Getting Ready to Harvest

Getting Ready to Harvest

Getting Ready to Harvest. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

The 2013 apple season is about to get underway. We may see some early varieties begin coming off the trees as of this weekend and that has apple lovers excited. Lacy Gray has more on the harvest.

GRAY: If you are a fan of early season Gala apples you should start seeing them show up at farmer’s markets by next week and in the grocery stores shortly thereafter. This year’s crop won’t be breaking any records like last years was but still estimates are around 120-million boxes and that would make it the second largest crop in the state. If you remember last year the other major growing regions in Michigan and New York were extremely hard hit with drought but both are expecting normal to better than normal crops this year. There have been some reports of hail damage and the hot, hot weather may thin the crop a bit since apples are susceptible to sunburn which renders the fruit unusable. Greg.

Thanks Lacy. Apples are Washington State’s top commodity. The Washington Department of Agriculture has not yet released the total value of the 2012 crop but it’s expected to be considerable better than the $1.83 billion dollars back in 2011. So the anticipation is running high for growers and consumers alike to see how the 2013 crop picks out. Again, expect to see a good crop of Gala’s and Granny Smiths and perhaps a bit lighter on Fuji’s and Golden’s but we might see a better selection of some of the more unusual apples like Honey Crisp, Piñata and Pink Lady’s.

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

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