Some expect Michigan growers to harvest about 32 million bushels of apples this season, as much as last year’s record-breaking crop. Of course, Michigan is among the nation’s top-three apple growing states and this year, growers in northern Michigan are seeing huge harvests for the second year in a row. However, too many apples can create other challenges. Two big back-to-back seasons across the country have created a few challenges, including less demand from processors on certain varieties.
Erin Lauwers, an educator with MSU Extension's Northwest Michigan Horticulture Research Station, says she was surprised to see another bumper crop: “Usually, if a tree bears a lot of fruit one year, then it tends to set less fruit the next year, so to have a big crop back-to-back is kind of strange.”
Lauwers said one reason for the higher crop could be a lack of thinning out blossoms and early growth in the spring due to bad weather. Lower demand of certain varieties from processors is partially due to so much fruit from this year, but also due to advanced storage technology.
Source: interlochenpublicradio.org
