The first forecast since the apple harvest was completed last month has The Washington State Tree Fruit Association (WSTFA) concluding there will be fewer fresh apple shipments than under the previous estimate.
The August forecast estimated the Washington state apple harvest to be 124.85 million standard forty pound boxes of fresh apples. After receiving updated data from WSTFA members who have picked a majority of the crop, that estimate has decreased by 5.3%. The decrease places the volume to be at 118.255 million boxes.
WSTFA members are reporting smaller crops of some varieties including Honeycrisp, Galas, and Red Delicious. High heat earlier in the season was cited.
The organic apple crop is still projected to be over 15 million boxes. In spite of the smaller harvest, high-quality fruit is seen throughout 2022.
This report is based on a survey of WSTFA members, and represents fruit picked through Octobter 31 and a best estimate of what is still to be harvested. It represents the harvested total volume of apples that will eventually be packed and sold on the fresh market (excluding product sent to processors).