Michigan apple crop expected similar to 2020

The 2021 Michigan apple crop could resemble the 2020 version, said  Don Armock, president of Riveridge Produce Marketing Inc., Sparta, Mich.

Meanwhile, Armock said the state’s expanding sweet cherry crop will start the last week of June and go until about mid-August.

“We have a pretty decent (sweet cherry) crop coming and we should have good fruit size,” he said.

Frost events

Some frost events cut the potential of the 2021 Michigan apple crop, Armock said. 
“As a general statement, we don’t have a big crop,” he said, noting that volume is expected similar to the 2020 apple crop. 

“The one factor that I think is going to make a difference for everybody involved is our Honeycrisp crop just went biennial (a heavy crop followed by a shorter crop) on us; some of the acreage doesn’t have a very good crop and some has an excellent crop,” he said.    “We are going to be lighter on Honeycrisp.”

While the USDA has not issued its final production estimate for the 2020 apple crop, it was likely in the range of 22 to 24 million cartons of both fresh and processing apples, down from the state’s top producing year of more than 30 million cartons.

While the 2020 crop was on the late side, this year the apple crop is a little on the early side. First galas in the earliest district in southwest Michigan area should begin the first week of September, he said.