MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin is expected to produce 8.7 million pounds of tart cherries this year. If that happens, it would mark a 53 percent increase over last year's harvest.

State agriculture officials say the harvest looks so promising because most Wisconsin cherry trees survived the winter with little or no damage.

The expected boom in Wisconsin matches optimistic predictions across the U.S. Tart-cherry production nationwide is expected to increase 40 percent to 266 million pounds.

Despite Wisconsin's dominance in the production of some crops, it produces only 3 percent of the national tart-cherry output. Still, that's good enough to rank fourth in the nation.

Michigan is by far the nation's tart-cherry leader, accounting for nearly 80 percent of the U.S. crop. Utah produces about 9 percent and Washington about 4.5 percent.