July 2023 - 28

CHERRY MARKETING INSTITUTE
CMI adds horticulturist, marketing
priorities detailed
W
e are excited to have Pete
Nelson join our team!
Pete will serve as the crop
management specialist for CMI.
Nelson was born and raised in Alpena,
Michigan, and attended Michigan State
University (MSU), where he earned a
bachelor's degree in entomology in
2009. In 2013, he earned his master's
in entomology from MSU. He then
went on to earn his doctoral degree
in entomology from North Carolina
State University in 2018 and returned
to Traverse City, Michigan, to work
for HortSystems. Nelson purchased
HortSystems in 2019 and provides
scouting and crop management
consulting to commercial fruit farms
in Antrim, Grand Traverse, and
Leelanau counties.
National Cherry Festival
The National Cherry Festival
selected Philip " Phil " Rowley as the
2023 Cherry Industry Person of the
Year. The Rowley family has been
devoted to growing fruit since 1913.
They started Rowley's South Ridge
Farms in 1984 and in 1999 opened
Rowley's Red Barn, a retail store that
has been a huge success. The family
farms an array of tree fruit crops
but shines in tart cherry production.
The Red Barn offers a large variety
of cherry products and everything
from ice cream/baked goods to fresh
produce right off the family farm.
Rowley dedicated many years
serving on numerous industry
committees representing Utah cherry
growers. Motivated, dedicated,
ambitious, hardworking and
intelligent are just some adjectives to
describe him. Over the years, Rowley
has made a tremendous impact
on the U.S. tart cherry industry,
especially when it comes to dried
cherries. He has played a key role in
the development and marketing of
dried cherries in Utah.
Rowley's journey began after a lot
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of trial and error and determination
when he dried the perfect tart cherry
in his homemade tart cherry dryer.
He took his homemade machine to the
Payson Fruit Growers Board and today
the world is enjoying the great taste
and versatility of dried tart cherries.
Rowley and others were recognized
July 7, the National Cherry Festival's
industry day.
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28 | JULY 2023
began on July 1. For the 2023-24
Market Access Program (MAP), CMI
will have representation in Mexico,
China and South Korea. We wrapped
up an Emerging Market Program
(EMP) grant in Mexico over the winter
and look forward to seeing if we can
increase our exports into Mexico over
the next year with MAP funding.
Exports still play a key role for the
tart cherry industry. The pandemic
and aftermath of rising shipping and
input costs have drastically reduced
our overall industry exports. However,
after recently conducting one-on-one
export marketing meetings, cherry
marketers are still hopeful to sell
http://www.WAFLERNURSERY.COM
July 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July 2023
