Record apple shipments in the United States are predicted for the 2014-15 shipping season.
As of December 1st, this season’s fresh apples in storage totaled 122.2 million bushels, a whopping 16 percent increase from the same time last year.
Apples for processing totaled 44.6 million bushels, 3 percent above last year on December 1st. The total number of apples in storage on December 1st was 166.8 million bushels, 12 percent above last December’s total.
The United States has about 7,500 apple producers who grow nearly 200 varieties of apples on approximately 328,000 acres.
The 2013-14 crop estimate, at 248.6 million bushels, was the 10th-largest apple crop shipped since the U.S. Department of Agriculture began keeping statistics on commercial apple production.
Washington state’s Yakima and Wenatchee valleys continue to ship about as many apples each year as all of the apple shipping areas in the United States combined. The state is averaging about 3,500 truck load equivalents weekly.
Both Michigan and New York state have similar volume this season, with both averaging around 250 truck loads of apples being shipped a week.
By contrast the Appalachian district that includes Pennsylvania, Maryland, Viriginia and West Virginia combined are loading about 100 truck loads of apples per week.
Michigan apple shipments – grossing about $4100 to Houston.
Hudson Valley New York apple shipments – grossing about $1600 to Baltimore.
Washington apple shipments – grossing about $8,000 to New York City.