USApple 2021 forecast: 243.7M bushels, down 5.7% from 2020

The announcement concluded the 126th annual USApple Outlook Conference, held in-person in Chicago.Aug. 18-19

 

The association’s projected numbers are down 21.6 million bushels from USDA’s Aug. 12 estimate. Most of the difference between the estimates comes from Washington, where industry leaders predicted 157 million bushels compared to the USDA’s 176 million.

USApple estimates project New York apple crop (30 million, 42-pound bushels) is expected to be off by 9% from last year and down 6% from the five-year average. Pennsylvania’s crop (10.5 million) is projected to be down 5.8% from a year ago and 8.4% from the five-year average. Virginia (4.75 million) comes in 22.4% below 2020  and 3.7% from the five-year average.

In Michigan, the crop (18.25 million) is forecast to decline 17.3% from a year ago and down 26.3% from last year.

California’s crop (4.4 million) will be down 31.7% from 2020 and should decline 26.8% over the five-year average.

Oregon (4.1 million) is slated to remain steady with a 1.1% dip over the five-year average.

Washington state (157.3 million), the biggest producer in the U.S., should come in 4.5% below a year ago and 8.4% under the five-year average.

USApple estimates the remaining apple producing states will produce 14.4 million bushels, about even with the previous year and a 1.1% dip on the five-year average. The USDA does not publish figures for the entire U.S. apple market.

– Gary Pullano, editor, Fruit Growers News