When it comes to growing a cherry tree in your yard, not just any cherry seeds will do. The cherries' freshness, locality, ...

When she took this job in 1981, she barely knew where to start. The only tart cherry trees she could find were from America's standard commercial variety, called Montmorency.

The Montmorency tart cherry is pretty much the only sour cherry grown in the U.S. And cherry growers in Michigan know the tree really well. It was brought here from France a couple of hundred ...

HORSLEY: Mike Van Agtmael has about 170 acres of cherry trees in Hart, Mich., on a farm that's been in his family almost a hundred years. Lately, though, the tart cherry business has been the pits.

Dwarf trees, which grow 5 to 12 feet tall, are easiest to harvest since most of their branches are within reach. Plus, they tend to offer a harvest sooner than standard-size tart cherry trees.

Michigan is the largest producer of tart cherries in the nation, but with rising production costs, combined with low wholesale prices, it’s getting harder for farmers to make ends meet.

Iezzoni is the country's one and only tart cherry breeder, and she's passionate about her mission. "Somebody needs to do this!" she exclaims at one point, as she shows me around her orchard. On this ...

HORSLEY: Mike Van Agtmael has about 170 acres of cherry trees in Hart, Mich., on a farm that's been in his family almost a hundred years. Lately, though, the tart cherry business has been the pits.