Apple Harvest Update

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

When it comes to the 2012 apple harvest I have good news and bad news. Todd Fryhover, President of the Washington Apple Commission gives us the good news.

FRYHOVER: Well this is the first week that I would consider full harvest. Most people are picking all varieties. In general we finished in Gala’s, Golden’s are very close to cleaning up, Honey Crisp are mostly off the trees. This week is big for Red Delicious, Granny Smith so this is the time of the year you’ll see the most trucks on the road and the most activity out in the orchards.

And a little more good news.

FRYHOVER: The crop is actually fantastic. We’ve got great shape, elongation on the Red Delicious. We have very little sunburn damage. Our Granny Smith’s look like they’re all green. The weather has turned as everybody recognizes and has gotten cooler which is going to promote more color on our Red Delicious, on our Fuji’s and some of our other bi-color varieties. So as of today things look ideal for Washington to have a very high quality crop.

Now, the bad news.

FRYHOVER: Labor is short. Most of the growers that I’ve spoken to are talking about 10 to 20% less than normal. So if a normal harvest requires a hundred people to pick it, most growers have somewhere between 80 and 85 pickers to harvest that fruit.

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