Apple Issues

Each year at harvest time there is a collective breath holding exercise as the fruit comes off the trees. Will it be a good harvest or bad? Are there any problems we didn't account for of that Mother Nature threw at us. Jim McFerson with the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission says a late heat wave caused some problems with the fruit.

McFERSON: That leads to the expression of some problems like bitter pit or lower acidity levels that characterizes some of the orchards this year. Overall I don't think you could say there's any single problem this year that will greatly or drastically affect the crop. We've had hail events and that's affected the crop. We have bitter pit here and there. We have problems with maturity and coloring. The usual problems that we run into.

There had been some reports that bitter pit was a problem this year but McFerson says not any more than any other year.

McFERSON: Looking around the state the crop looks in good shape. We have a lot of labor issues as we have had every year and we'll continue to have. But it is coming off with this weather very well and going into storage so although it sounds a bit like a sales pitch we do have a large crop with some excellent quality fruit and I think it will store well and we'll be able to supply our customers with the quality that they demand.

The 2013 apple crop is on the downhill side and is probably around 75% complete. Reports are that it will pick out to about the estimated which was approximately 120-thousand which would put this at the second largest apple crop in history. With both Michigan and New York having a normal crop year will put additional pressure on moving this large crop.

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