Idyllic Washington weather sets the stage for strong apple season
From
| 13 August 2023
Overview of apples from Washington in the U.S. market, complemented by charts from Agronometrics. Original published on August 10, 2023.
CMI Orchards gears up for the new crop with a large selection of branded, core and organic apples and pears all in one place. Despite a late bloom, CMI’s Robb Myers, vice president of business development, reports that it was an excellent one.
“We set a lot of king blossoms this year,” says Myers. “The best blooms always produce the best fruit. On top of that, the weather hasn’t been too hot which means the trees can focus on growing the fruit rather than trying to survive any inclement weather conditions.”
“This perfect alignment of factors yields a promising outlook for the upcoming crop,” says Joel Hewitt, domestic sales and organic manager. “Sizing looks optimal and the condition of the crop is shaping up nicely to have year-round availability for most of our varieties,” said Hewitt. “All indications suggest we’ll see a stellar crop.”
Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics.
(Agronometrics users can view this chart with live updates here)
Hewitt adds that CMI understands the need for apples to be on the shelf year-round and that’s exactly what its knowledgeable growers are accomplishing. “Our growers are multi-generational orchardists carrying legacies that are ripe with expertise,” he says. “They can play matchmaker by planting popular, profitable managed varieties and the best-tasting core varieties in select micro-climates and harvest altitudes, which allows them to bring fresh, high quality, popular products to market.”
These experienced growers will drive this incoming crop. “Our forecast shows that we’re going to be up in everything: organic, core and managed variety volume,” says Hewitt.
Scott McDougall of McDougall and Sons, an ownership arm of CMI, is optimistic for a spectacular harvest. “This is one of the nicest, cleanest apple crops I’ve seen at this point in the growing season, with minimal russeting and blemishes,” says McDougall. “We’re hopeful for a great season ahead, pending any unforeseen circumstances.”
With harvest just beginning, Hewitt says it’s important for retailers to capitalize on this crop to meet increasing consumer demand. “Shoppers will enjoy fruit with exceptional flavor and color this coming season,” he says. “Retailers who start off the season prepared—with planning, promotions and point-of-sale materials—will have an advantage.”
The News in Charts is a collection of stories from the industry complemented by charts from Agronometrics to help better tell their story.
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