Halfway Done Part 3

Halfway Done Part 3. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

The 2009 apple crop looks like it is another good one. There have been some reports of minor problems but overall Bruce Grim, Executive Director of the Washington State Horticultural Association says consumers should look for some wonderful product in the stores.

GRIM: The varieties we have in the ground color very well and so I think we are looking at a high volume of premium fruit but as I say those lower pressures overall will tend to moderate. We started with lower pressures and I don’t sense anybody thinking we don’t have a crop that will store the full year and be able to market it accordingly.

Mother Nature has been lending a helping hand as of late as well.

GRIM: Size is very good, type is excellent, color is very, very good and now with the weather pattern we’re in the last few days you can just see all that finish color on the backside particularly is what’s really bumped up here in the last few days. (We) had good finish color on the front side but it seemed like we lagged even in the higher coloring varieties.

And Grim talks about the number of apples being picked and shipped plus some extra good news.

GRIM: From a week ago we had moved about one million more boxes already this season than we had at the same time a year ago so I see that as a real positive sign that marketers are getting off the mark with this crop. I also tend to see I guess with my WAGMA (Washington Apple Growers Marketing Association) hat on, I would say that overall I see people going out with pricing on this fruit that is going to make growers money.

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