Poor weather conditions in other parts of the country could pay benefits for apple growers in Washington state.
Warm spring weather in the Northeast and Midwest tricked apple trees into budding early, followed by an untimely frost that damaged the blossoms. As a result, apple farmers in producing states like New York and Michigan are dealing with severe declines in production – as much as 90 percent in some cases.
The unfortunate conditions are amounting to a boon for Washington state growers, who are already in the midst of a near record harvest, and now looking forward to higher demand and prices for their produce.
Washington growers say there will be more apples shipped from Washington to processing on the East Coast than ever before. Still, Washington growers are hoping a labor shortage doesn’t impede them from picking their crops. (AP)
