WSTFA: Apple Harvest Slightly Larger Than Expected In August
The Washington State Tree Fruit Association released its November 1st Apple Storage Reports on Thursday. With apple harvest mostly completed, this report shows how closely the actual harvested crop compares with the estimate published in August. This month’s report shows a projected Washington apple crop of 138.2 million fresh packed boxes, up slightly from the 137.3 forecast in August.
WSTF President Jon DeVaney said although late season cold weather decreased totals for some later harvested varieties, larger totals on earlier varieties and excellent quality that is contributing to strong packouts kept the projected overall fresh crop very close to the earlier forecast.
The top six varieties projections are:
- Gala – 23.5%
- Red Del. – 19.7%
- Fuji – 13.1%
- Granny Smith – 12.8%
- Honeycrisp – 12.5%
- Golden Del. – 5.5%
DeVaney noted numbers could be adjusted next month, but he said it is clear that the 2019 apple crop is showing excellent eating quality which is being reflected in strong weekly shipment numbers.
If you have a story idea for the Washington Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail gvaagen@cherrycreekradio.com
More From PNW Ag Network
