USDA To Restore August Apple Crop Estimate
March 13, 2012 
At the urging of the U.S. Apple Association (USApple), USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) has reinstated its August estimate of the U.S. apple crop.
Late last month, USApple President & CEO Nancy Foster met with Dr. Catherine Woteki, USDA under secretary for research, education, and economics, to discuss the importance of the August estimate and to recommend its continuation. Now, USDA has formally announced the August report’s reinstatement and the schedule for its data collection.
“We are pleased that USDA has agreed to restore the publication of the August crop report,” said Foster. “The loss of this data would have harmed the U.S. apple industry. While we understand the current economic environment requires regulatory agencies to make tough decisions, our job was to provide them with accurate and current information to help them make the right decision.”
It was announced late in 2011 that, due to budget constraints, NASS would eliminate a number of crop reports, including the August apple crop estimate. Upon learning that the August apple crop estimate was to be eliminated, USApple immediately called on Agriculture Secretary Vilsack urging the reinstatement of the August estimate, “With a farm gate value of more than $2.2 billion dollars in 2010 and an export value of approximately $800 million, apples are the largest fruit export from the U.S. and comprise the third most valuable domestic fruit crop. The loss of the August estimate will have a dramatically negative impact on market transparency and on our competitiveness in the global market.”
Published at the beginning of the apple harvest, the August crop estimate is critically needed by grower/packer/shippers, marketers, and exporters to develop marketing plans for their highly competitive domestic and export markets.
The most recent apple crop forecast from USDA and USApple can be found by clicking here.
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