ALBANY (AP) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the freezing weather in April that followed an unusually warm March this spring had a severe impact on New York's cherry crop.
The USDA is forecasting 2012 tart cherry production at just over one million pounds. That's 81 percent below last year's production of nearly 6 million pounds and 86 percent below the 2010 crop.
That would be a record low production.
Sweet cherry production in New York is forecast at 250 tons, or 64 percent below the 2011 crop of 700 tons.
U.S. tart cherry production is forecast at 73 million pounds, 68 percent below the 2011 crop. In Michigan, the biggest cherry state, the majority of growers lost all of their crop because of the warm March and freezing April.
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