Nova Scotia has ended up with a bumper crop of apples this season.
“While that may signal that last year we were down, in some cases we have twice the fruit in the same footprint of orchard which is remarkable,” says Michael Van Meekeren of Van Meekeren Farms in Kentville, N.S. This year harvest did begin approximately five days earlier and finished slightly later due to volume.
So what’s behind this year’s increased production? “The trees have to be ready to produce that much fruit. If you have a bumper crop one year, the tendency is for them to not be able to do that again so easily. It’s almost a strain on them and we didn’t have a bumper crop last year or the one before,” says Van Meekeren. “We also had moisture every week. There was no lack of moisture and we had lots of heat.”
Varieties up
Van Meekeren notes that Gala, Pazazz and Ambrosia varieties were particularly up in volume. “Pazazz orchards were in some cases double the volume and the same with Gala,” he says. On Ambrosia, what was notable was the increase in fruit size--sizing increased by two to three sizes.
Left: Stephen Van Meekeren and Michael Van Meekeren with a bin of fruit; right: Lush green orchard due to lots of rain in 2021.
As for demand, it has been good. “In many parts of Canada, we see a bit of a fall slump and that impacted us a little bit. But we found sales to be steady and we are certainly looking to push more volume through the winter with promotions and exporting.”
Exporting to new markets is proving to be a challenge though given the global logistics issues. “If you’re looking at a new market that you need to ship to via ocean, the challenge is if you can even have an ocean liner quote a lane because they’re overfull already. You may find all sorts of great markets around the world and not be able to confirm any new shipping options,” Van Meekeren says. “This is the first time we’ve had this.”
Shipping within North America
That said Van Meekeren Farms is also looking at shipping to other parts of North America, which would rely on rail or trucking instead.
As for pricing, Van Meekeren says the price of the fruit itself is stable and hasn’t changed from last year. “But some input costs like cardboard and shipping have created more costs. Prices might have gone up but that’s not leading to higher margins or profit,” he says. “I think pricing will hold. If we look at North America, most regions who contribute significantly to the crop are flat or down so I think our market won’t be up and down.”
For more information:
Michael Van Meekeren
Van Meekeren Farms
Tel: +1 (902) 678 2366
[email protected]
https://givethemawink.com/