2016 apple crop will be bigger than last year

The U.S. Apple Association has announced its estimate of the size of the 2016 U.S. apple crop: 246 million bushels.

The estimate was given during USApple’s annual Apple Crop Outlook and Marketing Conference, held Aug. 25-26 in Chicago.

The 2016 estimate represents a 3 percent increase from 2015’s final crop of 238 million bushels, and a 3 percent increase from the five-year average.

Here’s a regional breakdown:

In the Eastern states, the 2016 estimate is 53.8 million bushels, 10 percent down from 2015 and 2 percent down from the five-year average.

The Midwest estimate is 34.3 million bushels, 20 percent up from 2015 and 34 percent up from the five-year average.

In the Western states, the 2016 estimate is 157 million bushels, 5 percent up from 2015 but 1 percent down from the five-year average.