CHERRY farmers Bill and Lois Hotson have enjoyed their best prices in five years despite a reduced harvest.
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The Chiltern growers received $10 to $12 a kilo for their cherries compared to $5 to $6 for the previous crop.
“There was a shortage of supply in Australia, so because of the shortage the price went up,” Mr Hotson explained.
“Last year with the season we had there was probably an over-abundance of cherries.”
Mr Hotson said although his crop was undamaged by rain the spring conditions resulted in less pollination of his trees by bees.
“One of the keys is to try and ensure we have attractive and firm cherries and the demand can be there if we can produce those consistently,” Mr Hotson said.
“People are getting to know what are good cherries and are happy to come out to the farm gate for those.”
Mr Hotson began planting cherry trees in 1982 as a sideline to beef farming.
The fruit now occupies 50 per cent of his time on the property with all his work hours given over to cherries during the two months of harvest.
“I like to be able to produce really top quality cherries, to see our cherries in a box and get emails back from people saying they’re delicious – that’s fulfilling to be able to do that,” Mr Hotson said.
“Also selling at the farm gate we meet an enormous number of people and that’s different to cattle farming.”
Mr Hotson, who originally planted 200 trees, now has 3000 trees with 18 varieties.
But he is a long way from being the biggest producer in the North East.
That title belongs to Wandin Valley Farms property at Boweya, north of Wangaratta, which has more than 100,000 trees.
Wandin Valley Farms director and Victorian Cherry Association president Alison Jones said the returns for growers were up but not necessarily as great as Mr Hotson’s.
“I would say it hasn’t increased that much personally but it depends on who you’re supplying, whether you’re going to a market or a supermarket,” Mrs Jones said.
Wandin Valley export up to 30 per cent to the Middle East and Asia, but Mrs Jones said fruit fly concerns hindered entry into some markets such as Vietnam.
Mrs Jones said cherry-growing was tricky.
“It’s pretty unpredictable, you don’t have time to go to a casino you’re gambling every day,” she said.
“It’s not a matter of putting in a tree and watching it, there’s pruning, nutrition and irrigation and you’ve got to get your head around all that.”
To boost cherry consumption the association commissioned a nutritional report which found a serve equates to 40 per cent of daily vitamin C needs.