COMPARING THE CROPS
Spring frost is expected to cut Ohio’s apple crop by 41 percent this year. Here are last year’s numbers compared to this year’s.
2011 harvest: 66.6 million pounds
Ohio's production rank: 10th
Value of the crop: $21.8 million
2012 expected harvest: 39.6 million pounds
Expected production rank: 12th
(No estimate available yet for the value of this year’s crop.)
SOURCE: National Agricultural Statistics Service
ON TV
Chris and Sharon Stevens of Stevens Bakery and Orchard in Springfield shared their story with PBS. Tune in to find out more about their business.
Watch the “Our Ohio” program at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 13, on Springfield Channel 16; at 5 a.m. Oct. 20 on WSOU Columbus, or view online after the airdate at ourohio.org.
Harvest time generally means a bountiful apple crop. This year, consumers across the Miami Valley are struggling to find local apples. We investigated the causes of this year’s apple shortage and how it will affect you.
Why the shortage?
Spring got off to a sunny start with highs in the 80s as early as March. While the weather was great for early cookouts, it was anything but a picnic for most Ohio apple farmers. “It got the trees moving and caused the bloom period to start a month early,” said Bill Dodd, president of the Ohio Fruit Growers Marketing Association.
During the last week of April, temperatures plunged, ending the month with nights in the low-to-mid 20s, normal springtime weather. “Normal for April, but not normal for apple trees,” Dodd said. “The trees were pushed far enough and developed enough to put them at a critical temperature stage.” Blossoms suffered from the frost, and no blossoms equals no apples.
This summer’s drought and record-high heat didn’t help, and now the statewide apple crop is 50-60 percent of a normal year’s crop.
Hit or miss
“It’s impossible to make a general statement (about this year’s apple crop),” Dodd said. From region to region, even from farm to farm, the apple harvest varied radically.
The drought scorched some areas, while others received timely rainfall. According to Dodd, northeastern Ohio bears the brunt of the shortage, while central and southwest Ohio are faring slightly better.
The variety of the apple tree affected its blooms’ chances of survival. Red Delicious, Yellow Delicious and Gala apples are hardier than varieties like Macintosh, Jonagold and the popular Honeycrisp. “For some trees, it’s just not in their nature to be cold,” Dodd said.
Local farmers struggle
In the Miami Valley, orchard owners are struggling with this year’s disappointing crop. “Everyone in our local area has a smaller than usual crop,” said Sharon Stevens, co-owner of Stevens Bakery and Orchard in Springfield. “Several other orchards did not open at all.”
The family-owned business doesn’t expect to recoup its losses. “We can’t begin to make up for it,” Stevens said. “Our crop was about 5 percent of a normal year. Some varieties didn’t even bloom.”
Although supply is low, demand is as high as ever. “We’ve had a lot of people coming,” Stevens said. “But nothing for them. As fast as we can pick (apples), we sell out.”
What it means for you
The shortage is bad news for cider lovers. The ubiquitous fall beverage is in short supply this year. “We didn’t make any cider at all because we didn’t have enough apples,” Stevens said.
Ron Williams, produce manager at Dorothy Lane Market’s Washington Square store in Centerville, the store’s cider supplier, Wesler Orchards in New Paris, was forced to import apples from Pennsylvania and West Virginia to keep up with customer demand.
Locavores are also an unhappy group this autumn. Dorothy Lane Market generally offers a wide variety of local apples, but those have “pretty much run their course this season,” said Williams, who is also the store’s local foods coordinator. “We buy from a couple of local farmers, but they’re done already.” This is not the norm for early October.
As one might expect, rising prices are becoming an issue, too. “Apples are running 30-40 cents more per bag,” Williams said. “Last year, apples were pretty inexpensive locally. They usually are when there’s a good crop.”
How to make the best of it
Unfortunately, there’s no way to make local apples appear out of thin air. The shortage is affecting “the whole northeast area in general,” said Stevens. New York and Michigan did as poorly as Ohio, but “Washington state had a bumper crop.” Eating local may not be an option, but buying apples from another region is a good second choice.
The shortage hasn’t affected the fun at this year’s apple festivals. “Everyone seemed to be having a fantastic time,” said Jiffy Styles, festival chairperson for Country Applefest Lebanon. The 30th annual Country Applefest on Sept. 29 drew a crowd of 50,000-60,000 apple lovers. “Vendors sold out of products, went back for more, and sold out a second time,” Styles said. It’s worth noting that apple festival season is mostly over, and getting your hands on local apples as fall continues won’t be easy.
As for next year, we can’t know what will happen yet, but as Stevens says, “Just pray and wait for Mother Nature to do her thing.”
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