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Apple Industry Upbeat About This Year’s Crop

By Karen Gentry Managing Editor


No wacky weather and good bloom has created optimism amongst the nation’s apple growers. Apple representatives mostly predict a good crop and are cautiously optimistic, coming off a year of better returns.

Washington
It’s been a fairly long, cool spring with no extreme weather fluctuations in Washington state, according to Kirk Mayer, manager of the Washington Growers Clearing House Association. There’s been very little frost, only in scattered pockets, Mayer reported.

Snow pack is fairly close to normal with little concern about the availability of water, according to Mayer.

The crop for Red Delicious appears to be a little bit down from last year with the blossom not quite as strong as normal, Mayer said. The Fuji apple variety has experienced the most spotty bloom with Golden Delicious fairly normal, Mayer reported.

“Gala is expected to be up,” he said. Other varieties will be about the same, slightly up.

The mid-May crop forecast for Washington state is 78-85 million boxes, down from more than 88 million boxes last year. Washington’s record crop was 98.3 million boxes in 2000.

The crop is expected to be down with some spotty bloom and some alternate bearing in some of the new varieties such as Pink Lady and Cameo.

Apple acreage seems to have stabilized with very little coming out. He noted that in the last two years Washington state has lost 33,000 acres of apples.

“It should be a profitable year,” Mayer said. He said growers should be able to reduce their debt load from the last three to four years and restore equity to their orchards.

New York
As of May 14 In New York, some varieties were already in full bloom in the Hudson Valley and western part of the state. Bloom has been slightly delayed this year due to cold, rainy weather.

New York is coming off the worst harvest in three decades, with less than 17 million bushels picked in 2002. New York typically harvests 24 million bushels per year, ranking second in apple production nationwide.

The season is slightly slower than normal because of little sunlight and lots of rain, according to Peter Gregg, spokesperson for the New York Apple Association. But bloom is progressing in two of the three major growing regions - the Hudson Valley and Lake Ontario.

Last year a deep freeze on May 19 and 20 killed off 85% of the crop in the Hudson Valley and affected the crop in other areas too.

While production was off last year, growers enjoyed increased demand for apples and apple products.

There are 694 commercial orchards in New York state, on approximately 44,000 acres totaling 7.4 million apple trees.

Michigan
After a 50% reduction of the apple crop last year in Michigan, growers are expecting a good crop this year, according to Amy Irish-Brown, district fruit and vegetable ICM/IPM agent for Michigan State University. Although it is too early to tell, she predicts a Michigan crop of approximately 25 million boxes.

On May 20 she reported that the bloom looks very strong. No major frost events were reported. With the short crop last year, the trees set more fruit buds. She said Extension agents are recommending to growers to thin early when there’s a window of opportunity.

“There’s been a few reports of winter injury to the bark on some young trees,” said Irish-Brown. In the Grand Rapids area, She said that Golden Delicious seem to be a little off this year.

Irish-Brown said growers are more positive this year than they’ve been in the last two to three years. She said many young growers are planting trees, especially some of the newest varieties including some red strains of Gala, LindaMac - a red strain of Macintosh and Honeycrisp.

Scab and fire blight haven’t been a problem thus far this season. “We’re just starting to collect codling moth in this area,” said Irish-Brown. She said codling moth and oriental fruit moth have caused problems in Michigan. In June growers will be putting on their first sprays for the pests that have two generations.

Pennsylvania
For many apple growers in Pennsylvania the bloom is the heaviest, most outstanding they’ve seen in many years, according to Diane Aguilar, executive director of the Pennsylvania Apple Marketing Program (PAMP).

“The fluctuations in weather haven’t really had a negative effect on the crop,” said Aguilar. She reported that wet weather in Pennsylvania has made it hard for growers to get their spraying and thinning done. When the weather has been dry growers have been putting in over 20-hour days to get their work done, she said.

Aguilar said growers have been cautious about planting new varieties such as Pink Lady and Cameo. She said they are watching how these varieties are faring in Washington state and California.

Consolidation of farms has been a trend, according to Aguilar. She reported that Mountain Brook Orchards in St. Thomas, Pa., a huge 600-acre operation has been sold at an auction. The farm was divided into 13 parcels with one bidder picking up 11 parcels and the other two parcels going to another bidder.

Aguilar said Pennsylvania growers remain very positive and expect to produce more than last year. Pennsylvania averages more than 11 million boxes of apples per year.

PAMP collects assessments from more than 250 growers, who each produce apples on 500 trees or more. Approximately 70% of the apples produced go for processing with 30% for fresh.

California
Despite some strange weather this spring the apple crop is “looking very good so far,” said Kenton Kidd, with the California Apple Commission. He said California growers have experienced cooler weather than normal although in mid-May the temperatures shot up to the mid 80s and above 90°F in some spots.

“We’ve been to 10 to 12 degrees below normal for three weeks,” Kidd said. He said the bloom has been very good this year and growers expect a decent year.

Acreage in California has stabilized with not a lot of new plantings or apple acreage coming out. He said some growers have been planting more Galas and Fujis.

Apple harvest starts in mid-July with Galas, the first commercial crop in the nation, Kidd said. The Granny Smith variety is harvested in mid August with Pink Lady the latest variety in mid-October, with many varieties in between.

California is now the fourth largest apple producing state in the country. Kidd said the top four varieties include: Granny Smith, Gala, Fuji and Pink Lady.

California is a relative newcomer to apple growing, having produced its first commercial crop in 1980.

Virginia
Most Virginia apple growers experienced a good bloom and set, according to Diane Kearns, chairman of the Virginia State Apple Board from Fruit Hill Orchards. She noted that some locations experienced tiny little pieces of hail. A lot of wet weather has generally been a good thing, she reported.

Virginia growers are coming off a “sort of down” year, Kearns said. “It looks pretty positive right now,” she said on May 15.

Kearns said growers are mainly holding off on planting. Some are worried about the 17-year cicada, due next year. The pests have been known to damage ornamental and fruit trees, causing branches to split and die in some cases.

Virginia’s apple industry is in a state of flux due to the defeat of the apple board’s referendum. Virginia growers will meet June 14 in Harrisonburg to discuss the future of the board and the direction of the industry.