Local apple experts explain the science behind a good production year
By Leah Rainwater
Apples are considered the No. 1 consumed fruit in the United States, and within the last few years, the industry has seen an increase in typical production.
”It’s just mother nature being kind to us,” said Lynsee Gibbons, the Director of Communications for the U.S. Apple Association. “No major, you know, weather events that have taken out entire regions or even entire states”
During the record-breaking 2023 production year, over 289 million bushels of apples were produced throughout the U.S.
In 2024, the U.S. Apple Association reported a production of just over 260 million bushels across the U.S.
Schweizer Orchards said apple production has never been better in Missouri, and that can be attributed to warmer days and cooler nights.
”Cooler nights, warmer days…and we got that two or three weeks ago, it warmed back up and now we’ve hit another cooler nights and warmer days,” said Cory Schweizer, CEO of Schweizer Orchards.
Schweizer said because of the variation in weather, apple production started about three weeks earlier.
Although reports from the U.S. Apple Association show a 10.1% decrease from last year’s apple production, Schweizer says overproduction and weather play a big part in that.
”99% of your apples are produced and grown in the west coast, east coast, Washington, New York and then we also have some in Michigan and Pennsylvania,” Schweizer said. “There’s a decrease probably because they overproduced on year and they didn’t get a return crop or frost or something like that.”
Gibbons says although there’s a 10.1% decrease compared to record-breaking production in 2023, the 2024 crop will still be significant with great sizing, color and quality too.
Those numbers can be attributed to new growth technology available to orchards and the fact that growers are able to produce more with less acreage.
Gibbons says these higher apple numbers might be the “new normal.”
”I do think we could start to see a new normal, in terms of you know, just how productive we can be in apple growing,” said Gibbons.
Apple picking season ranges from mid-August through early November.
