Apple Update Part 2

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

The end of July saw quite a number of weather events here in the northwest and among those thunderstorms were hail storms that made a mess of some tree fruit. Todd Fryhover, President of the Washington Apple Commission says there are different ways to look at the outcome.

FRYHOVER: Sure, you are right, there was a hailstorm. But there wasn’t just one and not everybody was affected and to the extent that they’re affected. If you are a vertically integrated grower, you own your orchards, you own your packing facilities and you own your distribution and sales, the attitude you are going to take on hailed on fruit is going to be much different that if you are just a grower.

Not all fruit that gets hailed on is ruined.

FRYHOVER: The more units you put across your packing line obviously the more profitable your entire organization is. As long as you can cover your packing costs, you should be packing a hail grade fruit. But as a grower, that’s a loss. Especially with the processor deal that’s out there at somewhere around 3, 4 or $500 dollars a ton

An early estimate put the 2012 apple crop in the 120 million box range but as of the first of August that had been revised considerably due to the weather.

FRYHOVER: To really know what this estimate means is very, very difficult and will only tell as demand is exactly, concisely defined and it’s going to take us until the end of the season.

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