Fresh Apple Holdings Part 2

Fresh Apple Holdings Part 2. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

Yesterday, Mark Seetin with U.S. Apple, told us that the latest fresh apple holdings report is slightly higher than last year at this time with some 141-million bushels compared to 141.3 million in 2010. The delayed harvest in most of the country has been hard on apple producers except in one growing region.

SEETIN: Interestingly, Michigan is one that I don’t think they’ve seen the same delay as the other parts of the country but compared to last years crop they’re looking at one probably 80% higher. As you may recall last year they got hit with frost and hail; cut their crop down to 14-million bushels and change. This year they’re looking at probably 26-million - between 26 and 27-million bushels.

That is quite a contrast from one part of the country to the other.

SEETIN: The west coast; the Washington, California, Oregon folks are looking probably at a crop according to USDA and I don’t have any reason to contest that - maybe a couple percent lower than last year. In the east maybe one or two percent lower. Where the apple crop is much better is in the midwest.

The U.S. apple industry uses storage to provide apples to consumers throughout the year and not only during the harvest season.

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