Michigan juice grape harvest started this week. Niagara were the first to be harvested.
Ben Smith of the Michigan State Horticulture Society says this year’s crop is lighter than the original statewide estimate.
“Back in early May, there were four nights on our farm that got below 28 degrees,” he says. “That cold killed the buds that were starting to grow, so the shoots were an inch or two long. It killed all those that were first coming out. We lost a big portion of the crop in those nights, so we went from having a potential seven or eight ton crop to a half or third of that size depending on location.”
Most of Michigan’s grapes are about two weeks behind where they should be this time of year because of that frost. That means sugar is at risk for Concord grapes.
“It’s going to be a struggle to make sugar this year because most of the grapes we have left, which aren’t many, and most of them are way delayed in their growth cycle,” says Smith. “We’re nervous that they’re not going to make the sugar standard Welch’s has.”
Insect pressure is also a factor this year. The first generation of grape berry moth population were low in July, giving growers hope that numbers would be low later in the season. However, things changed, particularly in Southwest Michigan.
“A lot of people saw that there wasn’t very much activity, so maybe they slacked off the next few sprays or everybody’s trying to save money,” says Smith. “We tried to cut some sprays this year, so a lot of other people probably did as well. Grape berry moth had two more generations, and it’s not great.”
As a result of that pest, Smith says the quality of the crop is just OK. The Welch’s facility in Lawton has rejected loads because of fruit defects. Smith says that gives growers motivation to keep spray schedules top-notch the next season.
“The farmer has to take them back home and find a field and dump them,” he says. “It’s sad when you hear somebody had to do that.”
Despite these roadblocks, Smith says that prices are more favorable than where they were a few years ago. Growers can get $400 or more per ton.
