U.S. Has Record Number of Apples in Storage

Posted by David Eddy|June 9, 2020

According to the U.S. Apple Association’s most recent survey, the total number of apples in storage on June 1 was a record 47.9 million bushels, 24% greater than last June’s total of 38.5 million bushels and 26% above the 5-year average for that date.

This year’s fresh apple holdings on June 1 totaled a record 34.1 million bushels, 23% greater than the inventories reported for June 1 of last year. Processing holdings totaled 13.8 million bushels, 28% greater than last year on June 1.

Broken down by variety, it’s no surprise that ‘Red Delicious’ leads the way with 10.4 million bushels in storage. Coming in second was ‘Gala’ – which passed ‘Red Delicious’ as America’s most popular apple a couple years ago – at 8 million bushels. Rounding out the top five: ‘Fuji’, 5.8 million bushels; ‘Golden Delicious’, 4.7 million; and ‘Honeycrisp’, 3.5 million.

USApple’s Outlook 2020, the annual meeting featuring forecasts for apple crops all over the world, is ordinarily held in Chicago each August, but this year it’s going virtual. Attendees can connect and collaborate with leaders from every area of the apple industry, including production, packing, processing, sales, marketing, and new product development.

In addition, a specially curated roster of speakers will take on the challenges and emerging trends facing apple industry businesses and prepare them for the unexpected changes they will need to implement to stay current. One highlight of the conference is the presentation of the Apple Grower of the Year℠ award by American Fruit Grower® and Western Fruit Grower® magazines, which is sponsored by Valent USA.