Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/418083
www.goodfruit.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER DECEMBER 2014 23 A s the crow fl ies, it's only about 70 miles from the Seaquist family's tart cherry orchards in Wisconsin to Traverse City, Michigan, the heart of the nation's tart cherry industry. But by road, it's more than 400 miles and a solid seven hours of driving. The Seaquist family grows fruit—some apples, pears, and sweet cher- ries, but mostly tart cherries—on Wisconsin's Door Peninsula, which juts northeastward into Lake Michigan and encloses Green Bay to the northwest. On the Michigan side, the Leelanau Peninsula juts north from Traverse City into Lake Michigan and encloses the Grand Traverse Bay on the east. The two states' peninsulas come close, but contact is easier for crows than cherry growers. Jim Seaquist is co-owner, with his father Dale, of the 1,000-acre Seaquist Orchards headquartered at Sister Bay, close to the tip of the peninsula. While the Wisconsin tart cherry indus- try is small compared to Michigan's, the Seaquist family is huge in the Wisconsin industry and important in the industry nationally. Jim Seaquist is active in indus- try affairs as well as in the orchards of Door County, Wisconsin. Seaquist travels to Michigan quite often, but doesn't drive. He charters a small plane. Seaquist is an important fi g- ure in the tart cherry industry. He's chair of the board of CherrCo, a cooperative based in Ludington, Michigan, that markets nearly 80 percent of the industry's tart cherry output. He also serves on the executive committee of the Cherry Industry Administrative Board, which regulates marketing through the federal market order. He looks to Michigan and Michigan State University for specialized expertise in tart cherry production and marketing. This year, after hail damaged some of the area's tart cherries, he shipped damaged fruit to a juice plant in Michigan. He used the S.S. Badger, a ferry that crosses Lake Michigan from Manitowoc to Ludington, cutting the trip across to four hours. "University of Wisconsin is active in horticulture," Seaquist said, "but Michigan State is the leader in the tart cherry industry." The Cherry Marketing Institute, headed by Phil Korson, is also located in Michigan. For years, the industry has struggled to increase consumer demand and develop new products since the demise of home baking cut 8LI7IEUYMWXJEQMP]LEWQIQFIVWIQTPS]IHMRKVS[MRKLEVZIWXMRK TEGOMRKERHQEVOIXMRKSJXEVXGLIVVMIW,IVI.MQ7IEUYMWXVMKLXNSMRWLMW sons and nephew near the point where cooled cherries enter the packing TPERX0IJXXSVMKLX.YWXMR%PPIRERH'SPI.YWXMRERH'SPIEVI.MQ´WERH 6SFMR´WWSRWERH%PPIRMW(EPI´WERH/VMW´WWSR Tart cherries dominate Seaquist orchards on Wisconsin's Door Peninsula. by Richard Lehnert "The news has been nothing but good about ϔ cherries, and we're having a really good run promoting that." —Jim Seaquist We have over 50 years of experience in the nursery business and are now taking growing contracts for: Ultima™ Gala, Banning Red Fuji, Honeycrisp,™ Granny Smith, and many others. Taking orders for benchgrafts. 4000 Grant Road, East Wenatchee, WA 98802 banningnursery@hotmail.com earlier Now Accepting Contracts for Spring 2016 and 2017!