RICHLAND, WA (N3) – Northwest apple farmers say early indications are it could be a bumper crop this year. They are just about done thinning their fruit trees. And that giving them a good forecast of what their final crop will be. KPLU’s Anna King reports.
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Todd Fryhover is the president of the Washington Apple Commission. He says the first ripe apples should be coming off the trees in the third week of August. This year Washington growers could have as much as 108 million cartons, or bushels. Each one weighs about 42 pounds. This year’s harvest is expected to be about the same amount of apples that growers produced two years ago. Fryhover says the only hitch for apple trees this year has been the cold spring.
Todd Fryhover: “And in the spring is when our cell division takes place. And because it was cool there is some thought that the fruit might be that the fruit sizing might be a bit smaller than anticipated.”
Fryhover says the apple industry expects to have enough pickers this year. The down economy means more people are available for seasonal work.
I’m Anna King in Richland.
