A long tail of large apple crops was highlighted in the US harvest wrap-up webinar

While the new year represents a fresh start to many, for the apple industry it’s a continuation of the crop year set in motion at harvest. So, during a webinar on Dec. 19, it’s fitting that Chris Gerlach, the vice president of insights and analytics for the U.S. Apple Association, took the opportunity to look back at the 2024 harvest season and how the crop volume and movement trends could influence the year to come. One key takeaway: 2023 volume was an important part of the 2024 harvest season. “Four out of 10 apples we have sold this harvest season, 23 million bushels worth, were last season’s crop, trying to get it out the door,” Gerlach said. That unusually large overlap — following the record 2023 harvest — explains why 2024 crop movement appeared to be off to a slow start, he said. “In August, Washington was holding 30 percent more than the previous year,” he said. Now, all but maybe 2 million bushels seem to have moved, he added. “That’s good news.” When you look at apple ...