Wisconsin county's cherry crop a bust

STURGEON BAY, Wis., June 24 (UPI) -- Door County in Wisconsin has lost almost its entire cherry crop this year because of a drought last summer and wild temperature swings and rain in January.

The county, on a spit of land between Green Bay and Lake Michigan, is a popular tourist destination and picking cherries in orchards, buying them at roadside stands and eating cherry pie after "fish boils" served by local restaurants are popular tourist activities. While cherries left over from last year may provide the pie, there are likely to be no cherries to pick or buy, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

This year's harvest is expected to be only about 2 percent of last year's, when Door County farmers enjoyed a bumper crop.

"It's devastating," said Jim Seaquist, a partner in Seaquist Orchards in Sister Bay, which produces a significant share of the county's crop. "My family has been in the cherry business for close to 100 years, and this has never happened before."

Growers said there are no sweet cherries this year, while the tart cherry crop will be tiny. The county is considering seeking a disaster declaration.

In addition to the potential loss of tourist dollars, the county will lose 350 to 400 seasonal jobs for cherry pickers and packers.