> About three weeks before the cherries are ready to be picked, they are particularly vulnerable to threats that can damage them. One of those threats is water.

> About three weeks before the cherries are ready to be picked, they are particularly vulnerable to threats that can damage them. One of those threats is water. When it rains, the water sticks to the cherries and can cause them to rot, split, or both. This makes the cherries far less valuable to buyers. > Cherry growers have long tried to find ways to dry the cherries and prevent the rot/split problems. They put fans on tall poles in their orchards and run blowers up and down the rows. But this isn’t usually effective. Enough rain in those last few weeks can destroy the entire crop. > Sometime in the past — maybe 10 or 15 years ago? — someone had the idea of using the downwash of helicopters hovering over the cherry trees to blow the branches around and shake the water off the cherries. This was extremely effective and apparently well worth the cost. > “Cherry drying” by helicopter was born. I was expecting something like spraying a desiccant. This is so much cooler. But pretty sad in terms of carbon emissions. Can this be done by drone? Does this explain the whole cheaper class of split cherries you can buy during cherry season in New York, usually from street vendors?