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January 29, 2006There's a new cherry in townFederal grant will be used to push BalatonTRAVERSE CITY - The U.S. government will invest $100,000 with a group of local growers to expand the use of a European cherry.A group of area cherry growers received a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's value-added producer program that helps farmers and growers bring products directly to consumers. The idea is to sell more northwest Michigan-grown Balaton cherries. The Balaton cherry is named for a lake in its native Hungary. The dark European cherry was introduced in the U.S. more than 20 years ago by a horticulturist from Michigan State University, and was tested in cherry orchards in Michigan, Utah and Wisconsin. "The Balaton's a good fit for (northern Michigan)," said Jim Bardenhagen, extension director for Leelanau County. It's firmer and more plump than the Montmorency tart cherries that dominate the area's tart cherry crop, and is a harvested a week or two later than most cherries, which provides growers a longer harvesting season. "It's got some wonderful fresh-market potential," Bardenhagen said. "They make wonderful pies and things like that." The grant is headed to Shoreline Fruit Inc. It's a cooperative of four area cherry producers run by two of the area's best-known cherry-growing families - brothers Don and Bob Gregory of Suttons Bay and Gene and Dean Veliquette of Williamsburg and Elk Rapids. The SFI co-op has around 200 acres of Balaton cherries in production, representing about 25 percent of all the Balaton cherries grown in the U.S. The funding will be used on a year-long marketing effort to identify ways to get Balaton cherry products into surging markets for cherry goods in the natural and health food industries. The work will include product and packaging development, use of consumer focus groups and more scientific analysis of the fruit. Balaton cherries are already popular with area vintners for making cherry wine, and growers said they want to expand to other areas, including dried cherry products and in cherry-based cheeses. "There are a lot of different concepts we're honing in on right now," Don Gregory said. "If we can get them in some foods that are consumer-friendly, we could see its use really take off." Growers produced less than 2 million pounds of Balaton cherries last year, Bardenhagen said. But with more acres in production the annual crop could reach 10 million pounds over the next few years - and growers will need to find a market for the increased yield. "It's all about creating demand," he said. [an error occurred while processing this directive] |