The recent Okanagan rain is much needed after such a dry spring, but the timing could spell disaster for cherry growers with crops just starting to ripen. This week’s precipitation has some farmers employing helicopter pilots to fly over their orchards to help save the delicate fruit.
“Hiring helicopters is not something we undertake lightly,” said Sukhpaul Bal, cherry grower and president of the BC Cherry Association. “They are very expensive, and if there were another way to save our crop, we would.”
Cherries that are nearly ripe have a high natural sugar content, and this draws in rainwater sitting on the fruit, causing it to swell until it breaks open, or splits. Industry representatives say the only practical way to remove rainwater from cherries is to blow it off. The powerful downdraft from helicopter rotors is highly effective in removing rainwater pooling in the stem “bowl” of cherries.
Helicopters can dry an acre of cherries in about five minutes, however they cost growers between $1000 and $1600 per hour of flying time. And although blowers attached to orchard tractors can also be used, the process takes 40 to 50 minutes an acre. In a larger orchard, the crop can be lost
long before the drying process has been completed. There is a significant financial impact from the loss of a cherry crop. The most immediate concern
is for the farmer, whose family’s entire annual income is often tied to the outcome of this single crop. The BC cherry industry has an annual value in the neighbourhood of $180 million, and directly employs not only the orchard owners, but also pickers, sorters, packing facilities, marketers, distributors, and suppliers. It likewise benefits retailers, and people in other secondary industries, such as the tourist trade. Thus, protecting the grower’s investment is important to the local economy, and there is only a short window in which to do so.
Adrian Arts, Southern Interior Team Lead at the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food echoed Bal’s message. “Growers understand that helicopter noise can be annoying to nearby residents, and they use helicopters only as a last resort. Orchardists use other means to prevent splitting first, such as the planting of split-resistant cherry varieties, or new varieties that ripen later in the summer when it’s usually dryer.”
When asked about his neighbours’ concerns over early morning helicopter use, Bal praised the local Okanagan residents. “Last year, despite our worries about the annoyance factor presented by the choppers, ninety-nine percent of people were very supportive of the need to rescue our crops.
Comments in social media and in person were mostly positive. We want to thank our neighbours for their overwhelming patience and understanding.”
Whether helicopters will continue to be seen hovering over Okanagan orchards this year depends entirely on the weather. The recent rain experienced in most areas of the Okanagan put earlierripening cherry varieties at risk, but growers are hoping for some fair weather to help them out and make everyone’s summer a success.