DOOR COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – We may have gotten a taste of winter again Wednesday, but nevertheless, warmer temperatures will be back by this weekend — and that is something apple and cherry farmers are worried about.
“We haven’t broken any dormancy here, but it’s going to happen,” said Terry Sorenson, owner of Soren’s Valhalla Orchard in Sturgeon Bay. Sorenson said he has spoken with fellow apple farmers in Southern Michigan, where some trees are breaking dormancy already.
There’s a reason why many farmers choose to grow their fruit in Door County. The peninsula is surrounded by the Bay of Green Bay and Lake Michigan. Those waters help moderate the air temperature, which delays blooming even on some warmer days for the rest of the region.
But near-record to record highs in the last few days, as well as historically low ice cover on the Great Lakes, are causes for concern for orchard owners fearing an early blooming season.
Sorenson said the last time they were down this road was back in 2012.
“We had some critically warm days early in March where it was 70 in Door County. We bloomed way too soon, and we came out with not even 10% of crops, and that’s kind of where we’re at.”
Sorenson said how he and many others imagine what the headlines will be for crops across the Great Lakes this year.
“All we can do is pray and hope that we slow it down. We can’t stop it once it starts.”
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