Aug 24, 2018

BREAKING: 2018 US apple crop estimate – 256 million bushels

The U.S. Apple Association has announced its estimate of the size of the 2018 U.S. apple crop: 256 million bushels.

The estimate was given during USApple’s annual Crop Outlook and Marketing Conference held Aug. 23-24 in Chicago.

The 2018 estimate represents a 6 percent decrease from 2017’s final crop of 271,571 million bushels, and is 2 percent below the five-year average.

Here’s a regional breakdown:

In the Eastern states, the 2018 estimate is 58.3 million bushels, down 1 percent from 58.9 bushels in 2017 and 1 percent above the five-year average.

The Midwest estimate is 31.6 million bushels, up 35 percent from 2017’s total of 23.6 million bushels and 8 percent above the five-year average.

In the Western states, the 2018 estimate is 166.1 million bushels, 12 percent down from 2017 and 5 percent below the five-year average.

Washington state leads the way in the 2018 forecast, with 155 million total bushels, a 13 percent decline from 2017 (178.5 million bushels) and 5 percent below the five-year average.

New York is looking at a crop of 31 million bushels to equal the 2017 mark of 30.9 million, and matching the five-year average.

Michigan comes in at 28 million bushels in the forecast, a rise of 40 percent percent from 2017 (20 million bushels), and 8 percent above the five-year average.

Pennsylvania is pegged at 12 million bushels, down 5 percent from 2017 (12.5 million) and 1 percent above the five-year-average.

– Gary Pullano, FGN Managing Editor