US(MI): Crops escape brunt of hail storm

Large hail hit northern parts of Michigan earlier this week, and some of the state's growers feared their crops would be affected. But the storm spared most of the state's fruit production, and the orchards that were hit did not suffer extensive damage.

“The storm did pass over one of our farms that grows cherries, but we already had about 90 percent of that crop in,” said John King of King Orchards in Central Lake, Michigan. “We lost about 40,000 pounds of cherries, but, in the big picture, that's not too bad.” King added that the storm missed most of the state's apple-growing regions.

“The bulk of the state's apples are grown in the Fruit Ridge area, and there was very insignificant, if any, damage there,” said Mitch Brinks of Riveridge Produce Marketing in Sparta, Michigan. “Hail was, for the most part, breaking up when it hit this area. I would say the hail was really a non-factor.”