Steady Apple Shipments Set Through Summer

With over 30 million bushels of apples in the USA remaining in storages to be shipped, steady loading opportunties through much of the summer are expected, especially from Washington state.  There is one percent more fruit remaining in storages than last year’s large crop, and three percent more tonnage remaining compared to the five-year average.

The Yakima and Wenatchee valleys of Washington state are averaging about 2500 truckload equivalents of apple shipments a week, although this amount includes some shipments by rail….By contrast, Michigan apple loadings are amounting to around 125 truck loads per week….New York state apple shipments are similar, but declining as the season winds down.

Washington apples – grossing about $6200 to Atlanta.

Michigan apples – about $2800 to Oklahoma City.

FREEZE UPDATE — I reported  on May 9 a major freeze hitting Ontario and Michigan apple shipping areas, as well as New York and possibly Pennsylvania.  This will affect your loading opportunities starting in late July and August and continue for the 2012-13 apple shipping season.

It will be June, if not July in some instances, before it is known how much next season’s apple shipments will be hurt, but it will be substantial.  The damage to Ontario’s 16,000 acres of orchards has been termed “catastrophic,” a pretty harsh term for normally optimtistic produce shippers.  It also known there is significant damage to apples in Michigan and upstate New York.