DOOR COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) – Door County’s tart cherries may be harder to find this year.
The USDA expects Wisconsin to produce 9.4 million pounds of tart cherries this year — down from 12 million last year, and 12.3 million the year before.
Federal officials cite a harsh winter in Wisconsin. It was milder than the previous year, but it did get off to an earlier start last November — and it was much colder than normal in the early spring, with close to freezing temperatures on and off all the way through Memorial Day.
The USDA says several Wisconsin growers are now reportedly out of production due to deaths on their cherry trees.
Nationally, tart cherry production for this year is projected at 222 million pounds, 23 percent less than a year ago.
Sweet cherry production is estimated at 338,000 pounds, an 11 percent drop from last year.
(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)
