Although orchards can last for many years, establishing an orchard also means that a large investment is required. That investment should pay off a few years later when the fruit is harvested, but as many B.C. there is a possibility.
Skupor Bal’s orchard, Hillcrest Cherries, has faced significant weather-related challenges several times over the past five years. The Okanagan Valley-based orchard was hit by a heat dome that destroyed fruit in 2022, severe wildfires in 2023, and a cold snap in 2024, with 90 per cent of its summer crop’s potential yield reduced. We have overcome the high possibility of decline.
Baru explained that orchards are long-term crops, so there is no real option to diversify or replace the crop with others, and weather disasters can wipe out an entire year’s production. I am. Additionally, current risk management programs are failing to address the increasing frequency and intensity of weather disasters, he said.
Bal says his region’s 2024 cherry harvest has already failed. The question now is what can be done in the long term to help cherry growers adapt to a more unstable climate.
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