A growing season free from complications is partly responsible for a 2012 Washington apple crop with more volume than last year's crop.
A lack of freeze or frost damage led to good pollination and no surprises for Washington's apple growers. That, in turn, has led the U.S. Department of Agriculture to forecast apple production in the state this year to be 5.70 billion pounds. That estimate is five percent higher than last year's state production.
Production is also expected to go up in western apple-growing states. The combined apple production for the region, which includes Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Washington, could reach 6.21 billion pounds, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. If that forecast holds true, then 2012 production for the year would be six percent higher than last year's crop.
Nationally, the U.S. Department of Agriculture forecasts apple production will be 8.06 billion pounds in 2012, down 14 percent from 2011.