Colin and Suzanne Pickering are facing a disaster if the forecast wet weather hits.
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The pair’s premium cherries at their Harcourt North orchard, due to ripen in the next few days, are vulnerable to wet weather.
If heavy rain hits overnight on Thursday it could cause the cherries skin to swell and split, and ruin over half of their crop.
Central Victoria is forecast to receive up to 50 millimetres of rain on Thursday.
Cherry skins do not grow, just expand as the cherry ripens, Mrs Pickering said.
Rain running down the stem of a newly ripe cherry can have a devastating effect, as it means the cherry swells, causing its skin to split.
Once the cherry is split, there’s almost nothing you can do with it, Mrs Pickering said. They’re so worthless she just throws them on the ground when picking.
The premium black star cherries are one of the 12 varieties the orchard grows which ripen progressively from mid-November to January.
We couldn’t get a decent rain all year, and in the last three weeks we’ve had probably our biggest rain events for the year, when they’ve been no value at all for the crop.
- David Johnson
The Pickerings were fortunate to come out of Sunday’s rain with most of their previous crops intact.
Mrs Pickering attributes this lucky escape to the fact that the cherries were not quite ripe, meaning the cherries did not swell beyond the capacity of their skins.
Humid dry condition which could follow storms also makes cherries vulnerable to brown rot.
Mrs Pickering said she hopes the Bureau of Meteorology’s forecasts are mistaken, but that after 20 years of cherry farming she knows there’s no point worrying.
“At the end of the day, there’s nothing you can do about it,” Mrs Pickering said.
“I’m just really hoping that they’ve got it wrong.”
The forecast rains aren’t good news for Elmore farmer David Johnson either.
If the rain hits the moisture will enter his crops, forcing Mr Johnson to delay his harvest, and reducing the weight of the yield.
It could even cost him thousands, if he’s forced to spray for weeds that will grow in the moist soil.
“It’s not going to be any help to the cropping side of things, it’ll be a damn nuisance really,” Mr Johnson said.
“It’d be much better if it had come in August and September.
“We couldn’t get a decent rain all year, and in the last three weeks we’ve had probably our biggest rain events for the year, when they’ve been no value at all for the crop.”
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Elspeth Kernebone
Accident brought me to journalism, but every day convinces me again that strong media is more important than ever. After a starting off as the sole reporter in a tiny NSW town, I’m loving the teeming metropolis that is Bendigo. Focussed on health, business and education. Got a tip? Email elspeth.kernebone@bendigoadvertiser.com.au.
Accident brought me to journalism, but every day convinces me again that strong media is more important than ever. After a starting off as the sole reporter in a tiny NSW town, I’m loving the teeming metropolis that is Bendigo. Focussed on health, business and education. Got a tip? Email elspeth.kernebone@bendigoadvertiser.com.au.
