10/14/08 Apple production forecast unchanged; grapes lowered

Washington Ag October 14, 2008 The October crop report from the National Agricultural Statistics Service has Washington apple production unchanged from last month's forecast at 5.40 billion pounds. That figure is up four percent from 2007 and represents 58 percent of total U.S. apple production. Fruit quality is reported to be good and the labor supply has not negatively affected the harvest. The Statistics Service reduced the forecast for Washington grape production three percent from last month's report to 365-thousand tons. Wine grape production however was unchanged at 135-thousand tons, six percent above 2007 and the largest Washington wine grape crop on record. Apples, milk and wheat were Washington's top commodities by value in 2007, but which provided the greatest value per harvested acre? Dennis Koong of the Washington field office of Ag Statistics has the answer. Koong: "Blueberries had a value of $13,421 per acre and the next largest per harvested acre dollar value was with the non-storage onions, with a value of $12,350. Then in third were apples with $11,048 per harvested acre." I'm Bob Hoff.