On Thursday this week, torrential downpours soaked local cherry orchards, causing some growers to call on helicopters to help dry their crops. The cherry harvest is just getting going in BC, and although local farmers are aware of the need for a good cleansing rain, they are hoping for minimal rainfall on their orchards for the rest of the season. However, should it continue to rain on the ripening fruit, many cherry growers may again be forced to use these aircraft to protect their investments.

“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. Although 2017 was relatively dry, in July 2016, Environment Canada records show that precipitation was 43% higher than average. Helicopter pilots were kept busy trying to keep up with the demand for their services. Many growers were forced to abandon their crops altogether because of the high rate of splitting due to the unusually heavy rainfall that occurred around the time of harvest.

Industry representatives say the only practical way to remove rainwater from cherries is to blow it off.

Source: BC Cherry Association