Photos (l-r): Cherry Republic owner Bob Sutherland (photo by Taro Yamasaki); Jamaican workers employed by Anderson’s Market in 2017 (photo by Norm Wheeler); Leelanau Fruit manager Ben LaCross (photo by Madeleine Vedel) By Jacob Wheeler Sun editor Farmers and retailers in Leelanau County who rely on seasonal migrant and guest workers are sweating through the […]
The mean age of our local cherry growers is nearing 60. The future generation of cherry farmers, i.e. those 40 and under, number about a dozen, and the path ahead is not looking clear.
How our broken immigration system hurts Leelanau County farmers By Jacob Wheeler Sun editor Rosa Valenzuela and her family look forward to their annual trip up north, to see old friends, to prepare picnics in the park and to swim in Lake Michigan when the waters warm by mid-summer. But the Valenzuelas are not your […]