Picking Apples

Picking Apples. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report. With fall only about a week away it is most definitely apple season in the northwest and Bruce Grimm, executive director for the Washington State Horticultural Association says that labor has been on everyones mind. GRIMM: Well I think from what we are hearing generally speaking there has been a reasonably adequate supply of labor. I think the rains over the last weekend probably for a few people behind the 8-ball a little bit and of course I think the concern over labor in general continues to linger on. I keep hearing of people continuing to pick in blocks where they might lay off for a day or so but they’re afraid those pickers won’t be back so they just kind of keep on rolling. Grimm says the Gala harvest is well underway. GRIMM: We are probably 75-80% harvested in Gala. It sounds from the reports I’m getting we’re picking anywhere from about to estimate to around 5% short of our estimate. I think that color has been very good on those varieties that are bred to have high intensity color. And he says fruit size is good. GRIMM: There’ll be a range of sizes in there and we’re certainly hearing fruit quality is good and fruit appears to be coming off in a timely fashion so that we’ll get this fruit put into CA storages and long term storages as wee need to for a full season of optimal marketing activities. We are just kind of getting away with some of the other. A few Golden’s are coming off. A few Granny’s. A few of the early Fuji’s. Again what we’re hearing there is fruit size is good. That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.