New York’s 2014 Apple Crop Forecast At 30 Million Bushels

New York’s apple harvest is on schedule and will officially get underway Aug. 15, the state’s apple growers have reported. They say this year’s crop will be a strong encore to last year’s vintage crop.

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Growers forecast the 2014 crop at 30 million bushels during a statewide conference call July 25 hosted by New York Apple Association (NYAA). That forecast is slightly smaller than last year’s vintage crop of 32 million bushels, but above the state’s five-year average of 29.5 million bushels, as new plantings begin to produce fruit. The final accounting of the crop may be larger, as fruit continues to size leading up to harvest. Growers from across the state report excellent growing conditions this year, beginning with a late spring and near-perfect pollination weather with ample summer sun and the right amount of rain. As a result, fruit size will trend large, with high sugar levels.

“Knock on bin wood, Mother Nature has smiled on us two years in a row,” Jim Allen, NYAA president says. “Harvest is on time, we have plenty of bins and storage, and we are getting strong retail support in our key markets — all in all, we are off to a good start and have high expectations. We grow more apples than anyone east of the Mississippi, so New Yorkers don’t need to look any further than right here to find great apples,” said NYAA President Jim Allen. “Our motto of ‘millions of local branches near you’ is spot on.”

To help build buzz for the crop, NYAA has just unveiled an overhauled consumer website at NYAppleCountry.com.

Source: NYAA news release

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