The apple harvest this year will be early and the crop will most likely be smaller, according to the New York Apple Association. Apple growers expect a crop of 27 million bushels this year, down from 33 million bushels last year, ranking New York second to Washington State. The decline in this year’s crop was attributed to some frost damage, when some trees bloomed early and were then damaged by a deep freeze in early May. The association, based in Fishers, New York, said the consensus of New York’s apple growers is that this year’s crop got off to the fastest start in recent history because of record temperatures in April. Apple picking will begin 10 days to two weeks earlier than last year, said Jim Allen, president of the New York Apple Association.
New York's crop numbers for the past five years:
2009: 32.8 million bushels
2008: 29.8 million bushels
2007: 31.1 million bushels
2006: 29.7 million bushels
2005: 24.7 million bushels
Source: The New York Apple Association. Read the entire story in the Business Review.