These days, everyone automatically correlates Northern Michigan to cherries. Not only is the area the number one cherry-producing capital of the world, but the nationally famous Cherry Festival is celebrated throughout the region every year. North Star Organics is proud to be part of this famous legacy, bringing delicious and fresh produce to people all over the state and country.
The Kobernik family brings their farming history and passion for cherries into everything they do. North Star Organics allows you to take a piece of that pride home with you.
Sigh…straight to the point…we have healthy trees; we have numerous leaves, and we have NO cherries. March brought several days of much too warm of temperatures then April brought days and days of freezing temperatures [talk to us about climate change!]. Out of 36 years in cherries, never had three back-to-back years of crop failure that was out of our control.
There will be no machine harvest [no organic frozen IQF or dried cherries] and no U Pick available to our glorious customers.
Some may think we ‘have the summer off”. Quite the contrary, we have received and spread our semi load of custom blended compost, the orchard floor needs constant attention, young trees are pruned, rose chafers hand picked off by the thousands, the sprayer sprays, old trees removed, pollinator habitat renewed and so much more. The work and expenses truck right along and so do we. We will be here next year with the optimism expressed in our 2020-year post.
Gratefully we, our family and nearest friends all endured and survived COVID-19 and our sympathies for those who faced greater pandemic challenges.
The Kobernik’s
First, we sincerely hope all of you are safe and well.
North Star’s great news: We will have U-Pick this year!
Details will follow in the next several days. Tentatively we are looking at opening for Sweet/tart cherries to be ready Wednesday, July 22nd.
North Star’s not so great news: we do not have enough tart cherries on our trees to warrant large scale harvest, that will mean there will be no IQF tart cherries and no dried cherries for another long year.
Again, more details to come!
The Kobernik’s
“The farmer has to be an optimist or he wouldn’t still be a farmer.”
We’re sad to announce that North Star Organics did not harvest the entire crop this year. Cherry farmers are faced with many tough decisions, and this season was particularly challenging for us. We take pride in providing high quality products, and the fruit this year was not able to meet our standards.
We will have frozen organic tart cherries in August 2020 and dried organic cherries in September 2020.
AND we will now enter our 21st year organic and 35th year growing those cherries with renewed fortitude. Our thanks to all those who have offered such support and encouragement.
Organically yours,
Alan & Cheryl Kobernik
CHRISTOPHER BAKER ON NORTHSTAR ORGANICS
Famous film and video producer, Christopher Baker, was inspired by the Kobernik’s cherry farm when he visited. He created this montage of footage to celebrate the region’s favorite fruit and the pride and joy the Kobernik’s take in running their orchard.
Sadly, we do not have any products available to purchase at this time.
Check back with us in August 2021 for frozen organic tart cherries and September 2021 for dried organic cherries!
We are organically grown on a small family farm on a peaceful hillside in picturesque Northern Michigan. We are proudly raised for you by Alan, Cheryl, Emily and Eric and committed family and friends. They meticulously tend our soil, carefully prune our limbs, vigilantly defend us from harm and ultimately harvest us. Our stewards carefully oversee us being washed, sorted, pitted, packed and dried. We are very proud of our farm family that is committed to responsible and just decisions in all aspects of their lives. We find their commitment is the only way for all to thrive. Please enjoy us and thanks for supporting organic farms.
Family owned and operated 40 acre cherry orchard in Northern Michigan. 100% Certified organic for 20 years. Tart and sweet cherries: fresh, frozen, and dried available.
Committed to producing grade A quality fresh, frozen and dried cherries. Sweet and Montmorency Tart Cherry U-Pick in the month of July - call or visit our U-Pick Page for dates and availability.
We are verified by The Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program, an innovative, proactive program that helps farms of all sizes and all commodities voluntarily prevent or minimize agricultural pollution risks.
…and we watch another non typical winter and maintain optimism for 2022!Temps at 90 degrees on April 1. Frost in May. Drought in June. Torrential rain storms of up to 4.75 inches within five hours in July.
It has not been a typical year for Northern Michigan cherry growers. But then, typical years are either a thing of the past or the rarest of occurrence.
Will our region be able to continue as the "cherry capital" into the future? Are area farmers willing and able to weather the storm(s)? Read this article, which we borrowed from the Glen Arbor Sun: bit.ly/3HufBkH
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Mentioned: Cheryl Kobernik, North Star Organics, MSU Northwest Michigan Horticulture Research Center, Cherry Bay Orchards, Michigan State University, Michigan State University College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Penn State, Madeleine Hill Vedel
We appreciate what you do, and hope this coming year will be better for you!
🤞🏻 Hoping for a normal cropping season.
Let's just get straight to it: we have healthy trees (see growth in pic!), we have numerous leaves, but we have NO cherries. 😭
March brought high temps and April brought freezing temperatures [hellooooo climate change]. Out of 36 years growing cherries, we've never had three back-to-back-to-back years of crop failure that was out of our control.
TLDR: There will be NO machine harvest [sorry, that means no organic frozen IQF or dried cherries] and NO U-Pick this year.
PS: Don't think we're taking this sitting down - we are continuing to make our trees stronger for next year🤞... Which means spreading compost, pruning, keeping bugs away, spraying (organic-only), removing old trees, renewing the pollinator habitat, and more.
Gratefully we, our family, and nearest friends all came through COVID-19, and our sympathies go out to those who faced greater pandemic challenges.
De and I literally were talking about your cherries tonight on our way to Frankfort and wondering how they made out. I feel free for you. What will our world come to? So little snow this winter and now drought conditions. All following record high levels for the lakes. It seems everything is to some extreme or another. These rose chafer bugs have been doing a number on our newly planted trees and berry bushes, as well as flowers or anything we plant.
I know we have cherries at the orchard. We’ll just have to watch and see. Especially with no spraying.
Oh no! We were taking about your dried cherries this week too, while in Frankfort!😪🍒
I get bummed out if a plant in my garden dies, then realize how challenging it is for growers. I am so sorry for all the people affected.
Such a shame
Oh no Sarah Johnson 😭
I’m so sorry
Samantha Newstead
Praying for your family ❤
So sorry
How sad 😭
Wow, so sad and crazy. 😢.
Non-chemical orchard weed management 👍
#organiccherries #organicorchard #eatmorecherries
It's the time of year when we start getting call and emails asking "How are the cherries this year?", and "When can I plan my vacation so we can come to the farm?"
We LOVE hearing from all of you, and will reply to everyone as best we can. Unfortunately, there isn't much good news again this year. An early frost has damaged over 75% of the cherry crop in Northern Michigan. Hopefully what little is left will be pollinated and left for our annual U-Pick in July. 🙌More details to come on that.
We will carry on taking care of our trees, soil, air, pollinators, and ourselves as best we can, knowing that we won't be harvesting another year. Looking forward to another fun U-Pick season coming soon!
Wish the news was better. ❤️
