Mother Nature has been kinder than she was last season to fruit growers, who also are largely pleased so far with the quality and quantity of most crops. Mild winter and spring weather was also a boon for other fruit crops that are widely grown in southwest Michigan, according to Bill Shane, fruit and marketing educator at Michigan State University's Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center near Benton Harbor. Freezing spring temperatures can damage fruit buds that are blooming, but such cold weather was largely avoided this season. Taken as a whole, the fruit crop looks better than normal here in southwest Michigan and there should be ample supplies of most varieties. Rainfall in Berrien County has been slightly down since April compared with the same period last year, but most fruit farms have avoided drought conditions. Fruit crops "are about the same as last year, except for our apricots," she said, adding that freezing temperatures in the beginning of April affected that crop.