The apple harvest is in full swing at Washington-based Stemilt Growers, and reports indicate that ample supplies of top-quality fruit will be available despite a smaller-than-expected crop from the state.
The statewide estimate in August called for Washington growers to pick approximately 85 million 42-pound boxes of apples for the fresh market, according to Wenatchee Valley Traffic Association (WVTA). The WVTA is a tree-fruit industry group which tracks crop size and season-long shipments.
Many packing and shipping organisations have revised their estimates down from the initial forecast, pointing to a late October freeze last year as the main cause for the crop-size reduction.
Andy Gale, field staff director for Stemilt's Washington operations, said the freeze affected return bloom on several varieties, and those lower bloom counts are now resulting in fewer apples on the trees. In addition, hot temperatures during the Gala growing season impacted the sizing and packouts of that variety, reducing the amount of fruit going to market.
"The Gala maturity came on too quickly, and that led to some splitting and less red colour," he said. "Those conditions will keep more Galas from going into a packed box and reduce what's available to sell."
Mike Taylor, Stemilt sales director, added: "Large Galas are going to be tough to come by and will definitely command a premium." Buyers can expect larger sizes for most varieties, Taylor said. The lighter fruit set this year gave apples ample nutrients and room to grow on the tree.
"While we're seeing a wide range of sizes across the state, the Reds, Goldens, and Fujis are tending to be larger than normal," he said.
Growers began harvesting Golden Delicious in the second week of September. By late September, Stemilt's Washington growers had finished Gala and Golden and moved well into picking Granny Smith, Red Delicious and Jonagold.
A few Cameo and early strains of Fuji were also available by late September. Growers were well into picking Braeburn and later Fuji strains in mid-October. Pink Lady harvest will begin this week.
Red and Golden Delicious represent a smaller percentage of the crop this year than ever before. "Our changing mix of product has really brought the numbers in line with demand," Taylor said. "We see a stabilised market with diverse promotional opportunities to keep the produce department exciting."
Across its portfolio of fruit, Stemilt's 2003 crop (estimated) is Washington apples - 8.75 million boxes; Washington pears - 1.25m boxes; Washington cherries - 2.25m boxes; Washington stonefruit (peaches, nectarines, apricots) - 800,000 boxes; Washington blueberries - 25,000 flats; California cherries ñ 1m boxes; California apples - 400,000 boxes; and California pears - 75,000 boxes. The group will also handle 500,000 boxes of imported apples and pears.
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