Several growers in the Wapato, Washington, area are beginning to harvest their Buckeye Gala apples on August 25, 2017. (TJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower)
Apple growers expect to produce upwards of 248.2 million bushels for the 2017-18 crop year, which is in line with early U.S. Department of Agriculture forecasts and consistent with the five-year average, according to the latest USApple estimate, released at the USApple Outlook conference in Chicago.
Nine of the 11 states that contribute to the forecast for the Eastern U.S. expect to see an increase in production this season, following a year of losses due to drought conditions in parts of the Northeast.
Eastern growers expect production of 54.6 million bushels, an increase of 6 percent over last season. The biggest producers are New York at 28 million and Pennsylvania at 11.2 million bushels.
In the Midwest, a late freeze hit some growers in Michigan, who anticipate a 27 percent decline in production this season to just 20.3 million bushels. Overall, production in the Midwest is forecast at nearly 23.8 million bushels, down 23 percent.
And in the West, growers expect to match the five-year average, at nearly 170 million 42-pound bushels, with Washington coming in at 159.5 million.
USApple figures include both fresh and processed production.
– by Shannon Dininny
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