Apple Outlook 2025 Pt 2
From the Ag Information Network, this is today’s Fruit Grower Report. With harvest right around the corner, based on reports from growers, Washington’s apple crop is looking pretty good at this point.
Michael Schadler, Washington Apple Commission president, says based on the inventory lists he’s getting, the overlap from last year’s crop should be minimal …
SCHADLER … “Things are looking okay and we’re kind of cautiously optimistic that there won’t be the same level of carryover fruit as we begin the new harvest.”
But one issue growers are dealing with is having enough labor to harvest the crop …
SCHADLER … “There’s a little bit more concern than probably a normal year. I’ve heard, you know just anecdotally talking to people, that say labor is a little bit tighter for those that are sourcing from the domestic workforce.”
That’s why, Schadler says foreign guestworkers are important …
SCHADLER … “A lot of growers are very dependent, if not entirely dependent on the H-2A visa workers to the extent that there’s concern about labor tightness in the local workforce. Some of that is mitigated by the fact that we as an industry have been so reliant on H-2A workers.”
But Schadler says that’s not a bad thing …
SCHADLER … “That’s a god thing, but also if domestic gets really tight, the local workforce gets really tight, it could be concerning and it could lead to situations where we might have trouble harvesting all that we want to harvest off those trees. But I haven’t heard any, kind of, like extreme panic yet.”
Again, that’s Washington Apple Commission president, Michael Schadler.
