Update on Apples. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report.
The 2009 apple season is wrapping up and it will soon be time to begin harvesting the 2010 crop. Todd Fryhover, President of the Washington Apple Commission says they are on track for harvest just around the corner.
FRYHOVER: Gala's in August so really that's just 5 weeks, maybe 6. I think that in general thus far the Washington apple crop has moved out in a very nice fashion, very orderly and we've had good arrivals and prices have continued to escalate.
Most of the attention as of late has been on soft fruit like cherries, peaches and pears but Fryhover says the 2009 season is closing nicely.
FRYHOVER: We're on target to be out of fruit at the time the industry wants to be out. We need to continue to be aggressive, no question about that but the sooner we can be out and into our next crop which of course will be in August with Gala's and then Golden Delicious to follow and the season begins again.
The big game for all ag producers is to run out of last years crop at about the same time the new crop is being harvested.
FRYHOVER: We kind of use a methodology called target numbers compared to seasons past and we're between 90 and 100% sold on all major varieties so I'm thinking depending on the varieties we'll be out of Red Delicious some time in late September, the Gala deal should be cleared up this month, Golden's probably in August, Grannies in August – first of September.
That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.
