04/15/08 Checking on Apples

Checking on Apples. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. The new apple season is beginning to shape up and it is always encouraging to see last years crop end on a high note. Dave Carlson with the Washington Apple Commission. CARLSON: In last years crop it seems to be moving out well at pretty good prices both on the export market and the domestic market and we've had about 68-million out of about 98-million boxes have been shipped at this time so we're probably a little ahead of schedule from what we've been in some of the years past and it would make it nice to have another year when we clean up the previous years crop prior to harvesting the next crop. And in all appearances, that will happen. Besides Washington, Michigan is the other primary apple state and Carlson says they are pretty much done with shipments which is shifting business to the northwest. He also says that export demand has been outpacing supply. CARLSON: And we're encouraging them to be patient with us until new crops start this fall because we anticipate a somewhat larger crop out of the state. And as the export market stays strong so has the domestic market. CARLSON: Domestic has been going along very well. It will appear that we will increase our organic this year as some of the orchards that have been in transition will complete their 3 years of transition from conventional methods to organic so that will increase and we've had strong demand for organic supplies. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.