Dec 15, 2006

Fresh Apple Holdings Keep Pace with 2005

Total fresh-market apple holdings on Dec. 1 were reported at 87.9 million bushels, just under the 88.3 million bushels reported in December 2005 and 5 percent higher than the five-year average of 84 million bushels for holdings on that date. That’s according to the U.S. Apple Association’s (USApple) December survey of apple storage facilities.

Regionally, fresh holdings in the Northeast were 9 percent higher than holdings last year and 6 percent higher than the five-year average. Southeast fresh holdings were 6 percent more than last year and 14 percent higher than the five-year average.

In the Midwest, fresh holdings were up 19 percent compared to 2005 and up 20 percent compared to the five-year average. Fresh-market apples in storage were 11 percent higher in the Southwest than last year but 3 percent lower than the five-year average. Northwest fresh holdings were 3 percent lower than last year but 3 percent higher than the five-year average.

Fresh Holdings by Variety

Dec. 1 fresh Red Delicious holdings were 32.4 million bushels, an 11 percent increase compared to the year earlier and 4 percent higher than the five-year average. Fresh Granny Smith holdings of 11.5 million bushels increased 3 percent compared to last year and were up 20 percent compared to the five-year average. Fresh Golden Delicious holdings of 9.4 million bushels were down 29 percent from the year before and decreased 23 percent compared to the five-year average. Fresh Fuji holdings of 9.4 million bushels were down 2 percent from the previous year but increased 6 percent compared to the five-year average. Fresh Gala holdings of 9.3 million bushels were down 8 percent from 2005 but increased 15 percent compared to the five-year average.

Fresh Empire holdings of 2.1 million bushels increased 16 percent compared to the previous year and were 5 percent more than the five-year average. Fresh McIntosh holdings of 2 million bushels were up 7 percent from the previous year but down 12 percent from the five-year average.

Total U.S. Holdings

Total U.S. holdings of fresh and processing apples on Dec. 1 were 134.3 million bushels, less than 78,000 bushels higher than last year’s holdings. The holdings were 3 percent higher than the five-year average.

Total holdings of fresh-market and processing apples in controlled atmosphere (CA) storage were 105.4 million bushels, a 1 percent decrease from 2005 but up 3 percent from the five-year average.

Fresh CA holdings were 73.9 million bushels, a 2 percent decrease from holdings last year but 4 percent more than the five-year average. Total processing apple holdings were 46.4 million bushels, up 1 percent from 2005 and 1 percent more than the five-year average.

Apple Movement

Just over 12 million bushels of fresh apples moved out of storage during November 2006, down 6 percent from the previous year’s pace. Nationwide movement of 16.2 million bushels of fresh and processing apples in November was 9 percent lower than 2005 movement of 17.8 million bushels.

Regionally, November 2006 movement of fresh-market apples in the Northeast was 6 percent more than in the year before and 7 percent higher than the five-year average.

Movement in the Southeast was 8 percent more than in 2005 and 20 percent higher than the five-year average. Movement in the Midwest was down 23 percent from 2005 and was 17 percent lower than the five-year average. In the Southwest, movement was 11 percent higher than 2005 and was 42 percent lower than the five-year average. In the Northwest, movement was 6 percent less than a year earlier and 8 percent less than November 2004.