Pink Lady Apple Production Continues To Grow
March 30, 2015 With its time in the U.S. now well into its second decade, the Pink Lady® Brand Apple is continuing to distinguish itself where growers usually find the most positives when it comes to financial success.
According to production figures from the U.S. Apple Association, Pink Lady volume has shown a steady seasonal average increase of 8.6% over the last six years, from 2009 to 2014.
“During this period we’ve seen Pink Lady production go from more than 3.6 million cartons (76,000-plus metric tons) in 2009 to more than 5.3 million cartons (113,000-plus metric tons) last fall,” says John Reeves, general manager of Pink Lady America in Yakima, WA. Model projections based on tree plantings show production in the U.S. should reach 150,000 metric tons in three more years.
“I guess you could say the Pink Lady Brand Apple has been flying under the radar when it comes to being noticed by some, but there’s no doubt its percentage of production increase has been very impressive.”
As Reeves is also quick to point out, Pink Lady growers are also enjoying the influence of more than a steady production increase.
“The ability to have a large crop of apples is always beneficial but of course the grower has other vital factors in mind when it comes to his goals,” Reeves says. “And the success reflected in the pack-out numbers are usually at the top of that list.”
Pack-out averages are very high for Pink Lady brand apples compared to several other varieties currently being grown commercially. There are also many high paying uses for those few off- grade byproducts including the slicing section.
This has enabled Pink Lady branded apples to be either number #1 or number #2 for bringing the highest returns to the grower. This is out of the top 10 varieties, as it relates to tonnage, that are now being grown in the U.S. over the last several years.
Source: Pink Lady Brand Apples
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