In late April, a severe frost devastated cherry orchards across Michigan, leaving farmers staring at trees that glistened like glass, their buds lifeless. For the third time in five years, weather damage has gutted harvests. The USDA projects a 41% loss in the state's tart cherry crop for 2025, with northwest Michigan facing losses as high as 70%.

But weather is only part of the story. Federal policy changes under the Trump administration - from immigration restrictions and trade wars to cuts in agricultural programs - have strained growers already operating on thin margins. Farmers in Antrim County, long a hub for tart cherry production, say they are caught in the crosshairs of shifting national politics.

Labor Shortages: Visa Delays and Fear of ICE

Harvest crews, essential to hand-picking cherries at peak ripeness, arrived weeks late this season. Delays in H-2A visa processing left farms like King Orchards short-staffed, while fears of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids discouraged some workers from traveling.

Across the country, the same problem persists: in Oregon, nearly 500,000 pounds of cherries rotted on trees due to a lack of available workers. "We are bleeding from a thousand cuts," said grower Ian Chandler.

Trade Wars and Shrinking Exports

The U.S. exported $506 million in fresh cherries in 2024, but sales have begun to fall again. In the first half of 2025, fresh fruit exports dropped 17% in volume and 15% in value, with sales to Canada down 18%. Exports to China have yet to recover from the 2018 trade war.

While Washington State's sweet cherry crop grew 29% this year thanks to favorable weather, growers there face falling wholesale prices and fewer buyers. Michigan growers, meanwhile, confront a smaller harvest and weakened global demand.

Research and Support in Limbo

The Northwest Michigan Horticulture Research Center, run by Michigan State University, has long been a lifeline for cherry growers. USDA grants fund crucial research on crop diseases and climate resilience. Yet with federal farm program budgets under review, growers fear that support could dry up when they need it most.

"This kind of research doesn't have corporate backers," said Dr. Nikki Rothwell, who has worked with orchards for over 20 years. "It's always been the government and the growers."

An Industry at a Crossroads

For families like the Kings, who have run their orchard since 1980, the convergence of climate shocks, high input costs, weak exports, and labor insecurity is pushing Michigan's cherry heritage to the brink.

"Everything slows us down," said business manager Juliette King McAvoy, surveying the frost-damaged rows. "We're just trying to hold on."