More Apple Harvest

More Apple Harvest. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

 The 2009 apple harvest is fully underway with a number of early varieties nearing completion. The ’09 crop also includes a good portion of organics’ according to Todd Fryhover, Executive Director of the Washington Apple Commission.

FRYHOVER: Well the projected crop volume for organic was 6.5 million which was pretty close to what we had last year. I actually witnessed some organic being packed down in Yakima and what was really remarkable about it was the size was larger than normal. I think most people when they talk about organic they’re usually down a size, their yield is a little bit less

Fryhover says that extra size is going to be very beneficial this year.

FRYHOVER: I think this year with the growing conditions we’ve had we may have a little bit larger organic which is going to be very, very beneficial to the returns for the grower because we obviously have more access in the domestic retail accounts.

Overall the apple crop looks great and there is going to be some good exports.

FRYHOVER: So far things look good, prices look great. You know movement has been excellent. We had some early movement into Taiwan on some Gala’s and things and now we are just waiting to reload and get some Red’s and some Fuji’s and some other things on the road.

That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.