Upton tours devastated fruit farms

WATERVLIET, Mich. (WOOD) - The record-setting high temperatures in March devastated fruit crops throughout Michigan and brought US Rep. Fred Upton to local fruit farms in southwest Michigan Wednesday.

The congressman - who chairs the Commerce committee in the House of Representatives -- also took part in a roundtable discussion with area farmers.

Rodney Winkel is a third-generation fruit grower, but this year he won't be growing much. Normally on his 240-acre orchard he would "get somewhere near 800-900 bushels to the acre."

This year? "I will get zero. Absolutely zero."

Upton toured the area and said he would try to get low interest loans and other federal help for fruit producers, but it will not come quickly.

But the fruit farmers can't stop. They still have to spend to prune and fertilize and maintain trees they can only hope will produce next year, and will spend more cash while none is coming in.

Consumers, too, may be paying more.

"You're going to have much higher cost because if you're going to buy those apples, cherries, whatever, you've got to pay the transportation cost from Peru, China," Upton said. "Who knows where it comes from?"