The Washington apple harvest is expected to be a bit lower this year due to the long, cold spring. The state's apples are sold in over 40 countries and are the state’s top farm commodity, representing 20% of the state’s farm-gate agricultural value in 2020. On average, 30% of the harvest is exported.
Washington Apple Commission
Washington’s apple crop is forecast to be a bit smaller this year because of the cool spring.
The Washington State Tree Fruit Association on Monday projected the 2022 Washington state fresh apple crop will total 108.7 million forty-pound boxes. That's an 11.1% decrease from 2021’s 122.3 million boxes.
“We are pleased with the size of the harvest, particularly in the face of a long, cold spring,” said Jon DeVaney, WSTFA President.
The estimate shows that five popular apple varieties make up the majority of the harvest. Gala leads production at 20%, Red Delicious and Honeycrisp are each projected at 14%, followed by Granny Smith at 13.4%, and Fuji at 12.7% of total production.
Cosmic Crisp, which is grown only in Washington state, is 4.6% of the harvest, up from 3.2% last year. Washington apples are sold in over 40 countries and are the state’s top farm commodity, representing 20% of the state’s farm-gate agricultural value in 2020. On average, 30% of the harvest is exported.
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State agriculture officials and Yakima Valley growers say the cold spring weather, a late April frost and their impact on pollination has delayed the peach harvesting season, which is usually at its peak by now, according to the Yakima Herald-Republic.
“Volume is down because of the cold conditions we saw this spring,” said James Michael, vice president of marketing-North America for the Washington State Fruit Commission. “Besides the severe cold and frost, we had a long, extended cool period that pushed everything back, including the peaches.”
While there isn’t a formal Washington peach crop estimate, many of the state’s top peach areas were among the coldest points during the April freeze, Michael said. The consensus among growers is that there is about half of a crop this season, he said.
“We are getting into the peak of peaches now, and will be transitioning through varieties until late September this year,” Michael said. “Traditionally, peach harvest begins in early July and lasts through mid-September, but the cool spring pushed most crops back by at least two weeks.”
Local growers agree with those harvest predictions.
J.L. Thompson of Thompson’s Farm in Naches said while later-blooming fruit trees such as pears and apples should produce “decent” crops this year, early- and mid-summer fruits weren’t so fortunate.
“It’s kind of a light crop for peaches,” Thompson said. “Frost damage affected peaches, cherries, apricots, plums. We had that late frost right around Easter, and that affected pollination.
“We’re picking some Red Havens right now, but the crop is pretty minimal. Elbertas are not as bad … we have a decent number of donut (peaches),” he added. “A lot of years we do U-pick for peaches, but we’ll have to wait and see this year.”
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‘Long, cold spring’ impacts Washington’s fruit harvests - Oregon Public Broadcasting
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