Michigan Cherry Farmers Put 140 Acres Up for Sale as Costs Rise and Imports Depress Prices
Updated
Updated · Realtor.com News · May 25
Michigan Cherry Farmers Put 140 Acres Up for Sale as Costs Rise and Imports Depress Prices
3 articles · Updated · Realtor.com News · May 25
At least three heritage cherry farms totaling more than 140 acres are on the market on Old Mission Peninsula near Traverse City, a key tart-cherry growing area.
Growers say repeated weather shocks, labor shortages and rising costs for fuel, fertilizer, insurance, equipment and transport are squeezing already thin margins.
Imports from Turkey and Chile have pushed down prices for U.S. processed cherries, while some families also face retirements and no next generation willing to take over.
Listings include a 10-acre farm for $389,000, a 68-acre farm for $699,000 and a 66-acre property for $1.6 million; some parcels are protected by conservation easements that keep them in agriculture.
The sales highlight pressure on a region tied to Michigan's agricultural identity and tourism economy, even as Traverse City produces roughly 75% of the world's tart cherries.
Can a 'True Tart' label save Michigan's cherry farms from cheap imports?
Will conservation pacts protect orchards if farming is no longer profitable?