintain quality."

The successful control of fruit-fly larvae leads to better-quality fruit, which in turn leads to better market development. In the past, the growers association has hired an inspector to check for fruit-fly larvae during the growing season. It's a service that has also been extended to any property owner with cherry trees.

"I like to say we have zero tolerance and 100 percent cooperation when it comes to fruit-fly larva," Wilson said.

If larvae are found in non-association member orchards, the association inspector will recommend treatment.

Pest outbreaks have been minimal in Flathead orchards. Last season fewer than five orchards had larvae in cherries. But the threat is imminent and the consequences dire, as entire orchards can be shut down if they're infested, Wilson said.

Monson Fruit Co., the Washington-based firm that packs and ships the Flathead's cherries, won't allow infested fruit to be shipped.

"The whole industry is threatened if the flies are not controlled," Wilson said. "It's to everyone's benefit to have the cleanest fruit we can."

The way cherries are inspected will change this year, with or without checkoff approval. Flathead and Lake counties are creating a joint pest-control program to provide education, surveillance and compliance, Wilson explained, with an emphasis on education in all facets of the control program.

"More and more states importing cherries are requiring state or county control programs," he said.

Last year's Flathead cherry harvest showed a big gain over 2003, with 3.25 million pounds of fruit packed and shipped.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com