Apr 7, 2007

Nation’s Fruit Farms Expected To Yield Large Crops

They’ve been doing it since 1955, and while the history’s fuzzy, members of the Michigan Frozen Food Packers Association took a few minutes to observe that the event June 22 marked 50 years for the annual Fruit Crop Guesstimate. It took place in Grand Rapids, Mich.

They brought in fruit grower and former state Sen. George McManus as speaker, who noted that such historic events called for finding “the oldest fart in the business” to review the past. Since fruit production began, he said, guessing the crop size has involved three parties –- the growers and their interests favoring a short crop, the processors wanting a long crop and the USDA as the “objective” party.

Because of “fudge factors” like “economic abandonment,” the government numbers always end up perfect, he said, with a hint of sarcasm.

In the future, he said, satellites might provide worldwide imaging and gauge production by pound and varieties.

“Until then, keep guessing,” he said.

Apples

The 2005 Michigan apple crop is expected to be 20.47 million bushels, higher than last year’s actual total of 17.14 million bushels and higher than the five-year average of 18.61 million bushels.

Pat Chase of Jack Brown Produce said warm weather put growers in West Central Michigan, the state’s largest apple production area, five days ahead of schedule. The dry weather made it easier to control insects and disease.

The West Central estimate is 12.87 million bushels, much higher than other sections of the state, including Eastern Michigan (1.34 million), Northwest (3.25 million), and Southwest (3 million).

The Red Delicious apple variety had the highest estimate in the state, at 3.42 million bushels. Ida Reds (2.57 million), Golden Delicious (2.26 million), Romes (2.33 million), Jonathan (1.83 million), McIntosh (1.67 million), and Northern Spy (1.39 million) also had high estimates.

Volumes for varieties like Gala, Fuji, Jonagold and Honeycrisp have gone up. They’re taking up larger chunks of the state’s overall apple production, Chase said.

The 2005 apple crop estimate for the state of Washington is 120 million bushels. For New York, it’s 25 million bushels. Pennsylvania (10 million), California (9.3 million), and Virginia (6 million) round out the top six apple-producing states, said Denise Yockey, executive director of the Michigan Apple Committee.

There haven’t been any major problems in apple production this year. The total national estimate for the 2005 apple crop is 225 million bushels, Yockey said.

Tart cherries

Michigan is poised for its biggest crop of tart cherries since 2001, and while Michigan produces the lion’s share every year, other areas won’t do as well in 2005. Michigan’s estimated production was pegged at 194.5 million pounds, up from 149 million last year and more than the three-year average of 106 million pounds. Nationally, the crop size was put at 248.25 million pounds.

Eric MacLeod of Cherry Growers Inc. said Northwest Michigan production should hit 115 million pounds, almost two-thirds of the state’s crop. Leo Steffens of Peterson Farms estimated 62 million pounds for the West Central Michigan area, and Mike Schrom from Honee Bear Canning estimated 24 million pound from Southwest Michigan, down from last year but about normal.

Of the national crop, Utah comes out of a cold, rainy spring with 18 million pounds and Washington, with better weather, with 19 million. New York adds 7.55 million pounds, Pennsylvania 1.8 million (its lightest crop ever), Wisconsin 6 million, and Oregon with a poor crop contributes 0.4 million pounds.

Peaches

After spring talk of a poor crop following a winter of up and down temperatures, Michigan may harvest a twice-normal-size crop of clingstone peaches. Alan Lounds of Birds Eye Foods estimated production at 10,100 tons, compared to 6,200 last year and a three-year average of 5,633 tons.

Cultivated blueberries

Blueberry production is rising across North America, but so is consumption because of “the good press about blueberries and health,” said Tony Kucharski of MBG Marketing. Michigan is poised for an average crop of 67 million pounds, well below last year’s 80 million. Indiana will add 3.5 million pounds.

Ron Cook, Producers Marketing Corp., estimated the national crop of highbush blueberries at 298.6 million pounds. A higher percentage of Michigan’s crop, 39 million pounds, will go for processing and 28 million will be sold fresh. Nationally, the fresh market share was estimated at 159 million pounds, compared to 139.6 million for processing.

Sweet cherries

Michigan is looking at a big sweet cherry crop, according to Al Steimel of Leelanau Fruit Co. His numbers: 27,350 tons total, up from 24,700 last year and a five-year average 16,860.

Of that, 575 tons will go fresh, 3,170 canned, 3,585 frozen and 20,050 into brine.

Grapes

Michigan is looking at a better grape crop than last year. Glenn Rogers of Peterson Farms and Dave Miller of St. Julian prepared these numbers: A Michigan Concord grape crop of 50,000 tons, up from 34,900 last year. Niagara grapes will add 21,500 tons, up from 19,400 in 2004. Michigan’s wine grape harvest was pegged at 3,900 tons, more than twice the annual average.

Nationally, production of Concord grapes for processing hit 349,720 tons last year. No estimate was made for 2005 production.